LinkedIn needs more people like Faris Aranki — Strategy and Emotional Intelligence what a guy!

Ok, the title of this week’s blog is totally self-indulgent but that is an actual post on my LinkedIn this week.

It came from one of my loose connections whom I had just sent a voice note to for his birthday. He and I will both admit that we don’t know each other well but I reach out to him regularly (such as wishing him Happy Birthday or celebrating his job changes or when he posts interesting content) and the last year this has involved 3 voice notes.

Those who know me will be aware that I regularly use voice notes both for personal and professional settings. In fact this week marks 1 year since I swapped to using voice notes as my predominant communication tool on LinkedIn.

I have written several previous posts about why I do it, and the benefits I have seen*. Put simply, for me it’s been a gamechanger: I get a real buzz out of sending voice notes and it has literally helped me build my business from nothing.

Nowadays I get 70–80% response rates to my voice notes (something most marketing professionals would agree is high) but as I discovered when telling others about them, simply using voice notes does not guarantee success.

You’ve got to ally their use with a genuine curiosity to want to get to know people better (something I call turning loose connections into strong connections), a persistence to keep using them, a nice phone manner and a system to do something off the back of them (a voice note is only a voice note after all and I recommend pairing them with a zoom coffee).

For me the voice notes are one thing but the interactions they generate are the best thing about doing business. Over the last year alone I have met so many fascinating people outside my normal sphere of work (I have spoken with such diverse folk as NASA scientists trying to land rockets on the outer solar system, mental health care experts using psychedelics for cutting edge treatment, autonomous driving EV startup founders, dark web vigilantes trying to fight off scammers and many other realms of life). This in turn has led to many great things, including:

• expanding my knowledge and ability to access knowledge
• landing pieces of work both with people I had just met or reconnected with after 20+ years
• strengthening existing relationships
• finding some new friends and new tribes to be social with
• finding associates to collaborate with and help me deliver work

Ultimately all this helps me sharpen my own effectiveness and brings me lots of joy. So instead of me being celebrated by lovely LinkedIn connections such as Nathan above, it is I who should be thanking all you recipients of my voice notes and my networking.

To play back a conversation I had with one of my new LinkedIn contacts on a zoom coffee this morning (all set up thanks to a voice note of course):

“Do you do a lot of these zoom coffees?”, she asked

“Yes, just today I’ve got 6 of them; in fact I have so many still to organise that I have to stop myself from scheduling more on any one day otherwise I simply won’t get any other work done”, I replied

That’s how much I enjoy them :)

So, if you are as yet awaiting a voice note or zoom coffee with me then never you fear, your turn is just around the corner. And, for those who would like one, don’t be put off, I still have plenty of time to give so please get in touch

*As a bonus for regular readers of my blogs I will post the 2 blogs I have penned previously on voice notes here on Medium so you can have easier access to them

Faris is the CEO and Founder of Shiageto Consulting, an innovative consultancy that helps firms and individuals sharpen their effectiveness.

Success = IQ x EQ x FQ