LinkedIn: Is It a Waste of Time or an Opportunity?

Written By: Adam GrayAs I flick through my newsfeed on LinkedIn I am amazed at the dross that masquerades as “expert views/posts” that I am presented with. Is it LinkedIn’s fault? No, of course not. It is absolutely the fault of the users.“Come to my marketing workshop because I’ve got 27 years experience”, “we have an exciting new service we’re proud to launch” or “I’ve just achieved my AWS certification”…this utter rubbish is everywhere. Too many LinkedIn users simply don’t know the difference between networking and pitching and a quick browse through your newsfeed will absolutely underline this. So, is that a bad thing? Does that mean that LinkedIn is dead? Does that mean that you shouldn’t post anything? Absolutely not. The fact that so many people are busy pitching their products/services rather than educating and empowering their followers gives YOU a massive opportunity to appear better than everyone else.Don’t believe me? Then scroll down your news feed and see which articles/posts you actually start to read and then (more tellingly) actually finish. I’ll wager that the vast majority are those that teach you something, or give you some morsels of value that you can yourself recycle.Why is this so? Because you have better things to do with your day that to read my sales pitch…but if I share with you something that is genuinely valuable, my very best ideas, my USPs, my gems…those you will read…and enjoy…and share.Related: What Was Working in Sales, Isn’t Working Anymore I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking “but if I tell you my USP…my secret sauce… you’ll go away and do it yourself without buying my services”!

So, before you share anything, here are some inalienable truths you need to know:

Nobody will steal your ideas and use them without you (or at least if they do, they would never have been a client anyway). This is true because large training companies like Sandler, Miller Heiman and Richardson have built businesses on trying to get companies to change and to implement good (if perhaps rather dated) ideas…it takes years to change.

Your USP probably isn’t all that Unique if you’re honest. You call it your USP but there is rarely anything that you have created that hasn’t already been created somewhere else yesterday and won’t be created again tomorrow.

Are you really that brilliant that you can win clients by using your second best idea rather than your best idea? I very much doubt it! So lead with your best ideas as they are your best chance to impress.

So the point of my post? Grasp this opportunity, grasp it now while it still exists because it will be gone soon.