Lots of people on LinkedIn argue that blank connection requests work just as well as those including a note.

Actually, they work much better than a note that contains a sales pitch.

So should you stop putting all that effort into writing a personalized connection request?

I think this really...

The mythical sales "easy button" doesn't exist. Sorry!

Every week, I talk to business owners looking for an effortless way to attract qualified leads and close sales. If you listen to the "growth hackers" and "gurus" on LinkedIn, it's easy to be fooled into believing that building an audience...

"LinkedIn is evolving away from human communication." 

That was a comment on a recent LinkedIn post about bots.

In a way, it's true. When people use automation on LinkedIn, it's never effective. But I've built so many great relationships on LinkedIn. And I'm doing real business on...

Have you been in LinkedIn jail?

I’ve heard of MANY people receiving warnings and temporary restrictions for too many connection invitations, too many profile views, automating outreach, and posting controversial content.

In general, 3 policy violations will result in a permanent restriction...

Recently, I received a pretty sophisticated outreach that was probably bot-driven using a LinkedIn automation tool. #nobots

It started with a connection request saying he just wanted to network. That’s fine, so I connected. 

Then he sent me a video that clearly wasn’t...

Are you trying to book meetings with leads on LinkedIn? What do you do when a prospect isn't responding?

A member of our prospecting mastery course (we'll call him "Joe") has trying to reach the CIO of a major retail chain ($130B in revenue) (we'll call the prospect "Andy"). 

Joe sent...

January marks the beginning of what will be the most productive prospecting season for most sales people.

Prospects are back at work, they’ve set new goals, and they’re excited about making quick progress. 

As you reach out to cold (and warm) leads, remember to focus on...

Every once in a while, someone asks if they can outsource their LinkedIn prospecting to me. I strongly recommend against outsourcing LinkedIn lead generation.

Three years ago, a client asked me to help them find a LinkedIn lead generation firm. I personally reviewed and interviewed 12 firms.

I've...

"If everyone is hitting up decision-makers on LinkedIn, how can I cut through the noise and make a genuine connection?"

Many people dismiss LinkedIn as a sales tool because they don't think they can cut through the noise. But I've found it pretty easy to stand out just by being human and working...

A connection asked me a great question recently.

“One of our new team members worked for a competitor and has a lot of connections with their employees. As we start using LinkedIn more extensively, should we remove them or block them?”

Great question!

First - never share anything on...

"The 90-Day Prospecting Accelerator seems like a lot of work, and I’m already busy. How much time would I need to devote?"

This is an important question.

Every professional is spinning multiple plates. The more responsibility, the more plates. 

When we get overwhelmed, prospecting is...

A salesperson decided they needed some new leads. They heard about a networking meeting going on at a local chamber of commerce event and rushed over to the meeting with a box of business cards and a ream of brochures.

Upon arriving, they entered the networking area and saw lots of people...