Biz Talk - Business Blog Roanoke and Beyond

Last week I was asked to provide a letter of recommendation for a service I had received.  I immediately responded that I would be happy to write a testimonial because I was very pleased with the service.  A week has now passed and I still have not written the testimonial I promised. Why am I procrastinating?  …because it takes my valuable time and that is unfair to the this service provider. 

Many businesses use testimonials as part of their marketing strategy.  But that being said, getting a written testimonial can be a tedious and exhausting task.  Is there an easier way to get a recommendation? 

LinkedIn is a fast growing social networking platform that provides online networking for business professionals.  If you are not already a part of LinkedIn, you have probably been exposed or received invitations to join a colleagues LinkedIn network.  Success Magazine says if you're not already linkedin "Chances are your competition is".

LinkedIn members have an opportunity to recommend service providers, colleagues, and business partners.  You can make a personal recommendation for a contact that can be viewed in their profile.  You can actually request a recommendation from your network of connections.  The more recommendations you have the higher placement your profile will have in the search results. In other words, in my earlier post about your online identity, when you are googled you will be a stud not a dud.

Here are some other ways to use LinkedIn.