You should avoid using LinkedIn's automatic messages
Wanghley S.
Computer Engineer | Firmware | Project Management | ETL | EDA | PowerBI | SQL | Hardware | ASIC Design
You should avoid using automatic messages on LinkedIn and I'll show you why.
One habit I have is to always write personalized messages when I connect or when someone sends me a request or simply when someone sends me any introductory message. I always try to show, through messages and words, that I care about the time the person has taken to view my profile and decide to connect with me.
One of the things I learned in the first week of classes at the Watson Institute this semester is to value other people's time.
90% of the responses I get from messages carefully written according to each person's profile are "Thanks, Wanghley" or a "Thank you" or a "You're welcome".
That is automatically generated messages that the person just had to click on and probably didn't even think about what they sent.
What is the result of this?
In my case, I simply discard the connection or consider it irrelevant. If the person even dared to dedicate a few seconds or minutes to write what she thinks instead of something "automatic" and meaningless, why should I trust her and create a strong professional connection?
The reverse is also true. I've been on the other side of this coin. When I had my first hits on LinkedIn in mid-2014 I made similar mistakes for a while. As you're thinking, yes, I missed countless networking opportunities for this one reason: I didn't give enough importance to those who connected with me.
In short, here are some tips to ensure that you don't miss out on professional opportunities, personal opportunities, and especially networking or friendship that you could form through digital means, not only on LinkedIn:
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Avoid sending messages that sound automatic;
If you consider that your time should not be spent with this person, do not send a message. Something forced can create disruption for both parties involved;
If you are interested in establishing a conversation and a relationship or connection with someone online, keep in mind that part of your time should be dedicated to building that relationship;
Try to research and see the person's profile and use hook questions or similarities that you both have. This can help you start the conversation in a humanized way that shows you care about the other person.
Remember that building a relationship is not something simple. You need to dedicate time, patience. You need to be present and willing to build the bond as if it were literally software: line by line going back and forth.
Finally, I leave some readings that inspired me to write this article and that I believe can help you to reflect more deeply on the subject (I hope you like it!).
Engelke, Matthew.?How to Think like an Anthropologist. Princeton University Press, 2018.
Schein, Edgar H., and Peter A. Schein.?Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust. First edition, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc, 2018.
Vaynerchuk, Gary.?The Thank You Economy. 1st ed, Harper Business, 2011.
Survey123 Jedi | HEALING OUR Survey123 trauma (GIS)??
9 个月I was wondering if I could change the statement to my own words. I've connected with each of my 3500 connections, and I love building a relationship with each one. I'll tell you mine, and I'd love to hear yours. I always ask the first time I interact, "I love asking my connections what their GIS superpower is. What’s yours?" I found out the creator of the software I use follows me, and it warms my heart when he thumbs up something of mine. ??
Community & Program Specialist at Osmosis (from Elsevier) | Building Virtual Spaces for Learning, Business Growth, Collaboration & Communication with AI & Immersive tech
3 年Another lesson I am taking out of this is "mindfulness"
Community & Program Specialist at Osmosis (from Elsevier) | Building Virtual Spaces for Learning, Business Growth, Collaboration & Communication with AI & Immersive tech
3 年I am tempted to say "Thank You, Wanghley", but you might just regard it as automatic response ?? . You make a very good point though, I always ensure to avoid clicking those pop-ups. I think the fact that its the easy way out and it just props up in your face means most people cannot resist the urge to jsut click and get going...