How to be a LinkedIn Expert

I often get questions from people regarding LinkedIn. When I feel the question is shared by others, I post it here on my blog for all to read.

Here’s the latest one:

Question: How do I become a LinkedIn Expert?

I wanted to ask you, looking at your accomplishments, how can I become a LinkedIn Expert? With my HR and Consulting Background I would like to add LinkedIn Expert to my expertise. By asking you, I know I will receive the best advice.

My Answer to How to be a LinkedIn Expert

Buy a house and drop every cent into it. Get fired. Get hired as a sales executive to develop a new territory. Find out that your competitor (who sells your exact software package) is entrenched and that you have to do everything possible to survive and pay your mortgage.

Make 75 cold calls before noon every day. Start using LinkedIn to try to find ways to connect with more prospects and get past the gatekeeper. Close $1.5 million in business in a single month. Have your company raise your quota. Know that if you don’t close more business they will lay off not just you but your technical team, one of which just had a baby. Find yourself getting sick from the stress.

Continue to use LinkedIn to find and close business and create strong relationships. Keep challenging yourself and aiming high. Get fired because boss figures he can cover Philly since it’s already developed… besides, Philly is closer to NYC than the DC territory. Lose commissions for month of December in which you closed 1/2 million in business, oh and it’s only December 8th. Your company’s CRM database is gone, thank goodness you still have your LinkedIn network.

Decide to start own business because the thought of working for someone else is repellent. Use your sales experience and grasp of technology to start a consulting business. Blog about LinkedIn for 2 years before actually making any real money from it.

Spend every day on LinkedIn. Live it. Breath it. Use it to connect with people, add value, and find business. Spend every spare second you have writing a book about LinkedIn.

Teach people from all over the world how to use it. Speak about LinkedIn to groups in which there is invariably one person who wants to challenge your knowledge. Learn how to get around every single one of their questions/objections/tirades, nicely.

Love every single second of it.

Well, that’s just my story. You can read books and watch videos. But in order to really become a LinkedIn expert, you gotta:

• Spend the time learning how to use it. Read whatever you can get your hands on. Watch videos. Play with it. Experiment.
• You have to use it regularly. Use LinkedIn to research people. Get active in Groups. Post Status Updates. Comment on other peoples’ status updates. USE IT!
• You must find success with it. Know that what you are doing is resulting in success.
• And you have to love sharing your knowledge with others. Blog about it. Create Videos. Volunteer to help others.

Oh, and FYI, you can’t call yourself a LinkedIn expert because in the Social Media realm, that’s a big no-no.

LinkedIn Expert? Heck, I’m just a gal who LOVES LinkedIn!

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