How to Choose the Right LinkedIn Trainer

Do you feel like everyone these days is a social media trainer and guru? You know, truth be told, I can’t stand the word guru. What does it mean exactly? In social media, it’s pretty debatable. I may be a specialist or someone with a high level of expertise in LinkedIn but I don’t ever refer to myself as a guru. It’s a landslide when you do. Having said that, I do believe that choosing the right LinkedIn trainer is key to your social-business strategy.

There are a lot of people who consider themselves experts and great trainers who never dive below the surface. It’s all below the surface, my friends. The level of success you find in any profession and in any pursuit is only found when you go deep. When you know it inside and out and you understand both tactically and strategically. It’s the  “10,000-Hour Rule” Malcolm Gladwell so often refers to in his book Outliers.

I digress.

How do you find and a good LinkedIn trainer?

1. They are proficient and confident going through all of LinkedIn. A trainer who trains from a PowerPoint rather than going into LinkedIn*  is clearly not comfortable navigating through LinkedIn.
2. They the right LinkedIn trainer will have practical applications and share real-life success stories about LinkedIn.
3. They speak to best practices and know how to use LinkedIn well (no pitching, selling or being hokey).
4. They are genuinely interested in YOU. They are not simply interested in connecting with you to rife through your connections in search of new prospects for themselves.
5. They place LinkedIn in the context of your larger business initiatives whether it is business development, marketing, human resources, recuriting or operations.
6. They are up-to-date on what LinkedIn is adding — these days, it’s often and is happening in real time.
7. A good LinkedIn trainer  breaks down the overwhelming amount of detail in a way that encourages people to jump in and keep going.
8. Don’t waste your time, money or energy learning at 30,000 feet — dive in with a professional who knows how to lead you to success. Do get started today!

*Sometimes when the internet goes down for any number of reasons you have to refer back to the deck. I am referring to trainers who never planned on going into LinkedIn in the first place.