I was gob smacked. But I could not show it. I told myself: Be calm. Breathe. Explain without editorializing why.
- First I thought: he is missing out on so much. For the sake of being obtuse (is this a badge of honor?) or acting curmudgeonly (and he is not old enough for that!).
- I asked if he was happy with the level of his incoming business inquiries. No, can’t everyone use more? Yes, a trick question.
- I explained that if you are not on LinkedIn in today’s global economy and business world, you do not exist in a straightforward way to be found, explain yourself and your career journey and show your worth. No one can find you. Authenticate you. Like your background enough to consider you.
- I asked him to google himself. What’s first in the search results? He was not pleased, an old article that he did not like very much when published much less to see it again. That’s what prospects see. And it may be all they see as they depart and never return.
- Finally, the piece de resistance: I asked him: without a LinkedIn persona, do you think your website tells why you, why you do what you do, how you are special? No, it needs a lot of work, he admitted. It’s ancient. Well, so are you, because we can tell from the look and feel of it.
“Now what would you like to do,” I closed.
He’s now a new client.