You call THIS networking and Lead Generation?

Guest author Mari Anne Vanella of The Vanella Group (NEVER call her MARI) - shared some stories and I had to add in my feedback, as well. This is a big topic and becoming a bigger problem in lead generation.

From Mari Anne Vanella:

Have you noticed an increasing trend of very poor outreach techniques on LinkedIn both via messages, InMail, and calls? A lot of it is laziness and the fact their mamas never taught them any manners, and their managers didn’t instill the respected way to introduce yourself to avoid having the door slammed in your face.

The complete lack of research people do before reaching out continues to amaze me.  A week or so back, I had someone reach out to me saying he knows I manage the Ace Hardware account and went on to ask me, “What can you tell him about them?”  First off-- why would I tell a complete stranger about a client?  Then we get to the LAZY part. This guy was referring to the job I had 17 years ago managing their EDI roll-out. 17 YEARS AGO.  Curious how he could be so desperate for information that he would ask someone about something so far from current experience, I asked if he looked at my profile.  His response was, “Yes, very impressive.” and then right back to asking what can I tell him about Ace.  Under the circumstances, what else is there to share except "They sell hardware.”

This gets us into another topic covering “being too familiar with the unfamiliar.”

In an effort to show how “close” we are, people I’ve never met, or have barely met are calling me "Mari” forgetting the rest of my signature, profile name, website bio, business card, voicemail all clearly state my name as Mari Anne. What is it they think it is okay to call me "Mari" when there is nothing in the universe referencing that?  I even put in my contact preferences on LinkedIn not to do that to help reps avoid the nickname faux pas.  But I get them daily nonetheless. 

And when I get communication here on LinkedIn that starts off "Hi Mari."  That is an automatic delete.

I know there are firms out there that are offering LinkedIn campaigns and offer low cost lead generation.  LinkedIn is a powerful tool to access prospects, but it can also do a lot of damage to your prospect's perception of you if not used right.  Companies considering this should ask for work samples, and be sure they are not embarking on a campaign that is poorly executed and only associates your name with the bad outreach they got.

[JIM] Lead generation is not posting your link on Linkedin in as many groups as possible and expecting some miracle of lead generation.  No one cares about you.  They only care about themselves and how someone can help them solve problems.  The more you shout “look at ME” the more you turn them off.  What kind of juvenile newbies are running these lead generation programs hiding behind social media without a thought to producing a qualified lead?   I venture they wouldn’t know what a qualified lead is.

 

Comments

[Michael A Brown]

"But wait ... there's more" as they say on late night TV.

A growing number of LI participants discover the groups and immediately flood the groups with multiple posts and self-serving responses to multiple questions … their “stories and glories.” Some post irrelevant or silly metaphysical questions. Others submit responses that have little if anything to do with the original questions.

The really substantive questions and responses come from people genuinely involved in the subjects at hand, and who contribute helpful, sometimes provocative content. That is why “join and flood” seems a terrible way to establish a good reputation.