Should you accept every LinkedIn connection request?

There are over 1 billion members on LinkedIn and within that billion are your prospects. Right now, it probably feels like you’re hunting through this many users, painstakingly combing through the ones that fit your ideal client profile. But, you’re not fighting through the entire platform, just your own network – a network you’ve potentially swamped with irrelevant connections.

Pretty much every social media app boasts numbers by showing follower counts on profiles and engagement metrics on posts. It’s easy enough to get caught up in this numbers game and lose sight of the real reason you joined LinkedIn in the first place – to find and connect with your prospects. 

Maybe you think it will make your account look more “important” or “trustworthy” if you have a high follower or connection number. That’s why you accept any and all connection requests that land in your ‘My Network’ tab. Sure, you’ve filtered out a few random ones here or there but, mostly, you’re just happy that your profile is being seen.

But, is it being seen by the right people?

How many people should you connect with on LinkedIn per day?

There’s nothing wrong with having a large network. That’s not what you should be taking away from this. Growing your network to a big number just for the sake of it is the problem here. Ideally, you want to be adding 50 new connections to your network every week – so, that’s around 10-15 connections per day. These connections will be a mixture of requests sent to you and ones you send out yourself.

The same process you use to send out connection requests can also be used to decide which ones are worth accepting. The best way to find these connections (without wasting hours of your time) is to use Sales Navigator.

How do you gradually build your LinkedIn network?

Even if you’ve never used Sales Navigator before and have no idea what you’re doing, you can still benefit from it. Sales Nav will use your current connections, who you’re already searching for and companies you follow to create weekly recommended lead lists. See now why connecting with just anyone can be a problem? 

If your network is already filled with connections just for the sake of it, you’ll get more of the same confusion from Sales Nav. However, you can reverse this by creating your own lists – manually inputting headcount, countries, job titles, etc. to refine your search. 

Use this same checklist to review the connection requests being sent to you. Do they work in your target industry? Does their job role indicate they’re a decision-maker within their business? Sticking to this method (whether you’re sending out connections or accepting them) will ensure you’re building your network with purpose.

Feel like you’ve already overfilled your network or have no idea how to get started? The PINAKL team is here to help.