With over 300 million users now on LinkedIn the number of connection requests we receive seems to be growing by the day. On average I receive around 200 per week, it has now become part of my daily routine to set aside time to respond to the ones I am going to accept.
Quite likely you are sending connection requests on a regular basis too.
Regardless of how many connection requests you send or receive here are my top 3 do’s and dont’s
1. Don’t use the default request provided by LinkedIn, nothing screams insincerity when you receive dozens of these every week.
“I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.
– Adam Houlahan”
Do send something more personal and outline the reason why you want to connect.
“Hello Jack
I noticed you are in a couple of the same groups that I visit regularly, I took a look at your profile today and feel we have some areas of common interest. I would be honoured if you would take a look at my profile and accepted my invite.
Sincerely Adam Houlahan”
2. Don’t accept a connection request without a short thank you to the sender. You are passing up a golden opportunity to deepen a potential connection for the sake of taking a minute to reply.
Do ensure your reply creates a reason likely to make the sender very happy they connected with you. This is the response I currently use
“Hello David
Thank you for your connection request.
When you did & I accepted, something GREAT happened. You have helped prevent blindness in 10 children by providing them with a rich source of vitamin A. Not only have you stopped children from becoming visually challenged, but you’ve also increased their ability to fight infection which will improve their chance of survival from a serious illness.
All of this (and more) has been made possible through my lifetime partnership with the Global Giving Initiative. B1G1: Business for Good. www.B1G1.com
I believe that every business has the power to change lives by giving back through its everyday business activities. Doing this together with you is a simple but powerful example of putting this belief into action.
So again thank you; not just for connecting here on LinkedIn, but for also making a huge difference in a child?s life.
Together, we’ve made a huge impact.
Sincerely Adam”
3. Don’t make your first piece of dialogue a sales pitch
Again there is no bigger turn off than someone connecting then pitching their business offer directly to you. Keep in ming the 7/11 concept. You should invest 7 hours or 11 connections with a person before attempting to sell them your goods or services.
Do Invest some time in making this a valued exchange of information, After the above initial response I always re-follow up with a free gift, (usually a free download) The download would take someone a couple of hours to implement. Now I have invested a few touches and a couple of hours in my new connection.
Follow these easy tips and you will be presenting a very professional presence on LinkedIn, plus the potential to create a new client or customer from a simple request to connect with you.