4 Reasons To Join LinkedIn And 2 Reason Not To
I recently signed up and created
my profile page on LinkedIn after having my interest in it rise from multiple invitations sent to me.
Recently, I've been holding off from the product creation and seeking ways to get get more web presence and LinkedIn was just what I was looking for.
It's dawning on me that in this age of the internet,
social interaction on a more personal level is the key to running an online business these days. That's why these social networking sites (Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn) are booming.
Faceless marketers will soon be obsolete and only those who can connect and provide real value to the internet community, and LinkedIn is a perfect platform to cultivate that.
I like LinkedIn for many reasons but the main four reasons I like LinkedIn is one, it's free (but there is a paid upgrade option), two, you get to present your business, services and products, three, you can meet other professionals to form profitable relationships with and four, it's a place to keep up with what's happening.
These are the reasons I wanted to join
LinkedIn...
1. It's free to join and create your profile. There are plenty of useful applications and modules that offer tools to help you share your info and see others' info. There is a paid upgrade offer, but I'm yet to check that out in detial.
2. You can build your business. These social networking sites are perfect to build your brand, showcase your expertise and get attention. As you know, a big part of marketing is credibility. There are a few applications that let you share your knowledge, such as the Answers forum.
3. Network with thousands of professionals. LinkedIn is full of business owners. I just signed up to LinkedIn yesterday but I already am linked to 122,300 professionals. It's no secret that a big part of success is "who you know, not what you know".
4. Keep up with the latest movements in your field of expertise. The internet moves at lighning speed so being connected to thousands of marketers will keep you up to date with the latest news in your market. It's hard to keep up with everything but missing everything can be a bigger problem.
As with all things, there are pros and cons. The only problems I can see with LinkedIn is that there are some limitations and there will always be strangers asking to be connected with you.
Some downsides to LinkedIn...
1. Limitations of what you can do. It has a lot of great features but there are some limitations. For example, your connections can only be those who are users of LinkedIn and who have accepted to be your contact, so you can't use it as a traditional contact manager like your email or
Web Prosperity. It's not as entertaining as Facebook, it's strictly business.
2. Strangers will want to connect. I know on Facebook I get a lot of strangers asking for friend requests, but I ignore 95 % of them. Facebook is what I use for my private life but LinkedIn is strictly for business. I will be more lenient to accepting strangers but will definitely check them out before approving.
Using LinkedIn effectively will take some extra time out of the day, but I feel it is one that could pay off.
If you would like to join my network, please see my personal LinkedIn profile here.See you there!
Stuart Stirling
:)
Labels: business-networking-tools, business-networking-website, linkedin, pros-and-cons-of-linkedin
Insight From Rich Dad Poor Dad Author
I get a daily newsletter from Mike Dillard of Magnetic Sponsoring...usually I take a quick glance then I'm finished...but I couldn't take my eyes off today's newsletter.
Mike was relating his experience of visiting Robert Kiyosaki's office - the author of the world best seller Rich Dad, Poor Dad book.
Here is a clip from Mike Dillard's newsletter today...
"What I’d like to share with you now is one of the most valuable insights I’ve gained from my time with Robert. Please take the time to read this email today, because I can promise that you’ll never look at yourself the same way again once you do.
Have you ever thought about the word “winning”, and what it means to you?
For most of us, the word “winning”, is a very simple concept. You create a goal, and when you achieve it, you’ve won.
Well, there’s actually much more to it then that, because your subconscious mind has it’s own definition for “winning”, and whether you like it or not, you and your entire life are run by this little bugger.
If your subconscious doesn’t want you to “win” when it comes to wealth and money, you’re not going to. Period.
By definition, your subconscious thoughts and its agenda for your life are hidden from you, unless you’ve trained yourself to communicate with it.
If you don’t know what its definition of “winning” is for you right now, how can you ever move forward? And that’s the point on this letter… We’re going to find out what “winning” means to your subconscious right now…
There are 5 ways for you to win...
1: You win when you’re comfortable. This person’s primary goal is to just go through life as comfortably as possible. They don’t want stress. They don’t want to be pushed or challenged. They don’t like conflict. The just want to go through life on cruise control, hanging out with their friends, and having a good time.
Everything they do is designed to support their pursuit of comfort.
This is your average, life-long employee who’s more than happy to have a safe, stable, comfortable job.
If you push this person away from that goal, and challenge them or their routine lifestyle, watch out.
2: You win by being liked. This person’s primary goal in life is to be liked by others. They want acceptance from everyone, and will do just about anything to reach that goal. They’d rather be liked, than be right or wrong.
When you put someone like this in a leadership role, the business will usually fail because they won’t be willing to make hard decisions that would anger someone. They would try to please everyone all the time because their ultimate motivation is to be liked by others.
3: You win by being right. This person is usually an expert in a specific field like a professor, lawyer, or a wife. (Just kidding ladies! ?). People who win by being right, don’t accept criticism and aren’t open to new ideas.
They tend to reach a glass ceiling when it comes to money, their career, and relationships, because they can’t accept their short-comings in order to move past them and achieve personal growth. Arguing with this person never works because they’ll always find a way to prove you wrong, even if it means sabotaging your company in the process.
In order to win, this person must be right.
4: You win by winning. This person is an achiever. Their primary motivation is to win. They are very competitive, and will do whatever it takes to win. They won’t quit, and they’ll constantly push themselves to gain the edge they need.
This category describes all successful entrepreneurs and athletes. Winning is their reward, and on the dark side, some of them will go too far and compromise their integrity in order to do so. Key Lay of Enron is a great example.
This type of person doesn’t care if others don’t like them, and they welcome discomfort because it provides them with new opportunities to win.
This is how Robert wins, and looking at my past, this is how I win... Two State Championships in cycling. The #1 marketing system in the industry. Millionaire before 30. I win, by winning. I am constantly evaluating and improving myself, and will do whatever it takes, (with integrity), to be the best. Period.
5: You win by losing. This person wins by being a victim. They want sympathy from others or their spouse. Just when things start to get better, they will sabotage themselves, and say, “I knew it wouldn’t work”, giving them their victory once again.
There lives are always filled with problems because they don’t win unless they lose, so they create circumstances and excuses that help them fulfill that destiny like, “Your book won’t teach me anything new. I don’t have the money. This is just another scam. I’ll give it a try…”
By now, you are probably trying to work out which kind of person you are, but you probably see a little of each in yourself.
There is no right or wrong type of person, but this will give you a kind of "map" to see the type of person you are now and the type you want to be.
If you want to be rich and successful by running your own business, then you will want to be like No. 4. Win by winning. Some people have more of those attributes than others but that is no excuse. Thoughts and habits can be adopted and developed.
But remember that winning is a process that can come to an end. Once you've won, that game is over and you have to start training to win the next game!
To your success,
Stuart Stirling
Please leave your comment below!
:)
Labels: magnetic-sponsoring, rich-dad-poor-dad, Robert-Kiyosaki
It's dawning on me that in this age of the internet, social interaction on a more personal level is the key to running an online business these days. That's why these social networking sites (Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn) are booming.
