I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a bucket load more requests for connections in LinkedIn.  

And it’s really interesting because it’s so obvious, who are the people that are actually using either generic messages or even a third party to do it.  

I’m all for getting third party to help out.  

But boy, when you try to make a one on one connection with someone, be very, very, very careful about not making it ‘appear’ like a third party.   

I even saw a post the other day that a guy put up about someone reaching out to make a connection.  

And they’ve even left the <inserted text> in the message.   

They haven’t even bothered to actually update that <inserted text> with that person’s relevant material.  

But one of the ones that I’m getting at the moment are… they go something like this, they say, “so I’ve been reading your profile and looks like we’ve got lots in common.  

So given that you…” and then they go and make an assumption about what I do, which is great if they got it right, because they had read my profile.   

But more often than not, they’re getting it completely wrong.  

So it’s; “I see that from your profile you get finance for people whose businesses are in trouble.”   

I don’t know where they got that from because it ain’t in my profile, it’s nowhere, anywhere, because guess what, that is not what I do.  

So as soon as I get to that line in the connection request, I’m like, ahhh you don’t really know me, all you’re doing is sprouting for business, and by the way, it’s a no. 

You’ve completely turned me off and we haven’t even met. 

If you’re going to reach out and LinkedIn is a beautiful tool for making connections, ok?  

It’s a social media platform.  

That means ‘social’, it’s about having a communication and having a conversation with someone.  

So if you are going to make a connection on LinkedIn, and sure there are some ways that you can do it on scale. 

Make sure though you do actually read my profile first, find what connections we might have, maybe do some other social stalking, and I say ‘stalking’, because if I put something out on social, I’m saying, hey public, it’s okay, or, hey connections, it’s okay for you to read it.   

Then use that information to come back to me and say, ”hey, it looks like we’ve got a number of things in common because I see you do this or I see you’ve worked with so and so…”  

Then maybe ask if you want to request.  

It’s not that hard.  

But gee, today more than ever, if the world’s not pointing to us to say, hey be real, connect with me, be human with me.   

If that hasn’t become really clear now, I don’t know what ever will.  

So use the tools as they are available, as social tools, to connect, to get into a conversation and be really helpful with someone.  

Don’t turn me off before we’ve ever met.   

Turning me on is so much easier.  

You know what I mean? 😜