Tips On Accepting LinkedIn Connection Requests

There are two common questions I get around LinkedIn...the first is 'how do I use it?' And the second is 'who are these randoms trying to connect with me and why?'

I'm going to share with you the exact steps I use when reviewing incoming LinkedIn Connection Requests and how powerful they are in generating leads for my business.

Before we get going into these steps, it's important to note that this strategy works even better if you have a really well-written profile that showcases your value proposition.

Okay, so let's get started.

Step 1 - Suspend Judgement

Why, why, why, why, why are people connecting with me?

I hear this lament all the time and unfortunately I must have been hiding behind the door the day that they handed out mind-reading skills...'cause I haven't the foggiest idea of why someone has requested to connect with you.

Here' the thing though...you need to suspend judgement long enough for your invitee to answer that question. You can look at their profile till the day is long but it won't answer that question for you. So stop making assumptions and jumping to judgements for just a moment and let's move on to the next step.

Step 2 - Time To Vet

When I first joined LinkedIn I would accept everyone who sent me an invitation. This is often called being a L.I.O.N or LinkedIn Open Networker. However, over time, I have started to become more selective with who I allow into my LinkedIn network.

Reid Hoffman, one of LinkedIn's founders shares his views in this article.

So here are the things that I personally look for when vetting to decide if I will accept an invite from someone.

I view their profile and I check to see if they have:

• clear photo where I can see their face clearly
• headline and summary
• where are they located
• if they have written any LinkedIn articles
• their past experience (the more detail the better)
• if they have any endorsements
• more importantly, if they have any recommendations
• and finally how many connections do they have

Now this is a very quick 15 second scan. Then I check in on my intuition to see if anything feels a little 'off'.

All going well, then we proceed to the next step.

Step 3 - Let's start the relationship

Okay, so they have passed muster and you are going to welcome them into your network. Click the accept button and immediately LinkedIn will encourage you to send them a message.

Most people just click Accept and then do nothing. In a moment you will see why they are leaving a LOT of money on the table.

You will want to do this because this is where you can generate a LOT of leads for your business and it's a super easy and elegant way to start a conversation. (Remember, if you have a really well-written profile showcasing your value proposition then this has an even higher conversion rate).

So, what message should you send?

Well, I've tested many over the past 8 years and have refined it down to the one below that has been tweaked to get the very highest conversion...here it is:

Hey (Name)

Thanks for reaching out and connecting, I look forward to getting to know you further through LinkedIn.

Out of curiosity, what inspired you to connect with me and how can I help you?

Cheers

Julie

It starts with a simple 'Thanks' - how often do we get a thank you nowadays right? But the real impact of this is in the 2nd paragraph...the language is non-threatening with the 'Out of curiosity' and then it follows up with a compliment on them being 'inspired' and crescendos with an offer of help.

Plus, it gives the recipient an opportunity to answer that big WHY question you had at the beginning...why are they connecting with you.

I also keep my language very open and friendly with my salutations of 'Hey' and 'Cheers' - this let's the person know that I'm chillaxed and again, non-threatening which increases the response rate.

It's amazing how many people have fears around connecting online and even though you are on the receiving end in this scenario, it's worth remembering that the person who sent you the invitation may be feeling incredibly nervous in doing so themselves.

Step 4 - Build The Relationship

Once you have received an answer to your message in Step 3, you need to continue to build the relationship by responding.

Now truly, I've had people who have messaged me back with:

"Oops, I connected with the wrong Julie. Feel free to delete me if you like."

And frankly, that's okay, as a LinkedIn expert, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to help them refine their search if they need it LOL.

However, most people will respond with something similar to:

'Hi Julie,

I noticed from your profile that you help people with LinkedIn and/or sales and I thought I could learn a thing or two from you, which is why I connected.'

This tells me immediately that they are a prospect and it is in my interests to nurture this relationship.

It's super important to note that I use the word NURTURE. Now is not the time to start pitching them your products or services...they are still a little skittish at this point.

You could however, offer them something that will help them take the next step - this will depend entirely on their response of course...they may still not be ready for this step. Here are a couple of ideas to inspire you:

• offer to have a chat to see if and how you can help - don't make this in-person (they are not ready for that yet, even though they have sought you out)...do it via phone or Skype
• invite them to join your newsletter (I fancy mine up and call it my 'Inner Circle List' because everyone wants to feel like a VIP and it sounds a whole lot better than newsletter list right?)
• send them a link to an article that you wrote on LinkedIn that may be of interest to them. I've found that if people connect with you on LinkedIn then keep them on LinkedIn rather than sending them to a link to an outside website, they will feel more comfortable staying in the LinkedIn platform.

Okay, now you have it - four simple steps to accepting a LinkedIn connection request and start building a relationship on LinkedIn.

Before we go, I want to also share a few technical tips on doing this on LinkedIn since they have made their big platform changes.

First go to the My Network tab then click Manage all (see image below)

You will then see all outstanding invites waiting your attention. From there click on each person's profile to do your quick 15 second scan, then click the back button on your browser so you come back to the Manage all page.

Now click the Accept button and you will see down the bottom left of your browser window (if you are using desktop/laptop) a little box appear asking if you would like to send your new connection a message - this box only appears for a couple of seconds so be quick to click on it.

Once you do the Messaging section will open up but often it only gives you the opportunity to send an Inmail to that new connection (see images below)

Or it could show up like this...

Which will have how many InMail credits you have left at the bottom of the message.

InMail's are LinkedIn's premium message delivering service and you only have a limited number of these to use before LinkedIn will ask you to upgrade your account to either Premium or Sales Navigator.

Here's The Trick...

Simply refresh your browser window and it will change it from InMail to a normal free message, which means you don't need to upgrade your account in order to send new connections a message...YAY!!

If you found this helpful, please share it with your connections and I'd love to hear from you too...please share your thoughts in the comments below :)

 Julie Mason is a passionate LinkedIn expert and specializes in creating strategies that promote your brand, enhance your reputation and generate big money leads for your business.

Founder of Linked Sales Formula, a comprehensive and supportive online training program that helps you generate leads and sales through LinkedIn easily and elegantly.