LinkedIn is the predominant space for people in business to connect and network. You can talk about Facebook, Twitter, or new social networks like Clubhouse but at the end of the day none of them do business like LinkedIn does.
They’re the kings of the castle.
Sadly, people STILL have no idea how to connect with people and build trust. Instead, they’re flailing around like fish on the beach shore, slowly dying with no water in sight.
Hey… Maybe YOU are dying in LinkedIn right now too. It is possible you don’t even know it yet.
I’m going to keep this simple and visual today. First I’m going to show you the model I see people following all the time.
You know what? THIS MODEL SUCKS!!!
Even worse is that there are people selling this model 24/7 all over the internet and positioning it at the “secret sauce” to LinkedIn dominance and sales. I’ve got an Inbox full of this model from various people who were clearly trying to do nothing more than hock their products and services to me. None of them giving a shit about building a relationship with me. So why should I even give them a second of my time?
Does this model work? Like anything on the internet, we all have opinions. I’m sure it DOES work in some cases, but is looking incredibly desperate the way you want to be perceived? That’s up to you.
Here's the first LinkedIn Connection Model
Soak it in. Every last drop of it. I’m SURE you have been victim of someone going down this chain of events. Always pushing, pushing, pushing and never really building any value or credibility.
They’re just hocking their wares your way. You are the numbers in their ‘numbers game’ and at the end of the day this person could care less about anything other than the sale. They’ll work with ANYONE with a pulse and a credit card to run.
These same people are also sending you calendly links without asking first, harvesting your emails with scraping tools, and finding you other places on the net to connect/spam you at the same time.
As many girls said in 80s movies… “Oh my god.. Gag me with a wooden spoon.”
We CAN Connect On LinkedIn Better!!!
There is no reason to accept this as normal, or hell, even connect with these people in the first place. They’re never going to display value, and I bet 100% of their posts are self-serving or just a never-ending assault of links.
Instead, I’m proposing to you (without making you sign-up to a course, or charge you thousands of dollars for private coaching) a better way to connect with people on LinkedIn.
Notice the first 4 steps are the same as before. 3 ways to identify members and then, however you get there, make that connection message. Finding people remains the same.
But let me ask you this… What are you going to say when you connect?
I look at it from this perspective, the person you are hitting up cold on the internet.
- Why me?
- What is the value/gain here?
- Is this a sales pitch?
When you get one of these long multi-paragraph connection requests it’s no different than being cold called by a telemarketer, or someone ringing your doorbell during dinner. It’s an intrusion of your digital space.
I have a few tips that will infinitely improve your connection rate and HOW people perceive you on this simple but overthought step.
- Show gratitude. ie. mention connecting to THEIR network. Not the typical “Hey I’m happy to add you to MY network.” Think about how that is perceived.
- Be relatable. “like-minded professionals” is a great term to use without being overtly salesy or pushy.
- Use their name. “Hi Steve,” takes you what, 3 seconds? Be personal.
- Keep it to 1-2 lines MAX.
- Never repeat what is readily available by hovering your name. You just come off clueless.
I've Connected... Now What?!?
Easy. Use the damn social network as intended!
If you are making new connections and using a tool like Sales Navigator, then make sure you target industries. Share relatable content on your timeline a couple of days before so when people click through to your profile and activity it lines up with your goals.
Like new connections content and comment when you have something relevant to say. Don’t just click for the sake of clicking. Contribute when something inspires you. Give an opinion.
Share content to people that they will VALUE. Don’t just pitch your own shit 24/7. Nobody wants that. People really want LinkedIn to be a beneficial part of their day and not just another dead-end social site like Facebook has become.
Be better.
Be an experience BUILDER!
Nurture your LinkedIn audience like you would a list. With quality and value they’re not going to find anywhere else. Provide articles and insight into your industry that is unexpected.
Can you share a blog post from your website or a video? OF COURSE!! Do you need to post CTA filled content every single post? Hell no!
Need post ideas? I have you covered in this article on Social Media posting.
The real question now for you is simple.
Which of these two models resonated with you the most?
The overwhelming spammer or the low-key builder of value and trust.
What you do next is entirely up to you.