LinkedIn Confusion: Can I only connect with people I know very well? If I connect with others I can’t recommend them.

September 18, 2010

It is very important to keep the difference between an introduction and a recommendation in mind.

You can only honestly recommend people you have had an experience with. But don’t let that keep you from making introductions. You can always introduce two people to each other without even knowing them well. However, the words you use when you make the introduction are important.

If you only met someone for 5 minutes, but think that he might be of help to one of your business contacts use a phrase like: “Hi Marie, I want to introduce you to John Smith. I met John at the Safety conference last week. In the 5 minutes we were able to speak to each other he told me he just finished doing a safety project at a large chemical plant. Maybe he can help you too with your projects.”

When you use words like “last week, 5 minutes and maybe” Marie will know that you don’t have any personal experience with John and that you can’t recommend him. But she will be happy that you thought of her and wanted to help her.

To your success !

Jan

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