Hi Nadine,
Thank you for your response to my posting!
I suppose it's all in how we each view the canned invite. Just how we look at our glass. Is your glass half empty or half full? Professionally, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt in their professional objectives in reaching out to me with a "canned" LinkedIn invite. If I only receive their business card at a networking luncheon, isn't it still worth having their card? What if six months from now, I am looking for a contact with their exact background in their company? I now have the power to contact them for my own specific professional objective.
In my own scenario, and I am only speaking for myself, when someone comes to my "office", which is by the way "virtual", I would prefer to qualify them further than to turn them away just because the invite is "canned." Regardless of how my return greeting is met, the possibilities of a positive outcome professionally far out way any lack of their engaging in further communication with me. It's like buying a lottery ticket or playing a slot machine. You just never know when you will be a winner, but you can't unless you play.
Thank you again! Happy Networking to everyone in 2008!
Best,
Heather Gardner
Recruiter
831-464-1041
From: MyLinkedinPowerForum@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MyLinkedinPowerForum@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Nadine
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 11:44 AM
To: MyLinkedinPowerForum@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [My Linkedin Power Forum] Taking a different look at the "canned" LinkedIn invite..
Hi Heather,
I appreciate your positive approach and for prompting me to evaluate my own philosphy on when refusals are justified. However, I don't believe the situation is as simple as described or that folks may be rash in deciding not to accept such offers. Many of those on this forum, like myself, reply to canned invites with a "how can I help you" or "let's start a dialogue" response, only to be met with silence or, worse, an arguement or outright begging for a connection without a cause. With the exception of a tiny few, I don't consider myself or most people on this forum to be networking snobs with complex protocols for others to approach us.
I characterize the situation of canned invites to be more like this:
-Someone comes into my office unexpectedly and wants a meeting.
-S(he) has no idea what line of business I am in nor my networking approach because they've neglected to read the readily available "marketing materials" on the web and in the waiting room of my office.
-When I greet them with a "how can I help you?", they make no introduction, but merely hand me their card, ask for mine, as well as to go on record to be listed among my professional contacts.
-No other motivations are expressed and they engage in no further communication - they wait for acceptance of their offer.
What am I able to determine from an interaction like this? They don't appear to be interested in exchanging business value propositions, getting to know one another, or have any intentions of relationship building at all. All that's clear is that they are willing to initiate a connection to beef up their network size, no more. That's fine for them, but personally, I see no value in that for my network and will say "no thanks, feel free to withdraw".
I don't consider "archiving" such an invite to be missing out on a potentially great opportunity or the equivalent of "shoving them back out the door from where they came". Thanks for making me think and reminding me of the kind of relationship building skills & values that are important to me!
Best,
Nadine Turner, Six Sigma Black Belt
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email: i_nadine@yahoo.com
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nadineturner
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=557748968
My Blog: http://realsixsigma.wordpress.com /
----- Original Message ----
From: Heather Gardner < heathermgardner@comcast.net>
To: MyLinkedinPowerForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, January 3, 2008 9:58:59 AM
Subject: [My Linkedin Power Forum] Taking a different look at the "canned" LinkedIn invite..
Hi everyone,
I wanted to wish everyone a very happy and professionally prosperous
New Year!
I must say that the past week or so I have read quite a few posts
challenging the receipt of "invitations to connect" that are canned
or not canned but contain little contact in the profiles, etc.
So I pose this question to you ALL:
What would you do if someone that you didn't know came to your office
and waited at the reception desk for a greeting? Would you shove
them back out the door where they came from? Or would you greet
them warmly with a "how can I help you today?"
I take a look at every invitation, whether it's canned or
personalized. You just never know who may walk into your office one
day…. It could mean the client of the century to your business…. But
how will you know if you don't ask and further qualify the invitation?
Happy Networking to all in the New Year!
Heather Gardner
Recruiter
831-464-1041
When you need help, remember one thing: "Turn It Into A Discussion!"
My Linkedin Power Forum is a professional and friendly discussion group where thousands of members discuss and learn ways to improve their business networking skills.
Encourage your friends to join you and your 8,000 MLPF/WHPF friends as we focus on the power of networking to benefit our businesses, careers, and causes.
Add MLPF/WHPF Logo To Your Linkedin Profile:
http://www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.BIZ | http://www.WrightHandPowerForum.BIZ
Other versions of My Linkedin Power Forum:
www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.net (Facebook)
www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.org (Ning)
www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.biz (Linkedin Groups)
When you need help, remember one thing: There's power in discussion so, turn to My Linkedin Power Forum and turn your problem into a discussion.
********
Can You DIGG It? Stan Relihan Interviews Vincent Wright on Connections:
http://connections.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/12/16/connections-015-king-of-the-yahoo-groups/
********
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MyLinkedinPowerForum/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MyLinkedinPowerForum/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto: MyLinkedinPowerForum-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:MyLinkedinPowerForum-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
MyLinkedinPowerForum-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
__._,_.___
When you need help, remember one thing: "Turn It Into A Discussion!"
My Linkedin Power Forum is a professional and friendly discussion group where thousands of members discuss and learn ways to improve their business networking skills.
Encourage your friends to join you and your 8,000 MLPF/WHPF friends as we focus on the power of networking to benefit our businesses, careers, and causes.
Add MLPF/WHPF Logo To Your Linkedin Profile:
http://www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.BIZ |http://www.WrightHandPowerForum.BIZ
Other versions of My Linkedin Power Forum:
www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.net (Facebook)
www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.org (Ning)
www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.biz (Linkedin Groups)
When you need help, remember one thing: There's power in discussion so, turn to My Linkedin Power Forum and turn your problem into a discussion.
********
Can You DIGG It? Stan Relihan Interviews Vincent Wright on Connections:
http://connections.thepodcastnetwork.com/2007/12/16/connections-015-king-of-the-yahoo-groups/
********
Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
Re: [My Linkedin Power Forum] Taking a different look at the "canned" LinkedIn invite..
Ladies,
Good evening; first of all, I must thank Ms. Gardner because she is also contributing (and helping me of course) to create a better awareness of this controversial and -for moments- delicate issue.
Even though I've been able to get a first benefit from networking with other fellow members (a recent job opportunity in Mexico City), on the other hand, I've also found that accepting invitations from some "open networkers" and trying to talk (and network after all...) are two totally different things.
Connecting is not a problem but talking with them has been impossible not because I'm not interested, on the contrary, they are not interested in talking at all (unfortunately, they are "profile collectors"), therefore, I find appropriate to reply to their invitations, introduce myself briefly and invite them (ironically...) to introduce themselves instead of using canned invitations and get to know each other before connecting
If those members don't want to reply, I archive their invitations and move on. Being myself an international LI member, I've concluded that I should be a bit more careful about those canned invitations because I shouldn't ignore that different cultural backgrounds could also play a significant role in future connections.
Best regards.
S i n c e r e l y,
Mario P. Lopez, CPA
Planning / Development / Excel based Financial Solutions
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Mexico City, Mexico
Email: mario.lopezcpa@gmail.com
Free VoIP Call: http://www.jaxtr.com/marioplopez - Jaxtr
Linkedin group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mexpros
Linkedin Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariolopezcpa
Bilingual Financial Blog: http://financialculture.blogspot.com
On 1/3/08, Heather Gardner <heathermgardner@comcast.net > wrote: