This document provides tips for using LinkedIn to grow your business. It discusses setting up a complete profile, connecting with contacts from past jobs and schools, joining groups in your industry, using LinkedIn to research companies and competitors, and emphasizing networking to build your professional brand and contacts on the platform. The goal is to have 500 contacts within 6 months and utilize LinkedIn as a tool for business development, intelligence, and research.

1. How to Use LinkedIn to Grow your business By Greg Albrecht M& A Executive Search, LLC Linkedin.com/in/galbrechtmaexec

3. Currently has over 40 MILLON users worldwide

4. Growing exponentially- Expected to have over 100 MILLION users by 2010

6. Add Contacts & Connections

7. Search your past jobs, schools, associations

8. Search your outlook contacts

9. Invite people you know & trust

10. Always provide value & customize your invite

12. Promote your Profile Change your LinkedIn address to your name i.e. www.linkedin.com/in/galbrechtmaexec Put LI address on your business card Put your LI address on your email signature Add to your blog, resume, FB, Twitter, etc. Display on your resume & part of email address Make sure people know how to find you on LI

13. Build your Contacts Search past companies, current company, past schools, current organizations Search groups for ones you belong: Alumni Associations, Business Groups, Professional Associations and search for members who also belong When you meet someone ask for their business card and if you can invite them to join your network on LinkedIn Join Open Networking groups: LION, OPEN Networkers, etc. Upgrade your free membership to Business Pro- Business investment if in sales When you get a new contact- search their contacts for people you know-invite them Browse the right hand side of the new contact for other people who have viewed contact’s profile Weekly check your upper right hand side of your Home Page for ‘Contacts you may know’ Send “Intro requests” to people you would like to meet through your contacts

14. Join Groups In the search mode Click on Groups and search for professional groups to join. Hint you can join up to 50 groups Set parameters for industry, function, profession & type in the advanced search mode Identify Groups you want to join and search who you know in those groups- invite others to join Answer questions and become subject matter expert-provide advice Search for Groups by what you do, your location or what you sell or market Set the settings for how often you want to receive emails Set up your own groups i.e. Rotary Club of Eden Prairie, Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce, TC Alumni Assoc of AKPsi Business Fraternity

15. Business Intelligence Use LI to find info on competitors’ employees Check their LI profile to find out about them Find out about their past jobs, education, groups, honors and awards The more info you know about a competitor, the better you can position your product or service Check out their recommendations and referrals Learn about their workforce demographics

16. Research Use LinkedIn to research companies – click on company in search mode or put cursor on ‘Company Name’ to pull their profile Find out number of employees, locations, size, company history, background on product or service, company officers, employee backgrounds i.e. where most likely affiliated Find who in your network is connected to the company or used to work there – great source

17. Network, Network, Network Connect with people you know through what you do & how you are connected to others: associations, church, social clubs, athletic clubs, golf club, softball teams, music, kid’s sports, etc The more people you connect with the greater your network and the more people know about you and your company Update your “What are you working on” slot on your home page/profile with your objective: ‘Promoting new release of SAAS software to provide dashboard metrics to C-Level Executives” Add applications : Reading Lists, Trips, Blogs, Questions/Discussions- update weekly or monthly Use ‘Working on’ slot to update seminars you are attending, presentations you are making, conferences, and events

18. Treat People Well “you may never know how important you may be to someone you meet, someone you may never dream of, for you leave a part of your self with every body you meet” Mr. Rodgers ‘Use perpetual diplomacy with everybody you encounter for you never know when your paths may cross again’ Mark Sathe

19. Facebook Background Info: Over 50 million users Fastest Growing – 35 to 55 age group Top Social networking site for friends