Trust is a funny thing.
It is the foundation (hopefully) of every relationship we have from personal to professional and everything in between.
Trust can make or break a sale.
Trust can make or break a business.
Trust can make or break a prospect client.
So today my question to you is…
What are you doing to establish trust?
- Are you establishing trust on LinkedIn via your profile summary?
- Are you establishing trust by connecting personally and authentically?
- Are you establishing trust by being consistent in your why?
- Are you establishing trust by sharing who you are and what your business is about?
- Are you establishing trust by taking the time to purchase and then use a professional headshot?
[Tweet “There are so many ways to establish trust on LinkedIn and so many benefits to doing so. “]
There are so many ways to establish trust on LinkedIn and so many benefits to doing so. Let’s talk about a few of the ways you can start to dial up the trust meter today on this professional platform.
- Invest thoughtful time with your summary. Share personal details about your journey, why you are here now and what you are after in the future. Include a funny story of a time you risked a LOT, or a time you FAILED and what you learned. Everyone has made mistakes and had failures in life, when you share these details you become human and no longer just a face with some words on a screen. LinkedIn is not a “stuffy” platform, sure it’s not Facebook and it’s definitely not a personal blog, but it IS a platform designed to give you the freedom to escape the specific rules of a CV or Resume. It is in these personal anecdotes that LinkedIn gives you the space to tell that make all the difference. These stories are a big first step toward someone believing in you.
- Have you crafted a personal connection email that showcases why you are connecting, what you can offer them, and why they should care? No? Then do it today. I will tell you the personal, specific and engaging connection emails I get in my LinkedIn inbox capture my attention 1000% more than just a “connect and be done”. I remember these folks and I am that much closer to understanding their business and what they offer, which is another large step in the direction to convert me from prospect customer to potential sale.
- Write a blog post, create a short video, craft a one page white paper and add it as media to your summary section, experience section AND publication section. When people see you in different medium they really start to get to know what you and your business are about. They hear your voice, in written form and in video, they see your face, and they start to trust you are an expert in your niche. Worried you aren’t the best writer? Then hire a copywriter to craft your words! (Or focus on videos only.) It only takes a handful of posts and publications to really start to flesh out the foundation of your business and create a picture people can hold on to.
- Do what you say you are going to do, yes even on LinkedIn. If you mention a call to action to sign up for a free download and say “I’d love to know how this helped you.” Follow up! If you say, “Great to connect with you I think we could form a great partnership”, email with your ideas. If you say, “I’d love to help you with your business in x,y,z, way” email them with specifics. Give away your advice, your knowledge, your tips and tricks. People see generosity and they recognize it as a building block of trust. It gets them thinking: If you are this generous before being hired how great will you be once they actually pay you!
- Finally: endorse, recommend, endorse, recommend. Show people that you take the time to understand what they do by complimenting their skills. It only takes a few seconds to endorse someone and yet can really have an impact on their profile. Take 10 minutes and write one recommendation a week for a month, so when you are ready to reach out to ask for your own good energy will be on your side. And I’m willing to bet those recommendations will start rolling in of their own accord as well.
Trust is a funny thing. It can make or break relationships, online and off, and we all need to work hard to create trust and then to maintain it. But it’s definitely not impossible!
Feeling overwhelmed? The first thing you need to do today is join me in my LinkedIn Group. In this group you can ask questions and get answers from myself and other business persons like yourself. I’m here to help you, it’s what I do.
Trust me.
You always have the best suggestions for taking your LinkedIn experience to the next level, Karen, thank you. Love what you had to say about adding media, blog posts, etc. to your summary section. Who knew?!
It’s so perfect for creative people, like you Sue Ann!
So many great ideas here, Karen — I think I’ll be going through old blog posts tonight. Thank you for sharing with us.
Great Amy!
How timely: Trust is my word for 2015. I thought of it in terms of deepening my trust in others and in myself. Never thought of it in terms of making sure that I am trustworthy.
Thanks for bringing this very practical approach to doing just that.
So glad my perspective helped!
Practical tips to build one’s credentials on LinkedIn, Karen. Thanks. The one that I find most people do not implement is personalizing their invitations to connect. If the person you are connecting with is known to you outside of the LinkedIn platform, it would work but when one is connecting with a professional outside of one’s network, the same due care is required as if cold calling on the phone to make an appointment. That one step builds credibility and opens up the space for a real dialogue rather than a virtual business card collection.
So true Vatsala and so easy to do!
I certainly TRUST your social media advice since it has worked first hand. Trust is everything when building relationships with clients, partners and vendors.
After implemting some of your tips, I have been getting more requests and messages on LinkedIn. Thank you!!
Love to hear that Susie!
I’m joining your linkedin group, I am feeling overwhelmed! Not sure if it is just another social media site I need to manage but I know I need to get involved more, thanks for the gentle reminder!
It’s so different that what most people consider social media. It’s more virtual networking, who doesn’t need more of that?
If we are not already linked up we should be, I definitely trust you. You have great advice about Linkedin, I will be utilizing your tips too.
Great to hear Cathy!
You’ve the best info Karen. Maybe I need to take the leap finally.
LOL Dana just do it!
great suggestions, karen! i’ve often felt that linkedin doesn’t seem personal enough to me. i wasn’t aware, however, of so many ways i can begin making it a friendlier environment. thanks.
April, knowing your style, I can understand how you feel that way. But there’s lots of “April” types on LinkedIn too! Seek each other out, I think you’ll be surprised how easy it is to connect and leverage those relationships.