I don’t know about you, but I’ve lost count of how many LinkedIn connection requests I’ve accepted only to receive a sales pitch thirty seconds later! So. Freaking. Annoying. Sometimes they don’t even wait for me to respond before telling me how they can increase my revenue, generate more leads, or transform my business.
Like most people, honestly, I usually don’t finish reading it and I lose all respect for them immediately. Who agrees with me?
It isn’t because I’m against sales. Quite the opposite. I’ve spent decades building businesses, consulting, coaching executives, and helping organizations grow. I believe deeply in the value of great products and great services. What I don’t believe in is trying to build a relationship by skipping straight to the transaction.
People don’t come to LinkedIn hoping to be sold. Read that again. They come to learn, connect, contribute, and build relationships. While 99% of all of my clients come from LinkedIn, I have never, and I repeat never, slid into someone’s DMs to pitch them. Let’s discuss further…
Connection
Somewhere along the way, too many people started treating LinkedIn like a giant cold-calling platform instead of what it was designed to be, a professional networking community. Now I know some of you will say, “well, how much can we really get to know people online.” Here’s my answer to that. If I see someone consistently posting great content, with one or two central themes, I feel like I know who they are and what their brand is.
Networking has never been about introducing yourself and immediately asking for business. Imagine walking into a conference, shaking someone’s hand, and before they even tell you what they do, handing them a brochure and asking them to buy from you. Most of us would walk away. Yet that’s exactly what happens every day in our inboxes.
Relationships should always come before referrals. Trust has always come before transactions. Technology hasn’t changed that. It has simply made it easier to forget it.
Credibility
One of the biggest misconceptions about attracting clients is believing you have to tell everyone how good you are. You don’t.
As I said above, show me through your content. Teach me something I didn’t know yesterday. Make me think differently. Give me an idea I can use immediately. When you consistently create value without asking for anything in return, something interesting happens. People begin reaching out to you because you’ve already demonstrated your expertise long before the sales conversation ever begins.
The strongest personal brands don’t chase attention. They earn trust, and more importantly, they trust in themselves and their expertise not to chase the sale. Start attracting the client and they will come to you!
Patience
One of the hardest things in business is believing that relationships compound over time. Sending one hundred generic messages might create a few conversations, but creating one hundred meaningful posts and conversations around those posts builds something much more valuable.
Every thoughtful comment, every insightful article, every genuine conversation becomes part of your professional reputation. People are always paying attention, even when they aren’t responding. They remember who consistently adds value and who consistently asks for something before offering anything in return. It’s those professionals who play the long game almost always win.
Intentions
People have an incredible ability to sense motives. Most of us can tell within a few sentences whether someone is interested in getting to know us or simply interested in gaining our business. That difference changes everything. When people feel like they’re being treated as a target instead of a person, trust disappears before the conversation has even begun.
The best business relationships rarely begin with a sales pitch. They begin with curiosity. They begin with generosity. They begin with someone taking the time to understand before trying to persuade them to buy something.
Reputation
Every interaction on LinkedIn contributes to your reputation, whether you realize it or not. Your comments, your messages, your articles, and the way you engage with others are quietly telling people who you are before they ever decide whether to work with you.
Long after people forget a sales message, they’ll remember how you made them feel. They’ll remember whether you added value, whether you showed genuine interest, and whether your presence consistently made their professional life a little better. Your reputations sometimes can take months or even years, and it is built long before someone becomes your client.
Reflection
The longer I work with leaders, entrepreneurs, and business owners, the more convinced I become that people don’t buy because they are being pressured. They buy because they trust, specifically, they trust you.
Trust takes time. It takes consistency. It takes showing up, sharing your expertise, helping people solve problems, and becoming someone others genuinely want to hear from. Ironically, when you stop trying so hard to sell yourself, people become much more interested in buying what you have to offer.
Bottom line: If you want to continue a conversation or learn more about a topic I’ve written about, by all means inbox me. Otherwise, please STOP selling to me on LinkedIn!
I want to hear from you.
What’s the fastest way someone has tried to sell you on LinkedIn? What makes you immediately tune out? On the other hand, what makes you want to follow someone, trust them, and eventually do business with them?
Please like, comment, or share this article with anyone you think might enjoy it. As always, I appreciate you reading!
#LinkedIn #PersonalBrand #Leadership #BusinessDevelopment