These LinkedIn Connection Requests Made Us $20,000

‍Introduction

Remember the cold call? The vaunted way to grow your business? The truth is, you can do more with LinkedIn than all the cold calls in the world. The cold call is extinct. What's replacing it? Linkedin. As a business owner, you can develop your own strategy, but you can't ignore LinkedIn.

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Why is LinkedIn essential?

LinkedIn is essential because it is a top networking platform that lets you connect to individuals with significant influence in their respective fields. It provides direct access to potential people who are capable of making a business decision in an organization. They're the people you want to be connected to.

LinkedIn is one of the most ubiquitous platforms, attracting more than 600 million users and 300 million active monthly users. And, that is because it is mainly used for business purposes and allows users to connect and form a network within their niche. 

However, some businesses may not see the value in using LinkedIn as a means of gathering leads for their business or informing the public about its latest happenings and exclusive deals.

Aside from the fact that you should be using social media advertising, having a large network on LinkedIn can also attract customers to your page as they search through their contacts list looking for recommendations about your services.

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What is a LinkedIn Invitation?

Did you find a great LinkedIn profile? Want to connect with them? Now, you need a LinkedIn invitation. Whether you find a person's profile on the LinkedIn homepage or in a Google search, you'll need an invitation to reach out to them. LinkedIn invitations are also great for inviting potential employees, so you can fill your open positions and start growing your team.

A LinkedIn invitation is a request sent from a LinkedIn member to another LinkedIn member asking them to connect with them on LinkedIn. When a member receives a LinkedIn invitation, there are two options for accepting the invitation request - via an email or by clicking the "Accept" button in the invitation email.

What is a LinkedIn connection request message?

A LinkedIn connection request is a request from a LinkedIn user to connect with another user. The message will ask them to accept your connection request. If they accept, they become one of your first connections and vice versa.

LinkedIn allows members to send connection requests (either InMail or General connection requests) to other members. A connection request is not automatically viewed by either the sender or the recipient. It is not mandatory to either accept or decline the connection request. 

Every day, hundreds of LinkedIn connection requests are sent to people. And, most of them are from people you know. LinkedIn allows users to see how many other members have accepted or rejected a connection request. You can see the percentage of connection requests accepted or denied at the bottom of your profile.

You can have up to 30,000 first-degree connections in your network as it was limited to just 5000 connections previously. In addition, to ensure an optimal site experience, LinkedIn has limited its 100 requests per day to 100 requests per week to its users.

Optimize your connection strategy

If you are limited to 100 requests per week, best make the most of everything you have got. This means,

• Make your profile clean and precise. Look at it as your ideal prospect and ask yourself, "What is in it for the prospect to connect with me?"
• Be picky about who you are connecting to. If the connections are not likely to become a potential prospect, do not connect to them.
• Prioritize your invitations to people who are active on LinkedIn.
• If someone does not accept your connection request after a few weeks, then remove it.
• Remember that when you visit a person's profile, they can see the last five visitors (more with a paid account) on their profile.
• If you're looking to grow your network, build valuable connections, generate leads, use a personalized message. A personalized message always helps improve your response rate.
• Double down on content marketing. Post more content regularly. 
• Make sure to read more of your connections' content and comment where you've something interesting to say, that way, you reach out to their connections.

Types of connections on LinkedIn

You can find three types of connections in your network, which includes,

• First-Degree Connection 

People with who you are already connected on LinkedIn.

• Second-Degree Connection 

People who are connected to your First-degree connections (common connections or mutual connections).

• Third-Degree Connection 

People who are connected to your 2nd-degree connections (one or no mutual connections).

Various ways to Connect with Prospects on LinkedIn

Building your professional network is a great way to stay in touch with business owners, entrepreneurs, alumni, and colleagues to create a strong network. Also, you can connect with a career expert or recruiters to discover a new career path or career opportunity. A primary email address is mandatory to send invitations. Members become 1st-degree connections when they accept your invitation.

First-degree connections are given access to the information you have displayed on your profile. To provide an optimal site experience, LinkedIn members can have a maximum of 30,000 1st-degree connections. Initially, LinkedIn allowed its members to have up to 5000 connections.

There are several ways to connect with potential clients on LinkedIn,

• Member's profile 

Click on or tap the Connect button on the prospect's profile page.

• Search results page 

Click Connect to the right of the member's information.

• Grow Your Network page 

Import contacts using your email address.

• My Network page 

Accept pending invitations in your profile.

• People you may know 

Click on or tap the Connect button below the member's name.

• Leverage Connections 

Ask your mutual connections to help you connect. You can send a message to your existing network to help you connect to a 2nd-degree connection.

