You can’t sell something unless people know it’s for sale

Making the most of

Colin Horton BSc (Hons)

Making the most of

Isn’t it just Facebook for business people?

In short yes, however LinkedIn allows users to promote themselves and their business’s in a

way that no other social platform allows. Instead of just countless ‘Selfies’ LinkedIn has

substance it allows users to take part in the ultimate art of self-promotion and intellectual

debate , after all if you don’t promote yourself who will?

I must admit I am extremely guilty of promoting myself however I am a monkey after all (Nigel

Risner – It’s a Zoo around here) . I thrive off praise and I love to be told how well I am doing, call

it narcissism but LinkedIn is the perfect place to inflate your ego, which is never a bad thing.

Your LinkedIn profile is your chance to show the world how great you are and what you have

to offer, we have all been in a situation where we have been patronised by peers who are

‘Above’ us so why not use LinkedIn to illustrate just how valuable you are.

Getting it right

First of all you need to get your profile picture right, I know it sounds simple but the right

picture can you increase your profile views and the persona you give off. If you work in a

corporate environment, make sure your picture is corporate, none of these pictures with you

on a night out with a bottle of Moet’ in your hand, you need to give off the right image. I would

recommend asking your boss for professional photo, if not put the camera on timer and take

one before work with a plain background. Trust me it’s worth it. Example of mine below:

Making the most of

What do you actually do? One of the key parts of success on LinkedIn is getting the key words

right, if you want to be found in Boolean searches (I’ll explain later) then you need to hit the

right areas. I’ll use myself as an example (Apologies for my narcissism here)

Now in short I work in Asset Management, my key words are lease extensions, ground rents,

portfolio, acquisitions and negotiation, as you can see I have included these in my summary section,

this ensures that little old me crops up in as many relevant searches as possible, there is also

secondary key words which open me up to a wider network such as property, development, assets

and valuation. All of these words enhance my visibility in the searches this is key to widening your

network.

Of course your summary is what people read, you basically have 2-3 paragraphs to basically say

‘Hey look at me, I’m awesome‘ excuse the cheese here but it’s the best way to explain. Numbers are

good, people like numbers, even if they are slightly embellished (Not condoning lying as you will get

found out)

So far so good?

We are now on to experience, the online CV section I guess. In my opinion it’s good to keep the

most recent and relevant employment history simple and concise, displaying your achievements

and what you do in your current role. If you already have a blurb on a company website feel free to

use that! Ultimately this part is used to show what you actually do, so make sure you are honest.

Always remember though you are selling yourself!

Jobs that are not relevant need not be in your CV, my 2 month stint in a catalogue factory

doesn’t need to be on LinkedIn.

That’s the hard bit done…. You have decorated the house now it’s time for the furnishings. Those of

you with Honours or Awards…make sure you put them on there, they do not necessarily need to be

Making the most of

relevant , people like interesting people , you never know, an awkward client meeting could be

livened up by the fact that you both were champion fencers. If you are proud of it, put it up!

Certifications, again if you have earnt them put them up although I personally recommend that you

keep them relevant to your current industry. A lot of people take pride in their certifications and will

take people more seriously if they too are certified to their level. Certifications give you not only

letters after your name but they illustrate an ability to work at something and see it through.

Remember you are selling yourself!

Not everyone went to University but those of you that did, make sure you include this on your page,

give a little description to your course, what did you do, what did you learn. If you have any bits of

work you are proud of put them on your page! Those of you without University education, if you

feel your results in you’re A-levels or GCSE’s are relevant and impressive then put them up. Please

note though that I haven’t been asked about my GCSE’s since I got my A-Level results.

Skills , we all have skills, make sure you add as many key words as you can here, like I discussed

above, the more skills you have, the more visible you will be in searches.

Publications if you have wrote an essay, publish it, especially if you have had recognised in the

press. Don’t be afraid post your articles for the world to read, after all you are selling yourself!

Making the most of

Time to network

Now you have an impressive profile it’s time to start using it.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a prolific poster and ‘adder’ , you want to know why?

The more people see my face on their news feed the more chance there is that they will think of me

when it comes to needing something and in turn opportunities will come my way. I have tried all

types of posts from comedy to corporate….

(This is a play on words of Lional Richie’s hit “Hello”)

I have now evolved on to a more corporate style …

Ultimately if you get your message across , then you have been successful. I have received dozens

of leads from my LinkedIn ads and yes some are good but I do work hard to keep a steady flow of

them coming and to keep them original, it’s important to stay at the forefront of people’s minds.

I am blessed that I have over 2000 contacts and not many people can say that they can advertise to

2000 people for free can they. How did I get 2000 contacts… well I would say a third were requests

Making the most of

however the rest were just sheer audacious invitations which paid off, I now have a huge powerful

network of property professionals and I started with zero contacts like everyone else. Having the

potential to advertise your services or yourself to so many like-minded professionals in your

industry is priceless.

Another great way to get your name out there is to comment and like as many relevant posts as

possible, join in some intellectual debate, don’t just walk the walk, talk the talk. No point owning a

Ferrari if you don’t know how to drive it. (It’s a metaphor for having a great profile but not utilising

LinkedIn)

Searches

Below is search a form of search called Boolean it enables you to search for a variety of job titles and

enables you to filter the results by adding the relevant key words

(“property developer” OR “building developer” OR “property investor”) AND Freehold AND “ground

rents”

The above is obviously quite specific but you could try

(“property manager” OR “asset manager” OR “conveyancer”) AND “ground rents”

(“property manager” OR “asset manager” OR “conveyancer” OR “builder” OR “portfolio”) AND

“freehold”

It’s a great way to decipher people find connections etc.

I hope this few pages help you maximise a wonderful platform to make business happen. I am not

an IT buff, hardly a marketing guru , I am just a property professional trying to make my way in the

world.

Remember …

You can’t sell something unless people know it’s for sale