How to Prospect Effectively on LinkedIn: A Modern Guide
First, What Not to Do
Let’s address the elephant in the room: ineffective LinkedIn prospecting tactics.
The Old-School “Connect and Pitch” Method:
Find a potential prospect.
Send a connection request.
Once accepted, immediately pitch your product or service.
Why this doesn’t work:
No credibility: Why should they trust or listen to you?
Lack of relevance: You haven’t established if they’re a fit for your product or service.
Timing: You don’t know if they even need what you’re offering right now.
It’s spammy: This approach screams desperation, not professionalism.
The result? You alienate potential prospects and harm your reputation.
Automated Tools Aren’t the Answer
Some turn to automation tools to search, connect, and pitch at scale. While it sounds efficient, it’s riddled with pitfalls:
Impersonal: Prospects can often spot automated messages and dismiss them.
Risky: LinkedIn actively discourages automation, and using such tools could lead to account suspension.
Both these approaches are shortcuts that lead to dead ends.
The C-Growth Seven-Step Approach to Effective LinkedIn Prospecting
Success on LinkedIn requires a thoughtful, strategic process. Here’s the method we use and recommend for impactful results:
1. Find the Right Prospects
Start with a refined LinkedIn search. Leverage filters such as industry, job title, location, and company size to target your ideal audience.
Why it matters:
A more nuanced search means fewer irrelevant prospects, saving you time and increasing the likelihood of success.
🔑 Pro Tip: Understand all available filters and how to apply them effectively to build a strong prospect list.
2. Do Your Research
This step is often skipped but is critical for standing out. Spend time:
Reading profiles to understand their role and expertise.
Exploring the company page to learn about their business priorities.
Checking recent posts or activity for insights into their interests and challenges.
Why it works:
Personalized outreach based on research shows respect for their time and sets you apart from generic pitches.
3. Plan Your Outreach
Don’t rush into sending a message or connection request. Assess the best approach:
Is LinkedIn the right channel, or would email work better?
Can you leverage mutual connections for an introduction?
What order should you contact individuals in?
Strategy is everything: Tailor your plan to maximize the likelihood of engagement.
4. Make Your Move: Engage
Your first message should pique curiosity, not sell. Craft personalized connection requests, InMails, or emails that reference your research and hint at the value you offer.
The goal: Get them intrigued enough to want to learn more.
5. Establish Credibility
Once you’ve initiated a conversation, focus on building trust.
Reference your expertise subtly in your outreach.
Share insights, resources, or case studies that demonstrate your value.
Without credibility, the conversation ends here.
6. Discovery and Selling
Only after completing the first five steps should you dive into discovery and sales discussions. By now, the groundwork has been laid, and the prospect is more receptive to what you have to offer.
Why This Process Works
By putting time and effort into crafting each outreach, you increase the chances of success. For example, using this process, sending just 4-5 researched, personalized messages per hour can yield a 65% response rate.
This isn’t about volume; it’s about precision. It’s about building genuine connections rather than spamming countless profiles.
The C-Growth Philosophy: Better Process, Better Results
Shortcut tactics like automation or connect-and-pitch produce poor results.
Strategic, personalized efforts yield meaningful conversations, stronger relationships, and better outcomes.
If you’re ready to transform your LinkedIn prospecting game, start implementing this seven-step process today.
🔑 Remember: Quality always trumps quantity. Your time is an investment—use it wisely.
