Dave's Network Status Report:
56 direct connections, 1000+ friends of friends, 210,200+ total network
Dave's Quick LinkedIn Tip: Be sure to add your photo on LinkedIn. You want people attempting to contact you to know they have the right person.
After sending out the invitations, I heard from some old friends. It was great catching up. In the pile was a very large business opportunity. It was so large we couldn't even attempt it. What can you say, you can't get them all. It was an honor to even be considered.
I tried my first shot at using my network for outbound business development. I picked a company we would very much like to have on the client list. I searched for the company in LinkedIn. Bingo! One of my friends knows someone who used to work at this company. It even happens to be the right department. I asked my friend for an introduction. My friend introduced me via email to his friend (that used to work there). She agreed to do some checking to get a contact for me. Not bad!
Perhaps next time I will dig a little harder to find a direct link into the company. I think that would be the ultimate.