Possibly. Here's the rub: 

If your connection requests are not accepted by prospects often enough LinkedIn will remove your ability to make connection requests. What defines "often enough?" LinkedIn doesn't give us hard-fast rules.

However, if you're connecting with prospects and selecting Colleague, Classmate, Friend, Groups or "We've done business together" as a means to get past LinkedIn's rule you are taking a risk. 

Taking the less-than-totally-honest approach increases the chance your request gets marked "Ignore" by the prospect. This increases your negative score with LinkedIn. Bye the way, it can take MONTHS to get back in good graces with LinkedIn.

You don't need the connection

Why risk getting banned by LinkedIn? Instead, give prospects a reason to talk with you first. Think about it. Once they feel curious about how you may be able to solve a problem or fast-track a goal, you're in a stronger position to connect and then close them.

Connections are a nice-to-have, not a must have.​

Here's why this is important

Your time is precious. Don't waste it. Yes, it seems logical to ask for connections first. This is why most people take this approach—yet fail to earn response and appointments. Many end up in the dog house with LinkedIn. Ask around! (and avoid the trap)

Take a minute to ask yourself, will connecting on LinkedIn:

• move you closer to getting what you want?
• help you create more leads, faster?
• shorten the time it takes to get an appointment?
• make it easier to get appointments? How so?

Ultimately, it depends on how LinkedIn connections fits in to your overall prospecting system. Making sense of how LinkedIn fits into your existing prospecting system is what we can help you with—in our upcoming Email Writing Clinic.

No, you don't need to use InMail®

LinkedIn was not originally built with "social selling" in mind. Just like Facebook wasn't built for marketing. BUT there is a better way. There IS an effective, systematic approach to generating leads on LinkedIn—faster and without bending any rules. Is InMail part of it? Yes, but it's not the cure-all.

There are ways to find prospects' email addresses, message them and get better response WITHOUT using InMail.

I've written about this approach and hosted Webinars on it. Today, if it's the right time for you, why not do what today's top social sellers do?

Stop spinning your wheels and start working in the area where you'll see a reward. Invest in yourself. Don't just read about the system. Join us in the Email Writing Clinic. Let's DO it together.

There's a reason why you're still struggling, why you're not having a breakthrough with LinkedIn. And as much as it pains me to say, it may have nothing to do with the information you're placing on LinkedIn. It probably has more to do with the structure of your words. The "how and when" of what you say, not so much "the what." 

This is a great time to renew your vows to your LinkedIn prospecting approach, to start anew, to dig in and do the work. With us at your side. Thanks for considering joining us!