Linked In - Agent Cold Call

[MarillionFan]

Has anyone else had this particular approach used by a roving agent?

I just happened to be interviewing a chap at his desk at a clientco office when at the next desk the phone rang. The chap picked up the phone and then went 'MF it's for you!'

I don't work at this office normally, but the phone was my bosses, but the caller had asked for me.

Anyway the guy says 'Hi MF, I'm the Business Intelligence preferred supplier for Clientco and we may have something else for you internally. What are you working on at the moment?'

Confused as hell I assumed he was internal, and maybe normally I would have spoken. But the project I am on is subject to an NDA and is not known about, so I told him I couldnt talk about it. Then I realised he was fishing. Turns out after a couple of minutes that he had used LinkedIn to see I was at Clientco, phoned up the switchboard, asked for me but when I wasn't available they rerouted him to my boss and I just happened to be walking past!!!!!'

Cheeky git!! Good luck to him but what the hell where the chances?

Anyone else been fished used LinkedIn?

[Spacecadet]

Has anyone else had this particular approach used by a roving agent?

Anyone else been fished used LinkedIn?

If you bothered searching you would have answers to both those questions

[The Agents View]

My area is niche, and quite small in terms of numbers of applicable peop[le as well, but I personally use LinkedIn every day for searching for candidates and clients. Naturally I use a more professional approach, of messaging them through LinkedIn and leaving the ball in their court, but LinkedIn is an excellent tool for widening networks, and picking up people that other agents simply can't get to for me.

[Brussels Slumdog]

The Whole purpose of Linkedin is to be noticed

The whole purpose of Linkedin is to be noticed ,so if you don't want agents to get in touch then
don't put the clients name in your linkedin details or under the header "current" enter Unavailable

[configman]

Sales rep cold call

I've had the same type of approach with agents constantly calling the switchboard at a client company trying to find me resulting in being hauled up by the clientco questioning my committment to them. I do not mind at all if the agents use linkedin's email facility to forward a message to me - that is sensible marketting which does not put me at risk of losing my current contract but allows me to say yes or no. By being on Linkedin I have agreed to that.

What I really object to are salespeople (not recruiters) who bombard clientco's email address and telephone with spam email and calls about training courses and software that is useful or not for my contract. It justs wastes mine and clientco's time - and loses the cold caller any chance of getting a deal.

I tend now to use my mobile for all external calls and warn the switchboard that unless the call is internal don't put them through. People who know me will have the mobile number and those I am working with know the desk number.

[stillooking]

The whole purpose of Linkedin is to be noticed ,so if you don't want agents to get in touch then
don't put the clients name in your linkedin details or under the header "current" enter Unavailable

whs

[Fred Bloggs]

Yes, I too have been pesetered like this. It is annoying and I won't cooperate with cold callers who do this kind of thing.

[mobi]

Happened to me as well.

I just use "undisclosed" in my current company name. Problem solved.

Not only just agents, there's not much benefit letting whole world know where you work.