FACT: Facebook offers an unparalleled opportunity to connect with multitudes of people who can help you achieve your goals.

FACT: You’re not taking advantage of it the way you could.

Have I touched a raw nerve? Would you like to be in the 1 or 2% of Facebook users who employ every opportunity to reach out, and touch all the bases in making and developing new contacts? In this post I offer 5 tips to making a great first impression on Facebook, a sequence for maximizing the value of each new contact you make. Let’s get started.

1. Don’t confirm friend requests without checking people out

I used to do this and had a regular supply of women wanting to send me their pictures and be my girlfriend (my wife didn’t think it was a good idea), plus so many rich people chose me as the one who could help them move or protect their fortunes. I was definitely in demand. Sidestep scammers and spammers and get to making a great first impression with people you really are interested in.

2. Click through to their profile but don’t end there

Scan their timeline and get a feel for what they post. Are you interested in what they seem to be interested in? If so, does it tell you what city they work and live in? Let’s say Joe Smith works at ABC Widgets in Seattle, but that’s all you can get from his Facebook info. What else can you do?

3. Use the search engines to learn more

Go to Google and enter “Joe Smith, ABC Widgets, Seattle.” From that you’ll get the Web site for ABC Widgets, giving you information about the company and what they do, which could be useful when you contact Joe.

Now dig through more search listings to learn anything you can about Joe, what he does at ABC, and any cool, unique or even controversial things about him.

Click to see an example of what a little extra digging did for me once.

4.  Confirm Joe’s request and write on his timeline

Most people just click “confirm” and forget about it. That’s a lost opportunity. Seize the moment, confirm his request and head for his timeline. Surprise him with a comment, using something you learned in your search:

Hi Joe, thanks for connecting. I see you and your team were the hit of the recent Widgets Unlimited conference in Denver. Good going. Drop me a line sometime and we can chat.

That’s all there is to it. It doesn’t have to be long or involved. Keep it simple and upbeat. Doing this differentiates you from almost everybody Joe will hook up with. Cha-Ching! You just made a positive first impression.

5. If Joe responds in a cool way you can ramp it up

If Joe replies with some enthusiasm you might be able to start up a conversation. If he doesn’t, don’t get discouraged. Do the same with the next one.

Doing some light and basic detective work with someone’s timeline and a search engine can kick open doors and build profitable relationships. Start building those great first impressions on Facebook now. Remember, 98-99% of people will never bother with this. If you’re in that 1-2%, you’ll be the one who reaps the rewards.

Leave a comment below and tell us what you think about this strategy.