We often hear people say, “I get nothing from LinkedIn,” or “My network never brings me business.”
The problem isn’t LinkedIn, it’s your network strategy

For most professionals, their LinkedIn connections are in the wrong place

Your network might be made up of ex-colleagues, recruiters, and people who aren’t actually in a position to buy from you

That’s not going to generate meaningful opportunities

The key is to take a focused, not random approach

Step 1 – Target the Right People

Search for your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) on LinkedIn

These are the exact types of people and organisations that could benefit from your product or service

And target the people that can “influence” your solution in an account

Not everybody you connect to needs to be buying

For example, you might connect to the deputy Director of Finance as they will refer you to meet the Director of Finance

Step 2 – Connect Consistently

Send 100 targeted connection requests a week. On average, 60% - 80% will accept

(Play your cards right and LinkedIn will allow you to send 200 connection requests a week)

Over the course of a year, this approach will grow your network by roughly 5,000 highly relevant contacts

Step 3 – Focus on In-Market Opportunities

Not everyone will be ready to buy immediately, but if 5% of your network is in-market at any given time, you’ve positioned yourself to be visible to 250 potential buyers without cold outreach

(See details of the results from cold outreach below)

Step 4 – Be the Obvious Choice

If you’ve:

Built a credible, client-focused profile

Connected in a genuine, non-spammy way

Shared insightful, relevant content

…then those in-market prospects will see you as the natural choice

And when they’re ready to buy, they will come to you

Conclusion

LinkedIn isn’t broken, it’s a goldmine for business growth when used strategically

By focusing on your ICP, growing your network with intent, and positioning yourself with valuable content, you load the deck in your favour

Over time, this turns LinkedIn into an inbound lead engine, where opportunities find you instead of the other way around

PS:

Figures for cold outreach with our social selling methodology are as follows

LinkedIn allows you to send 200 connection requests a month

you should be getting a 60 - 80% acceptance rate

Of those 10% will agree to a meeting

You should get 34% agreement to a next action

Each SDR should get at least 1 x ICP meeting a day (5 a week) from this