Pitching – How Not To Grow Your LinkedIn Network
It is quite astonishing how so many people believe that the only way to grow their business through LinkedIn is by pitching their offering or opportunity to everyone they come into contact with.
If you watched my recent video on this [CLICK HERE TO WATCH AGAIN], then you’ll know how much unsolicited pitching p**ses me off.
There’s been no respite from the scattergun marketers, of course, and here’s a couple of great (meaning not great at all) examples I’ve received in the last few days.
(Please note that I haven’t included any full names here, as the intention is to help educate, not to name and shame).
Example 1: The blatant ‘I don’t give a fuck’ approach.
This gentleman was a new connection and, quite clearly, no attempt has even been made to engage with me, to build some rapport, or to find out anything at all about me and my business.
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- Me
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- My New Connection
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- Me
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- My New Connection
It should be noted that when using this type of lazy (or just plain stupid) approach, the conversion from prospect to sale is virtually zero!
Example 2: The transparent pre-pitch.
I refer to this kind of message as a ‘pre-pitch’, because it’s so transparent that a child could predict what’s coming next.
Interestingly enough, a lot of network marketers are taught to use this opener. But there is a right and a wrong time to slip it into a conversation, and this was definitely the wrong time.
Obviously, my response is supposed to be, “of course I keep my options open”, whereafter the blatant pitching promptly ensues.
Let’s see what the next few weeks bring to my inbox. If I receive any more shining examples of marketing self-destruction, I’ll be sure to share them with you.
Dedicated to your success,
Christopher