A client of mine David called me just this week and said “Hey I have just joined LinkedIn.com, I have about a dozen new connections…now what?” And I had absolutely nothing to say to him. No guidance for his next steps, no reassurance that there are untold fortunes in each of those connections. As I though about my experience with the social networking site for business and realized that I have no idea on how to actually use it! So I went online and found a few tips about LinkedIn that all users should really know.

Guy Kawasaki wrote about giving your profile an extreme makeover read it to give yourself a head start on the process of actually using LinkedIn to build your business.

Mr. Kawasaki also posted his ten ways to use the network. My favorites are number 3 and 5, Improve your Google Pagerank and perform blind, “reverse,” and company reference checks.

Then I stumbled on Jill Konrath and her website http://www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com She has an amazing free ebook that really hits the heart of the LinkedIn craze called “Can LinkedIn Increase your sales?” In about fifteen minutes my whole outlook on social networking for business changed.

What I was able to distill is that LinkedIn is your online research library for real work connections. You have to take the conversation ‘off-line’ for it to be effective. Spot your target, hone your skills, master your approach and then strike. But when you strike, be like E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and phone home. Leverage the information to lessen the time it takes to get your foot in the door.

‘Increase your visibility. Don’t simply add people to your network. Ask or answer questions on LinkedIn. Make sure your public profile is complete. But most of all recommend people in your network and ask them to recommend YOU! Anytime you do any of the above, LinkedIn posts updates online or in weekly updates to everyone in your network.’

I also found the contrary 3 reasons that LinkedIn won’t help you sell What I have learned about life is that for every great idea there are always 3 good reasons why it won’t work.

Feel free to add me as a connection. Who knows, maybe I know someone that knows someone that you would really like to be introduced to. You never know.