With everything transitioning to online because of the pandemic, I’ve been inundated with LinkedIn requests. What about you?

I receive LinkedIn connection requests all the time from people I don’t know. Most of them have seen me speak or attended one of my courses but I’ve never met them nor have we spoken. I figure they want to chat to see if a business relationship makes sense. And usually, that’s the case but lately, it’s been complete strangers with no common connections.

I do not know them and they definitely don’t know me. They have no clue if I have a need for their product/service. It seems they made assumptions based on what they could see in my profile. It’s the generic message that LinkedIn sends – no personal message, no indication of where/when we might have met or why they would want to connect with me. Delete.

As an early adopter of LinkedIn, I realized that it was a great tool to use to create professional relationships and expand my circle of influence. I created criteria for request acceptance: either we’ve met personally, we’ve worked together or there is a valid reason that both of us will benefit from being connected.

Yesterday, I un-linked someone who had recently asked to connect on LinkedIn. Yup. I hit the disconnect button.

The initial communication indicated a mutual benefit but as soon as I accepted them, then came the pitches. After saying ‘no thank you’ multiple times in a rather pointed manner to what they were selling, it was three strikes and they were out.

There seems to be a misunderstanding of how to best use LinkedIn to grow your business.

This person’s sole purpose was to expand their list to sell, sell, sell. Not once was I asked what I wanted or needed help with. This ranks right up there with solicitation calls and spam emails.

I have always taught in my training courses that networking is about building relationships and trust – and sales are the result of those relationships.

LinkedIn is a platform for building relationships and sharing expertise. Use it wisely and it will be an incredible resource for introductions and referrals. It is not a list to be used like the ones you can buy and then cold call.

Quality over quantity. Don’t run the risk of being un-linked.

Now Go Get  Connected!

An award-winning Leader, Entrepreneur and Business Development Consultant, Cathy shows entrepreneurs how to let go of limiting beliefs and “Stand Up, Stand Out & Step Forward” to have the business success they dream of. Cathy is recognized across Canada for her expertise on “All Things Small Biz”. Named one of the Top Ten Mentors in Canada, Women of Worth Leader of the Year, the Founder of The Connected Woman Association, Author of “Are You a Collector or a Connector?”; “I’m on the Phone!”; the internationally known “Daily Espressos- Your Read it and Delete it Kickstart to Your Day” and is a networking maven. (wow!)

Work with me. 
Everyone is different and so is their business. We can put together a plan with action items to help you Stand UP, Stand OUT and Step FORWARD. Shoot me a msg or give me a call. I’m listening.