How can LinkedIn help? Your Profile, not only on LinkedIn, but also in search engines like Google, contributions in Answers and Discussions.n1. Finding the right people at prospects or at current customersnHow can LinkedIn help? Find their Profile via Advanced Search or by browsing through the network of your network.n2. Find information about prospects as preparation for your meeting.How can LinkedIn help? Read the Profiles of your contact persons before your meeting.n3. Maintain relationships with prospects or customers.How can LinkedIn help? Sending personal messages, sharing ideas in Discussions and answer questions in Answers.n4. Receive Recommendations which are visible for everyone and in particular for prospects and customers.How can LinkedIn help? Receiving Recommendations and showing them in your Profile.n5. Discover relationships between:” square” Customers, prospects and other contacts Prospects and colleagues so you don’t contact the same prospects.How can LinkedIn help? (Advanced) Searching and browsing in the network of you own contacts.n6. Introductions or referrals to prospects.How can LinkedIn help? Via the “Get introduced to” option or via an email outside LinkedIn after finding the relationship between them on LinkedIn.n7. Visibility, reputation and online branding of yourself and of the organization you work for.How can LinkedIn help? Your Profile, not only on LinkedIn, but also in search engines like Google, contributions in Answers and Discussions.n8. Word of mouth advertisingnHow can LinkedIn help? Recommendations you have received and people who talk about you in Discussions, mention you as an expert in Answers or talk about you outside LinkedIn.n9. Receive notifications when someone changes jobs. In this way you can ask to be introduced to the person who replaces them. You might also become the supplier of the new organization of your contact.nHow can LinkedIn help? Via Network Updates on your LinkedIn Home Page.n10. Hear about trends in the market place from customers, prospects and other sales people.nHow can LinkedIn help? Membership of Groups of which your customers and prospects are also member of and Groups where you can exchange ideas with other sales people.n11. Make sure that customers and prospects regard you as an expert (and as a consequence keep faith in you and are happy to refer you)nHow can LinkedIn help? Contributions in Discussions and Answers. This can also lead to receiving Expert Points, but that’s a nice bonus, not a goal in itself.n12. Find the right organizations to become member of, both online and offline.nHow can LinkedIn help? Via Group Search and via the Profiles of people in your own LinkedIn network.nTo your success!nJannJan Vermeiren, founder of Networking CoachnPS: more tips can be found in the Amazon Best Seller “How to REALLY use LinkedIn”.