How you can use LinkedIn to meet new customers?

I'm fascinanted with the power of social media. Since experts predict by 2014 this industry will be 3.1B as entreprenurs we must be ready to add value in this new world of globalization. Last week I reached out to an executive at a major financial institution. You maybe saying so what? I never used a microsoft product and I got an immediate response because the individual could easily see that I was connected to many of the persons peers by using LinkedIn. If I'm Microsoft "big red flag." Who else should be concerned? TV Producers, Magazine publishers, agencies and any other industry that is not driving equal value of effort to monetary reward.