Making new client connections on LinkedIn can be intimidating, but it’s an essential part of growing your business. With over 750 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform and a goldmine for lead generation. Following a few best practices can help you craft effective intro messages to prospects and start relationships in the right way.
Research the Prospect Thoroughly
Before reaching out, learn as much as you can about the prospect by browsing their LinkedIn profile. Look for common ground you share, like mutual connections, similar interests, schools attended or companies worked for. See if their business needs align with your offering. Understanding their background will allow you to personalize your message and show you did your homework.
Here are some key things to research about a potential new client on LinkedIn:
- Current job title and company
- Work and education history
- Skills, interests and community groups
- Content shared and groups participated in
- Awards, recommendations and endorsements
- Firmographics like company size, industry, location
Don’t reach out cold without reviewing their profile or you’ll risk wasting both your time. Spending just a few minutes researching will go a long way.
Craft a Personalized Connection Note
When requesting to connect with a prospect, avoid impersonal invitations like “I’d like to add you to my professional network.” Take a minute to write a custom note highlighting why you want to connect with them specifically.
Make your request stand out by:
- Starting with a warm greeting like “Hi [Name],”
- Mentioning you have common connections or share similar backgrounds
- Explaining why you want to connect and how it can benefit them
- Keeping it concise at just 2-3 sentences
An example connect note could be:
“Hi Ana, I noticed we’re both UCLA alumni working in marketing in the San Francisco area. I enjoy your posts on digital campaign strategies. I would love to connect so we can share best practices in the industry.”
This shows you did your research and are interested in starting a dialogue that helps both parties. Taking this personal approach right from the initial contact goes a long way.
Send an Introductory Message
Don’t stop after connecting – reach out again with an introductory message. This lays the foundation for converting the new connection into a potential client.
Here are tips for crafting an effective introduction:
- Congratulate them on connecting and thank them for accepting
- Give a brief 1-2 sentence background on yourself and your company
- Explain how you can bring value and help solve their challenges
- Ask open-ended questions to start a dialogue
- Include links to your website, case studies or client testimonials
- Use a warm and enthusiastic tone to start building rapport
For example:
“Hi Ana, great to connect with you on LinkedIn! As we discussed, I’m a digital marketer with 5+ years experience helping brands maximize their online presence. I noticed Acme Inc has been expanding into new markets recently. I’d love to learn more about your targeting strategies and suggest a few ways we can work together to grow your customer base in Europe. What are the top challenges you’re facing this quarter? Looking forward to chatting more!”
This gives key details about how you can add value, asks questions to spark ongoing conversations, and positions you as a trusted partner vs. a random sales pitch.
Offer to Set Up a Quick Call
Once you’ve made the introduction, offer something of value to take the budding relationship to the next level. For example, you could offer a free 30-minute consult to provide strategic advice tailored to their needs.
Here’s a sample invite:
“Based on Acme’s goals for customer growth in Germany this year, I believe my experience with localization and paid search could be very beneficial. Would you be open to a quick 30 minute call this week or next to discuss how we can work together? I’m confident I can share some strategies to help Acme dominate in new European markets. Just let me know what day/time works well or feel free to propose some times that fit your schedule.”
This shows you’re willing to provide value upfront before any required commitment. It also gives them control to choose a meeting time that fits their availability.
Stay Top of Mind with Ongoing Value
Don’t let the conversation end after one exchange. Continue to nurture the budding relationship by periodically sharing relevant content that brings value.
You can stay top of mind by:
- Commenting on their posts with thoughtful remarks
- Liking and resharing their helpful content
- Tagging them in industry articles they may find interesting
- Sending personalized messages checking in on challenges discussed
For example, you could send this follow up message after your initial connection:
“Hi Ana, I recently published an article with tips for expanding ecommerce businesses globally that I thought you’d find useful: [link]. Let me know if you have any other questions as you grow in Germany! I’m happy to offer more suggestions any time.”
Little thoughtful touches over time will demonstrate genuine interest in adding value, not just making a quick sale.
Ask for Referrals to Expand Your Network
Once you have an established connection, don’t be afraid to leverage it to expand your client base. After you’ve successfully finished projects or developed a trusting relationship, ask if they’d be willing to introduce you to others in their network who may also benefit from your services.
For instance:
“Ana, it’s been great collaborating over the past few months. Now that we’ve seen fantastic results from our campaign, I’d love to keep growing my ecommerce practice here in San Francisco. Do you know anyone else expanding to European markets that you could connect me with? Or feel free to share my contact info with other marketers you think could use my help with localization and paid search.”
Most people are happy to provide referrals for service providers they trust. This can lead to a snowball effect of ongoing organic leads.
Don’t Give Up After Early Rejections
If your initial outreach goes unanswered after several attempts, don’t take it personally or let it deter you. Not every prospect will be interested. Keep pushing forward and stay persistent.
Tips for persisting through early rejections:
- Try varying your messaging and offer
- Reengage them in a month – timing could have been off
- Consider if that specific prospect is an ideal fit for you after all
- Focus energy on other prospects that show more interest
Every “no” gets you closer to a “yes” down the road. Shake it off and keep refining your approach. With consistency, the results will come.
Automate Messages to Save Time
Manually crafting personalized messages takes significant effort. Leverage tools like Dux-Soup, Mixmax, or Woodpecker to automate and scale your outreach.
You can use these tools to:
- Automate initial connection requests
- Schedule sequences of follow up messages
- Track response rates to refine messaging
- Integrate with LinkedIn to customize at scale
For example, you could create a 5-touch outreach sequence:
- Initial invite to connect
- Thanks for connecting + value proposition
- Share relevant content + offer quick call
- Follow up confirming interest + schedule call
- Thank you after call + share notes
Automation handles the heavy lifting so you can focus on high value activities like calls with qualified prospects. But always ensure your messages are personalized and bring real value.
Review Data to Improve Conversion Rates
Consistently analyze your outreach analytics using tools like Woodpecker or Nimble to identify what works and what doesn’t.
Key metrics to track:
- Open rates
- Response rates
- Most clicked links
- Response times
- Conversion rates by prospect title or industry
Look for patterns in your top performing messages and offers. Double down on what converts and rework what falls flat. Testing and optimization is critical.
You could even A/B test factors like:
- Email vs InMail outreach
- Personalized vs generic subject lines
- Short vs long messages
- Offering content vs free consultation
Crunching the numbers ensures you get the most out of your efforts.
Conclusion
Initiating new relationships on LinkedIn to generate leads requires thoughtfulness and persistence. Do your research, personalize your approach, consistently add value, and leverage tools to scale your efforts. With a strategic system, you can build a steady stream of new business on autopilot.
Be patient through any early rejection. Keep refining your messaging and outreach strategy based on data. With time, you’ll develop effective processes for converting LinkedIn connections into loyal clients.
Stay organized and motivated by tracking your progress. Set goals for the number of new connections and meaningful conversations you want to have each week. Celebrate each new client win as a milestone showing your hard work is paying off.
With a structured game plan, new prospects on LinkedIn don’t have to be intimidating. Turn them into warm, trusting relationships that fuel your business growth.
