Professionalism and personalization is a must for success on LinkedIn

The next time you attempt to connect with another professional on LinkedIn, be sure to maintain business etiquette. For example, I would never walk up to someone at a business networking event, hand them my business card, say nothing at all and then simply walk away. Yet that is how many business professionals approach connecting on LinkedIn.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received this kind of generic introduction: “I’d like to add you to my professional network.” They didn’t address me by name, and they didn’t take the time to type in a personal message.

It’s bad enough when someone you know doesn’t take the time to write a personal message, but it’s even worse to get a generic impersonal LinkedIn connection request from someone you’ve never even met. So, the next time you introduce yourself, online or offline, be professional and personal. What’s your LinkedIn pet peeve?  Share it here.

Visit Merlot Marketing LinkedIn Profile