Why I won’t connect with you on LinkedIn

It seems like every day, I receive a connection request on LinkedIn.  With LinkedIn being one of my favorite social media sites, you would think that I would hit accept for every single invitation… but I don’t.  Why?  Here are a few reasons:

1. I don’t know who you are. Really, absolutely no clue.  If I don’t know who you are, I have no idea why I should add you to my network.  You might be a great person, we might be able to work some business magic together and connecting with you might be the smartest thing I have ever done.  But if you don’t explain who you are and why it’s beneficial to connect with you, it’s not going to happen.
   
2. You have the “default” LinkedIn profile picture. You may not think you photograph well, but you absolutely MUST include your picture on your profile.  If you don’t, then I have no reason to think you take this networking “thing” seriously.  Please – take 2 minutes to upload a professional photo to your profile.  That means no logos, no kissing your bride and no cats!
3. You use the “default” LinkedIn invitation language. When an invitation hits my inbox and it says “Lisa, I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn,” I absolutely cringe.  Again – take 2 minutes to tell the person WHY you want to connect with them.  Did you meet them at a networking event last night? Are they connected to a colleague of yours and you have a potential referral for them?  If you are an absolute stranger but can tell me who you are and why we should connect, then I am in.

And there are so many more reasons!  If you are looking for the right way to use LinkedIn to it’s fullest potential, join me on September 19th for Beyond the Basics: Unlocking the Hidden Biz Potential of LinkedIn .  For more information click here.

Want to connect on LinkedIn?  Connect with me here – but be sure to have a photo and customize your invite!