Thread: LinkedIn Connection Etiquette

I've seen this happen a ton lately; someone calls me or emails me once and they send me a LinkedIn invite.

I barely know you, you are trying to sell me something, and you connect on LinkedIn already?

I tend to think that connecting on LinkedIn is reserved for people you trust and know.

What are your thoughts?

Agreed, as a salesperson, I never send a LinkedIn invite until I have developed a good rapport in person. Typically I will not do it unless I land the sale, mainly just to stay in touch.

I agree, I m on LinkedIn looking for employment,not to buy something or be contacted for some other reason. If that person does this to me , I delete them. You can also report them to LinkedIn.

I think it depends a lot on the industry and personality of the person that you are trying to connect with. A lot of my background is focused around marketing / PR / social media, so for the most part, everyone is unbelievably happy to connect because it's typically a much younger, less reserved demographic. I find that a lot of people are just really bad at networking in general. If you're sincerely interested in connecting with someone, make an effort. Spend a few minutes coming up with a quick but effective email to introduce yourself. (Doesn't mean you're trying to sell them anything) Some of the best professional connections and job offers that I've ever received have been from LinkedIn. When used properly, it's the best professional resource out there.

Chris...in my industry...I'm about half the age of most people. LOL.

I agree with that; it can be done right. But lately everyone is doing it wrong with me.

I don't understand LinkedIn. I feel like I might be better off not being on there at all since I haven't spent any time trying to connect with people or accepting connections, so my profile looks incomplete. I'm sure my LinkedIn incompetence/apathy is a side effect of me not being on and being afraid of FaceBook.

I only connect with people I know in person, or have done business with over the phone/internet.

I sort of don't get linked in either. Unfortunately it's real hard to connect with those whom I want to be connected to because I'm not yet in that industry.

It's been useless for me. But I keep my profile up to date anyway just to keep the word out there about my business and the services I offer. Mostly I just get invites from people in my industry looking to sell me or my clients their services, never do I get clients out of it. I just accept everyone, figure it can't hurt to have the word out there about my business.

I'll link in with people that I want to do business with. Generally there is a common connection that can be beneficial. LI is used in many ways, employment searches and marketing to name a couple. You might want to use it for a different purpose than others but maybe that can work for you as well.

For those that connect with me that I might not know, I send them an email asking who they are and if no response, I eliminate them.