How to find prospects on LinkedIn?

Before we talk about what to do and what not to do in a LinkedIn connection request message, let's dive into ways to find the prospects for your outreach,

LinkedIn Premium

LinkedIn Premium is most suitable for people looking to find career opportunities, get hired, and get ahead in their careers. It is the first step up to LinkedIn membership levels. 

People use LinkedIn Premium for their own professional outreach and career goals.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is perfect for sales professionals looking to generate leads and build a sales pipeline. It is the powerful LinkedIn account type built for sales pros. In addition, it offers advanced search filters where you can filter prospects based on various factors such as keywords, industry, and more.

The Biggest Mistakes with LinkedIn Connection Requests

Before discussing the best practices for the LinkedIn connection request message, let's talk about what not to do. A lot of terrible LinkedIn requests make the same common mistakes that include,

1. Sending Random Connection Requests

You know the value of the person you are reaching out to. They could be high-profile Business leaders, B2B buyers, or entrepreneurs with control over a budget of hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, they could be an influential business partner with the ability to amplify your content to a vast and highly relevant audience.

With so much at stake, you should craft a highly personalized and engaging message every time you send a connection request message. Still, so many connection requests are copy-pasted, with the only nod to personalization being a "Hi (First name)," introduction.

2. Not Giving Prospect's a Reason to Connect

When at a networking event or conference, you can get away with talking to pretty much anyone because you are in the same place at the same time. It is okay to strike up a conversation at the bar or approach someone at a post-conference mixer.

But the same thing does not apply to LinkedIn. If you do not have a valid reason to connect, you should not bother, and that reason can not be, "Because I want to sell them something."

3. Mistaking Networking for Selling

Networking and sales pitch are not the same things. Networking can get you in front of potential prospects, and those prospects might become leads down the line, where you can definitely sell to them. But a connection request is not the place for a sales pitch.

In other words, do not expect a reply or a successful connection if your introductory message is all about your product or service and how you would like to arrange a suitable time for a quick demo.

4. Connecting With People Who Viewed Your Profile

When you see that someone has viewed your profile, it might be tempting to send them a connection request right away. After all, they have effectively reached out to you then, right? But do not connect with a random person.

Never do it. You have no reason why the person viewed your profile in the first place, or it just could have been a genuine mistake. If they had to connect with you, they would already have sent you a request.

That's not to say you absolutely should not try to connect with these people as just that "I saw you viewed my profile" is not a good reason to reach out to them.

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Best Practices to customize your LinkedIn connection request messages

Here are the best practices that could help you craft a personalized message or customized introduction note efficiently that could help you build your network. 

1. Who should you connect with?

Always connect with people you know or you want to know, as sending generic requests to random people on LinkedIn can backfire. Sometimes, the person may mark your request as spam if they don't find a valid reason to connect. If more people who receive your request indicate that they don't know you, chances are your profile might get banned.

2. Introduce yourself

Make sure to include a quick introduction about who you are and what you do. If you know each other, have a point in your connection message that could help the person identify you. 

3. Mention how you found them

It is crucial to mention how you came across their profile. You might have met the person at a conference, a networking event, or when simply looking for specific industry professionals. But sharing how you found them is an attractive way to capture their interest. 

4. Connect on common ground

Connect with a like-minded person to build strong connections. Make sure to look at their profile for any common interests, university, mutual connections, employers, industry and use that as an ice-breaker in your connection message.

You can check their social media profile like Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn posts to discover more about the person you are reaching out to. Then, build a warm connection by liking, commenting, or retweeting on their posts so that you get to know their audience. Sometimes, you may use that as a talking point to strike a conversation via your connection request message.

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Also, if you have common connections, you can ask any one of them to make an introduction that could help you connect.

5. Be clear about the intention to connect.

A clearly stated intention could help you get a response. For example, are you seeking professional advice, looking to know more about their work, company culture, or find career opportunities at their company? Outlining your intentions in the connection message may help set expectations.

6. Next steps

When your connection request is accepted, make sure to keep the conversation going by sending a quick message, possibly a thank you note. You could also ask the connection for a coffee chat. The more people you reach out and talk to, the faster you will learn about the work and industry best practices. 

Know the five P's in a request,

• Polite
• Personalized
• Pertinent
• Professional
• Praiseful 

Strategies for a strong connection and trust with prospects

1. Do not Sell

According to reports, 54% of social sellers trace their social media efforts back to at least one closed deal. But interestingly, social selling is not really about selling; it is about building relationships and connections.

For sales professionals, it might be tempting to start their pitching immediately. But starting the conversation with a sales pitch could destroy all the authenticity and trust you are trying to build.

