In this video, we discuss how to follow up on LinkedIn messages. To explain some of the concepts that we recommend, we will use a real example of a series of emails that I received from a salesperson after accepting his invitation to connect. This LinkedIn email campaign is a great example to analyze because he does some things that are really good, yet there is also a lot of room for improvement.

 

What He Did Well

As shown in the video on how to follow up on LinkedIn messages, in the first LinkedIn cold email after I accepted his invitation to connect, he opened by sharing his value proposition:

Help top-level Executives optimize their health and cognitive performance

He then goes on to share his differentiation and how he is different from his competitors:

Not to be confused with a personal trainer, I focus on tailored health coaching devised from blood work, DNA, and epigenetics

He does not just share the differentiation, but he goes the extra step to explain what that differentiation means to the prospect in terms of value:

To optimize sleep, nutrition, movement, and stress to help leaders become the best versions of themselves

In his second LinkedIn cold email message, he does something good, and that is to try to provide value to the prospect by sharing an article with helpful information.

 

What He Could Have Done Better

There are only a couple of things that I think he could have done better with his approach for how to follow up on LinkedIn messages, and the first is that he tries to close me for a health audit in message two. This sounds like a great sales process step to take the prospect through, but it might not be the best next step to close for when sending a LinkedIn cold email. A better next step might be to simply close for a short conversation and then close for the health audit in that sales process step.

The other thing that he does that I don’t like is that in message four of his approach for how to follow up on LinkedIn messages is a question asking if I noticed his message. I get emails a lot from salespeople asking if I read their emails or saying that they never heard back from me. I don’t think there is anything good to gain by sending this to the prospect, and there is a risk of decreasing rapport by rubbing the prospect the wrong way.

 

Building a New LinkedIn Cold Email Campaign

In the video, we take all of the good things this salesperson does and build off of it to create a new series of LinkedIn cold email messages that this salesperson could either send through LinkedIn or through a traditional email inbox.

We hope this gives you new ideas for how to follow up on LinkedIn messages.