Haven't logged into LinkedIn lately? 5 reasons you really should be using it

How much do you know about LinkedIn? Sure, you probably understand it’s a social network for professionals, but it’s so much more.

Unlike most social networks that are used to share the latest vacation pictures, LinkedIn was designed for more important reasons. It can help you make connections, share work experience and find or post jobs.

Your LinkedIn profile can be set up to look like a resume, complete with accomplishments and referrals from colleagues. If you’ve never experienced the power of LinkedIn, we can help. Here are five smart ways to use LinkedIn to network, poach employees, boast and more.

Visit LinkedIn.com/Kim and post a job for free.

1. Sales prospecting

If you’re wondering what sales prospecting is, it’s exactly what it sounds like — sorting through tons of companies and individuals to find prospects who will most likely turn into paying customers.

This can take a lot of time and effort and relies on knowing where to look. In the past, sales prospecting mainly consisted of cold calling and following up with every potential lead.

Now that we live in a digital world, those days are gone. Most buyers make decisions online. That’s where LinkedIn comes into play.

With about 1 billion members, LinkedIn is a leader in connecting buyers and sellers. One of the most important sales techniques is understanding how buyers behave, making prospecting easier with greater success.

An IDC social buying study revealed:

  • 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make buying decisions.
  • 50% of B2B buyers use LinkedIn to make purchasing decisions.
  • 76% of B2B buyers prefer to work with recommendations from their professional network.

Those numbers prove how important LinkedIn is when it comes to sales prospecting. Information is power and LinkedIn is packed with information buyers are looking for.

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Reader question: 'What can I use instead of QuickBooks?'

If you’re a business owner, you don’t need us to tell you that running a business is tough. Don’t let QuickBooks and spreadsheets slow you down, making things more complicated than necessary. It’s time to upgrade to our sponsor NetSuite.

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‘It is not real': Title company owner warns of new twist to title fraud

A quick-thinking title company owner was able to stop a fraudulent sale when it appeared the scammer was using AI to try to steal properties.

Delete this app: For years, Bartender was a reliable app for decluttering your Mac’s menu bar. But it was just sold to an unknown owner, and no one’s been able to contact Bartender’s founder. Bartender records your Mac screen to function, which means it’s not something you want to give a sketchy developer access to. Delete it ASAP.

Who is really behind ChatGPT and its owner OpenAI?

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ChatGPT: You use it, but who’s behind it? Find out in just one minute. 

🏠 Buying or selling property? Scammers are targeting you. A sharp title company owner just stopped a fraudulent sale. The first clue: The seller’s driver’s license was from West Virginia, but the property tax bills had been sent to the Bahamas since 1978. They asked the seller to video chat to confirm, and the seller, a woman who said she was deaf, turned out to be a looped AI video. Here’s what the faker looked like.

$100,000 set aside 

By Minnesota lawmakers to buy Dorothy’s stolen ruby slippers. They could go for 100 times that at auction. The shoes were stolen in 2005 while on loan from their owner to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (her hometown). After being recovered in 2018, they’ll be back up for sale at the end of the year.

Amazon driver stole a cat

Fifi’s owner actually came on my radio show to give us more details about Fifi and what Amazon is doing to cover up their drivers’ bad decisions.

🅿️ Police are towing Teslas from crime scenes: This is wild. When a Tesla is in Sentry mode, its onboard cameras capture what’s happening around the vehicle when there’s sound or movement detected. Police know that to get the footage, they need access to the USB drive in the glove box. If the owner is MIA, cops get a search warrant and tow the EV into evidence.

A one-man news site beat the national media: This is interesting. John Paul Vranesevich, owner of the Beaver Countian, was the first to learn officers had been stationed inside the building Thomas Crooks fired from and that police were alerted to someone suspicious. Then, the big networks got the news and interviews. Here’s Vranesevich’s story.

Mirror, mirror on the road: A Cybertruck owner turned his EV into a literal disco ball on wheels by polishing it to a mirror-like shine. It’s up for sale for $149,999. Hard pass, given this thing could blend right into its surroundings!

Dead man walking: On the dark web, Incognito Market sold illegal drugs, firearms and more. Its owner said everything was anonymous. Nope. He closed it down and is threatening to hand over all buyers’ and sellers’ names to law enforcement — unless they pay him a ransom. His biggest customers? Drug cartels.

An $80,000 paperweight: That’s what one Cybertruck owner thought he had after taking his new toy through a car wash. The truck’s console screen went black as he rolled into the garage. After a hard reset (and five hours!), it powered on again. The damage caused by failing to put the Cybertruck in Car Wash mode voids its warranty. Yikes.

This weekend, the House will vote on a revised bill that could ban Communist China app TikTok. The updated terms give owner ByteDance a year to sell — double the original six months — to sway fence-sitters in the Senate. 

🍷 Unplug and uncork: In Verona, Italy, Condominio restaurant is swapping screen time for wine time. Ditch your phone at the door, lock it up and get a free bottle of vino. Owner Angelo Lella calls smartphones a “drug” and 90% of Condominio’s diners agree, opting for wine over Wi-Fi.

$10,000 per month on AI girlfriends

That’s how much a Miami man is spending to text with bots. According to one tech exec, the first company to be “the AI version of Match Group” (owner of Tinder, Match, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish and OurTime) will eventually be worth over $1 billion.

New AI warning: If you use AI to produce content or provide legal, medical or other advice, you’re legally responsible (paywall link) for everything AI does for you. That makes you completely exposed and fully liable for whatever it generates — and AI makes a ton of mistakes. This is important for any business owner to know.

Ford’s self-driving repo man, Bing AI’s new personalities & discover your Facebook friend rejects

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Plus, banned from Airbnb? It might not be your fault. If you’re an EV owner, I share the best temp for your car’s battery range. (Hint: it’s warm.) If you print wirelessly, make sure you do a few things first for your security. And before you click “buy” on that Amazon product, here’s the lowdown on whether their warranties are really worth it. 

Instagram is coming for your kids

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Facebook, the owner of Instagram, is ready to roll out its new social media website, Instagram Kids. At first glance, it sounds promising. Take a deeper look, though, and you’ll realize this is terrible news for parents.

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How to succeed on social media - and the biggest mistakes you're making

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Build an audience, get them talking and stand out on a platform packed with people all trying to be heard. Easier said than done, right? If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur looking to make a name for yourself on social media, don’t miss this episode. Kim chats with business thought leader and top technology influencer Evan Kirstel about what it takes to succeed on social media — and the big mistakes you need to avoid if you want to build your brand.

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