A report states that over 60% of employees at large companies agree that social selling allows them to create more authentic relationships with prospects and potential customers. If done correctly, sales become a natural byproduct of a robust and valuable relationship.

2. Do not forget to Follow Up.

Follow-up is one of the most significant actions in sales, and similar rules apply to the initial outreach. A study showed that 92% of sales reps give up after four attempts, but 80% of sales need more than four attempts to close.

There are several reasons why you do not get a response to your initial invitation,

• Your message looks like a sales pitch rather than a genuine desire to connect.
• You used the default message rather than personalizing it to the prospect.
• The message was too lengthy, so the user did not read it all.
• The prospect is not sure who you are or why you want to connect.

Any of these reasons could ruin your chances of making a successful connection. To ensure they respond, make sure not to repeat the same mistakes when you follow up.

Silence is never an answer through any part of the sales cycle, including the initial outreach. Always remember that it can take more than one attempt to create the connection. Use this connection request template to send a polite but encouraging follow-up message via InMail,

Template:

Hi Kevin,

I know you are probably as busy as I am, but I wanted to check to see if you had got my initial request to connect. I noticed that you work at Brick & Associates and would love to explore ways to help each other in the future.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Amanda

3. Go Omni-Channel

LinkedIn is the only channel you might be using to connect with prospects. Whereas, you should be present everywhere your prospects are, including email, over the phone, other social media channels depending on who you are targeting.

Most companies with an omni-channel engagement process had a 9.5% year-over-year growth in annual revenue that was almost 3x more than those that do not, in addition to increasing the engagement itself.

4. Automate, automate, automate

If you want to reach out to hundreds of prospects every week, it is impossible to create well-crafted and highly personalized messages for all of them manually.

That is why an automated tool like SmartWriter is essential to create an effective Personalized LinkedIn Outreach that could ensure a 88% acceptance rate.

With SmartWriter, you can personalize your sales emails and create the best LinkedIn connection request messages in bulk that could establish a one-to-one business relationship.

SmartWriter uses the prospect's LinkedIn profile to gather data for personalization via LinkedIn cookie tokens.

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SmartWriter - The Perfect Automation Tool

SmartWriter is the powerful automation tool you have been looking for to create and automate your LinkedIn outreach to improve sales. SmartWriter does more than just sending out personalized messages that could get a response from the prospect. It ensures an 88% acceptance rate and 40% response rate.

With SmartWriter, you can craft messages based on the following,

• Prospect Bio
• Job Bio
• Recent Activity
• Skills
• Recommendation

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Personalized LinkedIn Outreach

To create engaging and attractive connection requests, follow the steps as follow, 

Step 1 - Once you Sign in to your SmartWriter account, create a new project or pick an existing project using the create project available on the tool. 

Step 2 - Click Compose Copy or Create Copy and look for the category - Personalised LinkedIn Outreach.

Step 3 - Enter the details of the client with who you want to connect. Then, get the LI_AT cookie token from the LinkedIn website and upload their respective CSV or the Linked URL to generate a custom message. 

Note - To learn more about the LI_AT token and its purpose, click here.

Step 4 - Now, click on the Generate Custom Message to get the desired cold message output.

Step 5 - Pick the best from the output generated to send a LinkedIn connection request that has acceptance rates over 80% and above.

Step 6 - If you want a new set of templates for outreach, you can edit the details and create a new set of outreach messages with the Edit Prompt & Try Again or Regenerate Compliment on the tool.

Let’s discuss the LinkedIn Personalized messages generated from SmartWriter and why it is effective in outreach,

Based on the Prospect’s Bio

A connection request crafted by SmartWriter based on the person’s bio,

The connection message looks well personalized and has details about the prospect's job role, company, achievements, responsibilities, business goals, and more. This will assure a guaranteed assurance from your prospect.

Based on the Top Received Recommendation

In this, the personalized message is more detailed and has crucial details such as the mutual connection who recommended him, work experience, company they worked for, top skills, why they recommend, and more.

Based on the LinkedIn Post or Recent Activity

The connection message generated is based on the recent activity or a Post that the prospect shared on their profile, the topic discussed, why you agree, and such information.

When their LinkedIn Post is about an event they participated in, make use of that in your follow-up email if you've been to the event. It is always good to look for a common ground when you want to connect with potential buyers.

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Based on the Most Upvoted Skillset

This outreach message generated includes details such as top skills, technical experience, achievements, and more.

Conclusion

LinkedIn is the most popular and perfect social networking platform to connect with professionals, business owners, career experts, and more. But to communicate with them is not an easy task, as you need to make efforts to create the connection. SmartWriter does that for you with just a click, and not many details are required.