LinkedIn is not just a platform for finding clients, but a tool for building long—term business relationships. However, people don't like it when someone immediately tries to sell them something. To attract attention and build trust, it is important to establish contact correctly and conduct a dialogue naturally.

1. Preparation before adding

Before sending a friend request, it is important to understand who is in front of you. Look at the profile, what the person does, what topics they are interested in, what they write about. If you have mutual acquaintances, this can be a good place to start communication.

2. Personalized addition to contacts

Do not send a request with an empty template message — these are usually ignored. It is better to write a short but meaningful message.

Example 1 (if the general field of activity):

“Hello, [Name]! We work in the same field, and I'm interested in your publications. I will be glad to add you to the network and share my experience.”

Example 2 (if there are mutual acquaintances):

“Hello, [Name]! We know each other through [The name of a common contact], and I've been following your work for a long time. I think it would be useful for us to talk.”

If a person understands why they are being added, the probability of a response is much higher.

3. No sales in the first message

The most common mistake is to write about your services immediately after adding them. It looks intrusive and reduces the chances of a response. Instead, you can:

- Like or leave a comment under a recent post

- Send a small message without a hint of a sale, for example:

“Thank you for adding to the network! Glad to meet you.”

The more natural communication begins, the higher the chance of dialogue.

4. Create value through content

People trust those who share useful information more, rather than just promoting themselves. If you want to build an expert image, publish posts that may be of interest to your audience.:

- Cases from your practice (without intrusive advertising)

- Observations on market trends

- Useful tips that solve specific problems

If a person sees something useful from you, they will initiate communication themselves.

5. How to smoothly switch to business communication

Once contact has been established and there are several points of intersection, you can carefully bring the conversation back to business. The main thing is not to offer something directly, but to show value.

Example:

“Hello, [Name]! I recently saw that you are working with [niche]. We helped [another company in this field] solve [the problem]. Would you be interested in discussing this?”

This approach works better than the standard “Let's call you, we have a great suggestion.”

Conclusion

LinkedIn is not about quick sales, but about long—term relationships. If you approach communication consciously, be helpful and not put pressure on people, then over time contacts turn into clients.

Which way of making contact works best for you?