I get quite a few random Linked In invites. On the flip side, I also send my fair share out. So, to be empathetic, I tend to accept more invites than I should and usually against my better judgement. I would say a solid 7 out of 10 times, I’m disappointed. Here’s a perfect example from this weekend:
Hey there Brian! I saw your comment on xxxxxxx (redacted to protect the guilty) post and thought I'd connect. I thought we can benefit from each other, I hope you agree! Talk soon, xxxxx (again, redacted)
My BS meter was at an 8. But I accepted none the less. Next message after I accepted:
Hey Again Brian! Thanks Much for connecting with me. I Look Forward to Helping. (BA note: oh, shit. Here it comes…) Just a Quick Question. I recently helped someone scale there (BA note: ugh. “their!” If you're going to prospect badly at least nail your grammar!) business by providing 400 leads in 60 days! (BA Note: called it)
I do offer free discovery calls to connect with people better if you would be open to it (BA Note: Free?!? Well damn! That changes everything person I don’t know and solution I didn’t ask for). When would you be open for a 15-20 min discovery call in the next 2-3 days? (BA note: In the next 2-3 days...let me just clear my calendar for you!)
Im going to show you how I’ve helped so many businesses for free. (BA Note: “so many businesses” I wonder if he’s biggly successful too?) Cheers, xxxxx
Sigh. I should have just removed the connection. But, it was Easter weekend. I felt generous and hope springs eternal! I thought “maybe I can help this guy out with how to use social media as a tool vs just being a tool on social media…” so, I sent:
I don't want to come off as an ass...but, 9 times out of 10 I don't accept random Linked In invites and your message is the reason why.
1. Your invite was misleading. Within the first message, you shouldn’t be trying to "sell" me. Send a follow-up of “really interesting line of thinking on that blog post…tell me more about <fill in the blank.> Start building a conversation.
2. If you were to represent my company in this way (misleading others in order to "pitch" them)? It’s not something we could accept and we wouldn’t be doing business together for long.
3. Your approach is really off-putting.
My two cents for you, in the future, try to actually build rapport with someone first before trying to 'pitch' them.
Brian
Being that social media is the way it is today, any guesses to the response I got? It's OK, I was a bit shocked too. It was:
LOL
Yep. He just sent “LOL.” Fun side note…he lists himself as “CEO” of his company. Do you know a lot of CEOs that would send a note of “LOL” to a prospect?
Social tools like Linked In are really powerful when used appropriately, but when used like our misguided “CEO” here? They can be exasperating.
Social is no different than developing relationships in real life. You don’t go on a date and within the first two minutes of knowing the person say “hey, I’m awesome…you should marry me.” That date would be over and done!
You ask questions. Get to know the other person. Ask them about their interests. Slow roll it! And we should be doing the same on social media.
Look, I love when a sales person “hustles” but for some reason, the word “hustle” today means “shoot off as many emails/invites as I can with a pitch in it and hope something sticks.” Hope. Is. Not. A. Strategy. Hustle is about finding interesting and new ways to connect with your audience. Don't just throw a bucket of noodles at the wall and hope one sticks!
Maybe I’m old-school, but selling, regardless of the medium (face-to-face, email, digital, social, etc…) is about gaining an understanding of your customer. How can you solve a problem if you don’t know what problem your prospect has? And you can’t learn what problems the prospect has if you’re instantly in “pitch” mode with them.
Stop wasting time…theirs and yours…stop giving sales people a bad reputation and start selling responsibly. Lean in with learning: learning about your prospects, their company and their problems. Then solve.
Rant over.
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