How many really meaningful networking meetings do you have in a month? Do you know how you can help others by sharing your connections?

As an Executive Career Coach and LinkedIn Sales Trainer, I have coached more than 80,000 people to be found for great jobs and profitable business opportunities leveraging LinkedIn.

I find that all people appreciate being around people and they genuinely want to help others but sometimes don’t know how.

As a former sales person (and job seeker), I liked to be with others, brainstorm, share ideas and connections. I have noticed that job seekers are often isolated, especially my introverted clients. In addition, my sales rep clients sometimes get stumped on who to contact next.

Because I am a connector and my 1st degree connections know me, like me and trust me they are willing to help me and my friends (or 2nd degree connections). In order to help each other more meaningful, quickly and honestly in more fun way, I have created LinkedIn Parties.

Here’s how a Meaningful Connections LinkedIn Party works:

• Invite: 3 to 5 people who have different but complimentary networks to a ‘LinkedIn Party’.
• Meet up: at a location with internet access for instance a coffee shop community room, local community center, library room, virtual office location, the outplacement companies meeting room. In Minneapolis / St. some of our grocery stores have free community rooms.
• Bring: computers, cords, business cards, calendars, and an open mind
• Check settings: everyone has their connections open (check the Settings to open connections to Everyone).
• Prepare: a list of 10 people that they’d like to meet: titles, industries, companies, specialties, location, size of company, (their target audience).
• Take turns: each person gets 10 minutes to ask the other members to search for his / her targeted friends.
• Search: go to the “Advanced” area located next to the white / blue Search box at the top of the profile page and type in the targeted keywords, titles, industries, companies, locations, etc. and click search.
• Make meaningful connections: when the member finds a good connection they send a message, inside of LinkedIn, they include the friend and create a message such as:

“Hi Nate,

I would like to introduce you to my friend Max. He’s on my softball team and he is a seasoned product manager who is interested in your advice and expertise around medical device manufacturing as he is seeking to transition from Company X. I am including him on this message and will invite him to reach out to you.

Please let me know what I can be on the look-out for you. I know that when good people meet good things happen.

Be well, my thoughtful friend,

Anne

Nate Nelson: nate.nelson@me.com

Max Smith: maxsmith2@gmail.com“

TIP: I always include the email addresses for each person in the introduction email.

• Goals: each person is targeting 10 introductions. After the initial message is sent the person connected follows up and sets up a networking meeting or call.
• Thank, celebrate + measure: finally, each person reports back to the group at the end of the week and share their successes.

LinkedIn Party Successes:

• Financial planner client scheduled a LinkedIn Party with a CPA and an attorney friend and he secured 14 coffee meetings with good prospective clients. Two turned into clients. They are now scheduling monthly meetings and inviting additional members.
• Executive job seeker client is scheduling Friday LinkedIn Parties at the outplacement center with different executives from industries he is targeting. This client set up 11 networking meetings in 2 hours.

Try it and let me know how it works.

We’re all connected!

Anne

Anne Pryor is a Nationally Recognized LinkedIn Strategist and Sales Trainer, Inspiring Speaker, Certified Online Brand Specialist, Future Mapper and Co-founder of Meaningful Connections, a national leader in personal branding, online visibility using LinkedIn, and career and new world of work strategies. She is the creator of LinkedIn Parties. In her free time she loves to Nordic walk, soul paint with watercolor and provide angel card readings.

Visit her blogs and LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annepryor/author