How One Connection on LinkedIn Led to $14,000 in Revenue

It was Tuesday in August two years ago. Like most other days, I turned off my alarm and scanned through the headlines. When I was fully awake, I got up, made coffee and took my dog for a walk. When I returned, I checked my notifications and popped into my email. When I was satisfied that I was caught up on everything, I got to work on my routine on LinkedIn.

I spent some time endorsing connections that I had gotten to know, I found a good article and shared it with my connections, and I scanned through the “People You May Know” list. It was then that I came across a name that sounded familiar and who had the title, Marketing Executive.

“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.” ~Kyle Chandler

Seldom do I request connections from people with whom I am not positive I have spoken, but I was intrigued by the title and the name did sound familiar. I took a chance and requested the connection and couple of hours later, I got an email in my LinkedIn Inbox: “Hey Will, what can you do for big business in Virginia?” It was from my new connection, the marketing executive.

At first, I was a little intimidated by the question. It was vague and there was no reference to a particular company or specific job. Regardless, it was what I had asked for, so I started the conversation. A short time later, we had a face-to-face. I discovered that my new connection was a marketing consultant with ties to some pretty big companies – not just big companies in Virginia, but with every day brands that have an international footprint.

To my surprise, the marketing executive had been watching our company grow for over a year and happened to be looking for a firm with which to outsource some projects. After establishing a rapport, my new LinkedIn connection started feeding me some business. Soon, we were meeting on a regular basis, discussing strategies for particular clients and exploring ideas for future opportunities to work together.

As of now, this one connection has led to work on several different projects, including one for a small, local company, projects for two wholesale distributors serving different parts of the United States, and some for a U.S. brand that manufactures products found in homes across the world. Together, the projects with which I was trusted amount to over $14,000. Even better is that the marketing executive is likely to refer another $50,000 in work over the coming year.

Like many professionals, I use LinkedIn to connect with people whom I’ve met in business, seek out prospective clients, and share information that I hope is valuable to my connections. If I hadn’t sought to utilize the tools afforded to me through this valuable resource, the opportunity to work with the marketing executive may never have existed, nor would any of the other deals that LinkedIn has helped me to realize.

Relationships Take Time To Develop

Because LinkedIn is all about relationships, it can take some time to build up a network and to establish and cultivate new connections. Sometimes it takes a while before LinkedIn actually leads to real revenue. This process, however, is not unlike the process used to acquire deals in the business world without using tools like LinkedIn.

If you are a successful business professional and you want to learn how to really use LinkedIn to grow your sphere of influence and increase your bottom line, 21st Century Connections: Mastering LinkedIn is a seminar you won’t want to miss. With events in Williamsburg, VA, and Hampton, VA, on December 2, you’ll have two opportunities to gain the tools you need to become a master of LinkedIn with easy-to-follow strategies that amplify your connections in the real world and actually grow your business.

Co-presenters Courtney Buzzell, my business partner, and Shelley Smith, author and leadership consultant, share the secrets behind how they used LinkedIn as a catalyst for their own successes. To get more information about 21st Century Connections: Mastering LinkedIn or to register for the event, visit https://proximomarketing.com.