Mission #41

On Board: Brian Traichel Mission: Linkedin Money Making Secrets

The Co-Pilot:

This week, you'll have the pleasure and privilege of hearing some great LinkedIn advice and insight from a true expert, Brian Traichel. Brian discovered LinkedIn by chance in 2004, and since then has been putting it to great use to form connections and grow his business.

As he shares his best-kept secrets about LinkedIn, Brian reveals that the key is in forming meaningful connections. And it's no wonder he has this sort of perspective, when he's worked with greats including Brian Tracy, Michael Gerber, Tony Robbins, and Barbara De Angelis. His sales strategies are based on real connections and providing value, and in this episode, he walks listeners through exactly how to form these meaningful, authentic business relationships.

Connect With Brian:

Brian Traichel on LinkedInBrianTraichel on Facebook

The Mission Log:

• [04:28] - Brian starts things off by telling us a bit about himself, his career history, and how he discovered LinkedIn.
• [06:14] - Why is LinkedIn so powerful? Brian talks about the value of LinkedIn's nature as a business site.
• [08:35] - Your LinkedIn profile may be the first thing people see about you online, so it needs to have the equivalent of "curb appeal," Brian tells us.
• [10:02] - Brian talks about what kind of profile picture you need on your LinkedIn profile.
• [10:34] - In your description, you only have a few sections to capture someone's attention. Brian lists what should be in your summary section. He goes on to talk about the 22 sections of a full LinkedIn profile, and explains what belongs in the "education" section.
• [13:45] - One of the roles of your LinkedIn profile is to answer questions people have about you and your skills and abilities.
• [14:53] - Brian reveals that he actually uses the free version of LinkedIn, not the premium version. He then goes on to estimate that 80% of his business has come through LinkedIn.
• [16:18] - Once you have your picture and profile filled out on LinkedIn, what do you do next? Brian's suggestions: share your Facebook updates there as well, and join LinkedIn groups. He also describes the power of LinkedIn groups, and how they make it possible to reach thousands of people in minutes.
• [18:16] - Brian talks about the etiquette of connecting with people. For him, it's all about personal connections.
• [19:55] - Brian shares his script for what to say when you call people from LinkedIn. His first example is of a client calling a provider, and the second is of a provider calling a potential client. In both examples, his emphasis is on making a human connection, not talking business. Once the connection is made, he suggests drip marketing.
• [22:59] - We learn more about drip marketing through LinkedIn. What Brian does is endorse each connection for a skill every week, so that his name will come to mind when that person needs someone who provides his services.
• [25:15] - Brian suggests investing at least 30 minutes a day in LinkedIn. He explains why.
• [26:04] - What do you do if you aren't connected to someone and haven't spoken with them, but want to connect with or talk to them? How is the answer different if the person isn't in your industry?
• [27:33] - Brian talks about whether to accept everyone who sends you a request on LinkedIn. He accepts anyone who has at least 50 connections, a picture, and a summary.
• [28:36] - How many people does Brian connect with a day? How does he keep track of them? He suggests using LinkedIn's tagging feature rather than Excel or another tracking system.
• [29:14] - We hear more of Brian's thoughts on groups. He especially recommends starting your own LinkedIn group.
• [31:29] - Brian explains what LinkedIn Pulse is. He says it's basically your LinkedIn feed.
• [32:03] - LinkedIn is better than Facebook for Brian's purposes, and he tells us why.
• [32:27] - Brian gives his little-known secrets, including instructions on how to view people's profiles invisibly and how to change how to see who can view your connections.
• [34:28] - The #1 thing you should never do on LinkedIn is sell to someone after they accept your LinkedIn invitation.
• [35:05] - Brian talks about best practices for LinkedIn groups.
• [37:18] - What are Brian's three tips to living a stellar life? 1. Be your own guru (meaning you should follow your gut). He gives an example of how he did this. 2: Become a minimalist and declutter. 3: Exercise the law of non-attachment. He and Orion go on to discuss the value of non-attachment.

Your Pre-Flight Checklist:

Before you go out to try to make new business connections, go through your current network. You'll likely find people who you didn't realize you were already connected to.

Upload a headshot to your LinkedIn profile. Your attire should be business casual. While a professional picture is great, a good iPhone picture is far better than nothing.

Rewrite your LinkedIn summary to address the following topics: who you are, what you do, what problem you solve, and how you do it.

Links and Resources:

Brian Traichel on LinkedInBrianTraichel on FacebookLinkedInBrian TracyMichael GerberTony RobbinsBarbara De AngelisDrip marketingThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up