5 Messages You Should Never Send on LinkedIn

Hi, I'm Nick - welcome to the latest edition of my newsletter. Thank you to everyone who has subscribed already, and a warm welcome to my newest subscribers.

My passion lies in helping professionals build effective sales pipelines using LinkedIn, by getting connected to their dream clients. Known as??????? ?????? ????????????????????, I’m a Marketing Consultant and Expert in Social Selling and Lead Generation, as well as a bestselling author, and creator of workshops and online courses on LinkedIn.

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In a previous newsletter, I shared my top 5 Messages That Work on LinkedIn. This week, I'm going to flip that on its head and share with you the 5 Messages You Should Never Send on LinkedIn.

1. A LinkedIn connection request that isn't personalised

If you don't send a personalised connection request when you invite someone to join your LinkedIn network, you've just wasted a key opportunity to create a great first impression.

I advise you to ALWAYS?add a personalised note with your connection request – you have 300 characters, so use them wisely! To help, I’ve created a range of messaging scripts provided to people registered on my?Complete LinkedIn Mastery?course. This includes 8 different templates that you can personalise to use for your connection request. It's a great way to start building a relationship with your new connection - and personalised requests are much more likely to get accepted than the default connection request.

Once you are connected, the next stage is to follow up within a couple of days. Send a welcome or thank you message to welcome your new connection to your network. It’s a great way to get the conversation going and to let them know you’re there to help and will be giving them value as you build your relationship.

You can read more about making the most of LinkedIn invitations in this article.

2. The hard sell 'connect and pitch' message

There’s a misconception that LinkedIn?lead generation?is about reaching out and?pitching to people straight away?as soon as you are connected. There are plenty of so-called experts who promise to help you get rich quick on LinkedIn by doing just that.?

Let’s dispel that misconception straightaway! We’ve all been on the receiving end of those horrible spammy approaches. In my opinion, there’s no bigger turn off than the ‘connect and pitch’ approach. You can’t expect to connect and sell something to a complete stranger without the important step of relationship building.?

Unfortunately, that’s what many people do on LinkedIn – and that’s why they’re not getting results. It’s a bit like walking up to someone in the street and trying to sell to them. They don’t even know who you are or what you can do for them. It’s important to remember that there is a human being behind every LinkedIn profile. That’s someone who wants to build a trusted relationship with those with whom they are planning to do business. And relationship building?takes time?– it doesn’t happen at the touch of a button.

To read more about the RIGHT way to use LinkedIn to build sales, take a look at this article.

3. Messages starting with "I see you viewed my profile..."

This opener is too forward. The person may not even have intended to view your profile!

While it's beneficial to connect with people who have shown some interest in you, make it about them instead. Instead of mentioning that they've viewed your profile, tell the person why you would like to connect with them. It's a much more personal and less intrusive approach.

4. Requests for recommendations from people you don't know

Please don't ask for recommendations or endorsements from people you don't know professionally.

When asking for recommendations or endorsements, you should be asking people with whom you have good relationships, who are highly skilled within your field and have first-hand experience of your capabilities. The LinkedIn algorithm favours credible endorsements, so go for quality rather than quantity.

Always send a personalised message with your request, and offer to write a review in return, if possible.?

5. Messages that are WAY TOO personal

LinkedIn is a professional networking site. Not a dating site.

That means you shouldn't be sending your connections (or prospective connections) messages that cross the line of professionalism. Don't message them to say how attractive they are, no matter how well-intentioned you are. Don't ask if they are married or single. Don't message to ask them out on a date. Don't proposition them.

This shouldn't need to be said, but it still amazes me how many people think these kinds of messages are acceptable on Linkedin. They're not, and you could find yourself getting reported or banned from the platform entirely.

Remember - if your message doesn't add value to the recipient, and it isn't 100% professional - then don't send it!

I hope that you've enjoyed reading this and that you've learned something new - I'd love you to subscribe and share my newsletter. And if you haven't registered for my?free LinkedIn Masterclass?yet, it's definitely worth a look - just follow?this link?to book your place. I even take you through some more examples of unwanted messages that I've received myself via LinkedIn - and why you should avoid sending similar messages!

If you need more help or advice with anything LinkedIn related, I'd be delighted to hear from you. Please send me a?DM on LinkedIn?or email me at?[email protected]