LinkedIn ProFinder - Overview

While looking for opportunities to strengthen my pipeline, I usually look for new tools, platforms or sites (new for me, meaning those tools I am not familiar or have not worked with before).
I came to know the LinkedIn Profinder tool, offered by the largest professional social network.
It is interesting, and from my own interpretation, how many independent consultants, freelancing professionals and companies looking for those professionals started to use LinkedIn to staff their projects. My conclusion is that creating that tools was a natural step for the site.
Below is a copy and paste from their overview.

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LinkedIn ProFinder is LinkedIn's professional services marketplace that helps you find the best freelance or independent professionals in your area. It's currently only available within the U.S. and within specific service categories.
We aim to get you up to five responses from highly qualified, local professionals within 24 business hours of your request submission. Currently, LinkedIn members from any valid U.S. zip code can file a request for a service.
If you're a freelance or independent professional, learn how you can apply to be a service provider on LinkedIn ProFinder and our five keys to a successful LinkedIn ProFinder profile.
Use of LinkedIn ProFinder is governed by the LinkedIn User Agreement, LinkedIn's Privacy Policy, and the ProFinder Terms and Conditions.

Intro for ProsWith LinkedIn ProFinder, quality, vetted leads will come directly to you. Learn how to apply to be a professional service provider and get started with ProFinder.

Applying to be a Professional on LinkedIn ProFinderIf you're a freelance professional wanting to be a pro on LinkedIn ProFinder, follow these steps to applyto be a service provider on ProFinder.
Notes:

• When you apply, the system will ask you to select your services. Remember that you can edit your services later, if you'd like.
• Before applying, you can use the keys to a successful profile to update and complete your profile so that it meets our criteria. The ProFinder concierge team will manually review all applications to ensure each professional has a complete profile that clearly demonstrates his or her freelance status and experience.
• Our team will review and respond to all applications within 1-2 business days (expect some delays over weekends and holidays).

Getting LinkedIn ProFinder LeadsWhen a consumer submits a project request, the project is distributed via the LinkedIn ProFinder algorithm. The algorithm considers the following criteria when notifying pros of leads:

• Location
• Services offered via ProFinder
• Keywords
• Completeness of profile

ProFinder is a localized marketplace, so location is a primary factor when leads are distributed. If there aren’t enough pros in a given area to respond to a project request, the geographic radius for the project is automatically expanded to provide more service providers the opportunity to bid on the project.
Pros can receive email notifications when the ProFinder system determines that they are a good fit for a new project request. Learn more about how to adjust your email preferences to receive email notifications.
In order to view all the project requests that are available in your area at any given time, be sure to check your Client Requests folder regularly. Any projects listed as Available are still open to accept proposals and are first come first served.

LinkedIn ProFinder - Keys to a Successful ProfileLinkedIn ProFinder is a marketplace that connects top quality freelance or independent professionals with new clients and leads. Having a fully complete profile is the most important piece to getting opportunities, as it's one of the first things potential clients will see.
There are five main pieces to consider when building a successful profile:

• Profile photo - A professional profile photo is the key to making a good first impression. Your photo should be clear, warm, and memorable.
• Headline - It's important to make sure that your headline matches the services that you originally selected on ProFinder, otherwise your specialties become unclear.
• Summary - Your summary is a great place to highlight your passions and accomplishments in your own words. This is a valuable section that helps you stand out.
• Recommendations - Recommendations are absolutely essential, as they can be the difference in whether or not you're hired. Please bear in mind that it's quality before quantity. A great recommendation has three parts:
  • Clearly defines your role in the project and its completion
  • References the skills utilized
  • Includes a date
• Published Articles - Articles are the quickest way to build your brand with LinkedIn's publishing platform. You can write about anything from industry trends to career accomplishments. It's important to write about what you know as these articles will help establish yourself as an industry expert; they will be clearly displayed on your ProFinder profile, and they're also available to all LinkedIn members, not just your network.

Using these five keys to a complete and professional profile will help you make a great first impression with potential clients.

Viewing Project Requests on LinkedIn ProFinderTo view your LinkedIn ProFinder project requests, you'll need to log into your ProFinder account and click Client Requests in the upper right corner of the page. You'll see a list of all proposals that have been matched to your services.
Pros will be notified of new projects via a drip model. That is, when a project is approved by our team, pros will be notified in small batches until the project request fills with 5 proposals or a 48-hour window has passed, whichever comes first. Pros will receive email alerts for all projects they are eligible for within their geographic radius.
Pros will receive email alerts for projects that are a good fit for the services they offer, otherwise all project requests available in their area will be visible in the Client Requests folder. We recommend checking your Client Requests folder multiple times per day.
If you're not receiving emails for project requests, be sure to check the spam folders in your email. Learn more about ProFinder email notifications.

Writing a Quality Proposal to a Client on LinkedIn ProFinderHere are some tips for writing a great proposal within LinkedIn ProFinder so you're more likely to hear back from a client who is looking to hire professionals like you.
There are a few things to keep in mind when writing your proposal:

• Be personal. Start with a hello and introduce yourself to the client. Show some interest in their needs and be sincere. If you typically sign off on emails with a catchphrase, use it here.
• Include project request details. Show the client that you read their project request and try to include as many details from that request as possible.
• Avoid copying a previous proposal. Customers are looking for a proposal tailored to their needs. Try to draft a unique proposal each time you submit one.
• Be brief but thorough. Not every project request has a lot of detail, but do what you can to work with the information you have. Try to address the client's specific needs as best you can while being brief.
• Be sure you're available for the project. If you have travel plans coming up and the client says they need someone immediately for an ongoing project, this may not be the best request to respond to.
• Share your relevant projects. Have you worked on something similar to this project in the past? Be sure to share the success of that project with the client in the proposal.
• Don't duplicate profile content. The client will have access to your ProFinder profile, so there's no need to copy any information from your summary or experience sections. Try to create unique, original content for the proposal.
• Set yourself apart. Your proposal will be 1 of 5, so try to showcase your unique style to draw interest.
• Be mindful of character counts. Your proposal response must be more than 250 characters and cannot exceed 1,500.
• Offer a free phone consultation. There is an option in the proposal response to offer a free phone consultation. This is great to offer so you can talk with the client over the phone.

Following these tips for creating proposals on ProFinder will increase your chances of a client responding to your proposal.