So you sent a powerful message to a lead that wanted a little bit more information and got nothing in return. Or, you decided to blast out a few messages in order to kickstart the sales process but got a less-than-good performance. This is why your messages get ignored on LinkedIn.
It Was a Cold Call
Messaging a connection with a sales pitch without any prior conversation is a cold call. In fact, it’s the new cold call. Just because you’ve automated the process and can send out hundreds of messages in a week doesn’t mean the practice is going to get you anywhere. As with most cold calling, you’ll soon see that it’s a numbers game, so you need to be constantly messaging and chasing more and more people. This can lead to account restrictions, a lot of abuse and being outright ignored on LinkedIn.
You’re Being Awkward
When you talk to someone and you can tell they just want to talk about a certain topic and nothing else the whole conversation can feel a little awkward. You know what they’re trying to do, but go along with it anyway until you get to the topic at hand. It leaves you thinking, “what was the point in all that anyway”. Most people will ignore your message just because they think they know where it’s heading. Stop trying to awkwardly shift the conversation in a certain direction. Instead, consider nurturing the relationship by being a person.
The message looks automated
If your message looks like it’s copied and pasted to a list of people the personable approach is lost. People switch off if they feel like a number to you. Personalisation is how you get people to respond to you today. Don’t look like you don’t care. Automation is frowned upon by LinkedIn itself, so make sure when you’re messaging you keep it personal to who you are messaging. that means more than just adding their first name in the message. Talk about specific things on their profile or reference content they’ve posted.
Pushy Follow-Ups
Have you ever been texting someone and get called into a brief meeting and return to your phone with hundreds of messages? It’s not even ex-partners and old tinder dates that can make you feel this way. Pushy follow-ups can also give off this air of desperation. Shadowed with a little bit of an unstable attitude to go along with it. If you’re follow up is pushy or you haven’t given your prospect even the slightest chance to respond that is a one-way ticket to get your message ignored on LinkedIn. Allow a cool-off period for any questions that require the other person to take any form of action outside their daily activities. Otherwise, you’re going to end up with a harassment complaint.
Uncoordinated Sales Team
We ask everyone who takes part in our courses who their dream clients are. What is the one business that you want to work with that could overshadow any other sale to date? Well, you can kiss that contract, sale or relationship goodbye if your sales process is uncoordinated. Imagine the scenario of getting three requests to chat from sales directors all within the same team. Now at least one person is going to get the short end of the stick here and be completely ignored. The other two will now either be pitted against each other for a better deal, or the person will see that the company doesn’t communicate properly and come across as inept. Once that happens you can rest assured that any other LinkedIn message will be ignored.
Too Friendly Vs. Overly Formal
It’s a fine line to tread when messaging on LinkedIn. I personally ignore any message that addresses me as Mr Tew because I feel like I’m going to receive a bill in the next 24 hours. But, if I was called buddy or pal by a stranger I’d be more confused than anything else. As if this person had become my new step-dad and is trying to take me to a baseball game. If you’re too friendly you can lose any leverage within a conversation to make it meaningful. However, if you’re overly formal then you can’t set a comfortable tone, putting people on guard for each message. You need to be non-familiar, but approachable. Use natural language which gives people an idea of who you are and what you’re about. Be a person that gets the job done. Not a best friend, not a robot, but a person.
If you’re getting ignored on LinkedIn you need to revise how you’re approaching the process. Stop thinking about the figures and start considering the people behind the screen. How you would respond to such messages you’re sending. You can make sales in no time at all with the right strategy. You just need to set the right tone, stop using pushy automated tactics and start being a person.
