TL;DR / At a glance
- Game-changer acquisition rule: do not pitch right after you connect, wait at least six weeks and publish posts during that period
- Bad message (Option A): hard-sell product features/benefits (“I’m selling Apple pens because…”). Often fails and can be legally risky on the EU market.
- Better message (Option B) to a pre-warmed contact who already follows and interacts with your content: a short yes/no invite — e.g. Would you care to grab a coffee and get to know each other?
- On the domestic market, about 8% of those warm “Johns” respond yes; then ask for a phone number and call to schedule (calendar links get fewer meetings for some people). Foreign markets have a worse response rate due to greater initial scepticism from your prospects.
- People who will ignore your message now often come back later. Months or years later when the need is urgent. Just keep outreach simple and non-pushy.
What does a bad LinkedIn sales DM look like?
Example if you sell “Apple pens”: Hello Simon, I’m selling Apple pens… they are great because… we offer these benefits to these people... are you that kind of person? Beyond EU-market legal concerns, main point is that this approach does not really work.
What should you write instead?
Still selling the same product, message a warmed-up contact (John): Hi John, would you care to grab a coffee and get to know each other? That is it. Message only people who have followed your content for months and preferably interacted with it. They already know from your posts that you are “the Apple pen guy,” so you do not need to push product specs into the DM.
Why does a meeting ask beat a product pitch?
- You are less specific and less aggressively selling → less risk of violating EU rules and sounding pushy.
- John gets a simple yes/no in a short message that is read immediately.
- If unsure, he can click your profile and learn about the offer there.
- In my experience (about eight years; tens of thousands of messages via my and my clients’ profiles): the more we pushed and explained in the message, the less we succeeded.
What if prospect answers "OK"?
Then ask for a phone number, call, and arrange a meeting. You can send a calendar/reservation link, but some people dislike that and you get fewer meetings.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Waiting for John to message you first (most will not).
- Messaging with a hard sell.
- Messaging people who are not already interested in you.
Message only those you would actually like to meet or won't be bothered by you reaching out. I'm talking about users who already show interest through your content. Keep it very simple.
You'll know you are doing it right when you will get to 8% conversion to meetings and zero negative emotions from the people you adress.