What is your reaction when you receive an overly salesy message on LinkedIn? Honestly, how many of these generic texts actually caught your attention?  

Let's be clear, generic copy-and-paste messages don't work on LinkedIn. Unless you're offering something of great value, there's a good chance your prospect will ignore your message.  

If you are not satisfied with your results, but you have no idea what you are doing wrong, this article will help you.

1 – Check your prospect list

Before you even start writing LinkedIn messages, make sure you have a quality lead base. It must be up to date and very precise . The fact is that if your prospecting file is too large, you risk contacting people who are not at all interested.

So even if you have the perfect cold prospecting message, you might not get any results. When your prospect list is ultra-refined, you are much more likely to find qualified prospects .

Concretely, check that your target audience wants what you sell, has the budget to buy from you and the purchasing power necessary to make this decision

For example, if you're talking to marketing executives, but only founders have purchasing power in their company, you're going to waste time.

READ ALSO: PRM: how to create and optimize a BtoB prospecting file?

2 – Your messages should not be too salesy

B2B prospects are spammed on LinkedIn every day. So note that most of us have developed a sort of psychological shield that allows us to quickly detect and ignore sales messages. Many of your prospects won't even read the first two words if they recognize your approach as salesy.

To get around this barrier, you need to start a conversation. For example, “Really impressed with the blog posts on Magileads. Can we get in touch?” So when a prospect sees that you're not just trying to convince them, the chances of them responding to your connection request are much greater .

This type of message is known as a “pattern interrupt” . The idea is to do something different from the average seller in order to stand out . Interrupting a pattern causes the prospect to stop what they usually do and behave differently.

Here are some examples of LinkedIn prospecting messages that work.

3 – Personalize your message sufficiently

Some sellers actually use a Basque form of personalization. This can be the name of the prospect or his company . But the problem is that it's not enough to capture their attention.

The point is - you can't get away with basic customization if you really want to. You need to research each prospect and write each one a personalized introductory sentence. Yes, it takes time, but it's worth it.

Concretely, take a look at the prospect's LinkedIn profile to help you write a personalized message. You basically need to find something to compliment him on: new job, great webinar, promotion, great social media posts). Or, try to find common points that could link you: membership in the same LinkedIn group, common interests, common contacts. An effective approach is also to ask questions like:

• How do you deal with x problems, what is the secret to success? 
• Do you know any good places to go hiking?

Note that personalization is used in a conversation-starting way. In this regard, here are some good tips for personalizing your messages.

4 – Check that your CTA is not vague or too confusing

Make sure your calls to action are very specific . If they are vague, your prospects won't know what you expect from them.

In a prospecting message, you can mention that your company solves a specific problem they may have. If you want them to call you quickly, mention that in your follow-up messages. Either way, make it as easy as possible for your prospect to respond.  

5 – Avoid writing an essay

B2B prospects are busy people. If you confront them with a wall of text, the chances of them reading and responding to your message are low. So, just like messages that are too salesy, messages that are too long don't work. Your message should only be one or two sentences long. Nothing more.  

So make sure your prospecting messages are short and precise. Remember that prospecting on LinkedIn is simply about building relationships.  

6 – Your LinkedIn profile needs to be refreshed

Before sending messages to your prospects, it's worth taking a look at your LinkedIn profile. Is he professional? Will it make decision-makers want to contact you?  

Remember, your profile is like a first impression. In some cases, it can dissuade your prospects from responding to you.

Also, your profile photo must be professional. And, preferably, it shouldn't be a random selfie. Be specific about what you do and how you help your customers.  

Remember that the “About Page” is not just a “resume”. This is a valuable section that you can use to create a sales page for yourself and your business.

By the way, every Thursday at 6 p.m., we offer to answer all your questions about modern prospecting and show you how Magileads can radically transform your Marketing and Sales results.

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