Connect with people for outbound lead generation and when using automated recruitment software.
There has been a long term debate as to the value of paying for LinkedIn InMails. While we agree it would be each user's unique decision at Prospect Ladder we are much more in favor of making new connections and messaging them for free through the platform.
The process to make a new LinkedIn connection is simple and you should always include a short message with that request. You do NOT want to be selling in this first connector message but state something briefly in an intro and aim to make that connection.
Once that person accepts, now you will be able to provide value to them long term and they also can provide value back for the months or years. A simple email through InMail may or may not lead to a connection and is usually just a moment in time that you are “connected”.
Whether you are a sourcer, recruiter, sales person or owner those connections could last a lifetime and could be beneficial to both parties and their business/careers both immediately and in the future.
Let's take a look at an example of a recruiter connecting with a couple hundred sharepoint developers in a matter of weeks because they have a new client with a new job requisition. Not every connection you make will be right for this particular position and not every connection you make is actually looking for opportunities. The long term play of having a connection is not only to fill immediate vacancies but future vacancies. You may have more positions later and they may be in the market at a future time and then it is easy to “re-connect”. These connections will also see your posts and may have friends that are actively looking for open positions. The value of a connection far outweighs the 1 or two InMails you may end up sending back and forth.
LinkedIn messaging is also very convenient for people to respond to and from. It resembles a text message format and allows information to be exchanged back and forth quickly and succinctly. With an advanced LinkedIn messaging campaign through a software like Prospect Ladder you can prepare these messages before the connection is even made and be ready to respond to a variety of requests and questions. The “Reply Template” feature will also save you hours of copying and pasting standard responses as you are conversing with your connection.
Another great benefit of a software like Prospect Ladder is the ability to go back to those existing connections and message a targeted group with some preset drip campaign messages. Remember our example of the sharepoint developers that you invested the time to make real connections with? How great would it be to reach back out to hundreds of them a week a year later when your client now needs 2-3 people for that new requisition they just won? The ease of putting this messaging campaign on autopilot exists also.
So there you have it, stop paying for InMails and go with the free feature of messaging in LinkedIn. When you add a software like Prospect Ladder you can speed up your conversations and save 10-20 hours per week while bringing in new candidates for your pipeline.