Why I Ignored Your LinkedIn Connection Request

6 CommentsArticles, Social Selling

The unfortunate fact is that I probably end up choosing to ignore 90% of the connection requests that I receive on LinkedIn. I don’t want to and I may be missing out on some great connections but, the simple fact is that you gave me absolutely no reason to accept your request in the first place.

I am not a LION (LinkedIn Open Networker) so I am a little more discriminating about who I connect to. I am not an internet marketer with services that appeal to a very large base so, having thousands of unknown connections (reach) holds no appeal for me.[Tweet “Would you like to know why I ignored your connection request?”]

When I do connect to you, I am giving you access to my contact information and my connections and I am happy to do that. However, I did have one gentleman who chose to abuse that privilege by leveraging our association in an inappropriate manner so, I’m a wee bit jaded. Yes, we disconnected.

So, why did I turn you down? I don’t just say “no”. I really want to connect and I will make every effort that I can to see that happen!

  • If I know you and trust you, we will connect.
  • If you send me a personalized invitation, there is probably a 99% or better chance that I will accept but only after picking myself up off the floor since I only see one of these about once every blue moon.
  • If you send me a template invitation and I don’t know you and trust you, now we go to the next step. B.T.W., as LinkedIn does not have a field for a middle initial, my first name is listed as “Craig M.” and when I receive any correspondence addressed to that name, the jig is up.
  • I do get that LinkedIn has removed the ability to personalize invitations in many situations (very sore point) so receiving a template invitation is not an automatic disqualifier. However, we also know how aggressive LinkedIn has become at suggesting connections (another sore point) and those invitations generally go out as templates so … here is my last step …
  • Have you even looked at my profile? If you have not, we are probably done.

Occasionally, if I am torn on whether or not to accept an invitation, I will exercise the option to request more information from you prior to making that decision. Guess what. 90% of those requests go unanswered which, in turn, answers my question.

It’s pretty simple. Show me that you are actually interested in connecting, provide me a reason to do so, and we are golden. Also note that as a LinkedIn premium member I have activated OpenLink which means that anybody can private message me without having a 1st degree connection or access to InMail. Let’s connect! I’d really love to get to know you!

Craig M. Jamieson

Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services
Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!
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