5 Things to Know About Finding Clients on LinkedIn

I’ll be honest. I used to absolutely hate LinkedIn as a social media platform. But if you’re looking to make meaningful business connections, LinkedIn is the premier platform to use. You’ll find CEOs looking to grow their influence and build trust with buyers, solopreneurs looking for freelancers to build their dream teams, and others are actively looking for clients. In the world of business relationships, you just never know who you’ll meet that will possibly send you your most lucrative client, so growing your network steadily and consistently makes good business sense.

Plus, when you Google someone’s name, it’s one of the first links that appear in search results.

However, if you think blasting LinkedIn users with connection requests is the way to go, put the brakes on your plans and rethink your strategy. I don’t know why coaches still teach this strategy, but they do. Here’s some well-researched advice about finding clients on LinkedIn:

1. Nobody likes a spammer

Logging in to your dashboard and sending out a blast of connection requests is not a good use of your time. And if you think blasting your current connections with your latest product, service, or event will make you instant friends, think again. These are typical forms of spamming which will lose you connections instead of gaining them.

2. Don’t use people just for introductions

When someone accepts your connection, get to know that person and their company before asking for introductions to others in their network. People are very protective of their networks and will be picky about who they allow access to. If they refer you to their connection, and that introduction or meeting doesn’t go well, then THEIR reputation is at stake. Building relationships isn’t a one-and-done thing.

3. Treat others as you want to be treated

If you don’t want to be bombarded with connection requests and product offers or offers to join teams and you don’t know the person asking, don’t do those same things to others. Connect with others who have a common interest or whose companies complement yours. A personalized connection request makes a big difference, too.

4. Allow time to build relationships and build your network

Your network will NOT grow overnight, especially if you use spam tactics to connect with people. Think of networking as the “planting of seeds,” where you talk about what you do and who you are, but in a natural, organic, and authentic way instead of being salesy. Over time your connections will remember what you do, and if they like your style, they will refer people to you; but they need to know you better first, and that takes time.

5. Provide value to others

One way to showcase your expertise to your LinkedIn connections is to share consistently. Write articles, participate in groups, ask questions, and share your mission and why it’s important to you. Educate your followers about what you do or the problems you solve. Done consistently, sharing will keep you in people’s minds, and you just never know when they will be ready to hire you or send you a referral.

Networking on LinkedIn really boils down to common sense: Act professionally, so you portray your business in the best possible light and be authentic in your interactions. Your ideal clients will be drawn to you once they get to know you as a person instead of as a salesperson.

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