Which LinkedIn Invitations to Accept or Ignore?

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linkedin-invitations christine-hueberI hear it all the time from clients and when I speak, “Christine, I get LinkedIn Invitations from people I don’t know. Should I accept them?”

The answer is simple…it depends on who your Ideal Clients are…

* Are your Ideal Clients local or global?

* Are your Ideal Clients industry specific (like transportation professionals) or category specific (like entrepreneurs)?

For example, if you sell online products, it might make sense to accept LinkedIn Invitations from members globally who would need what you offer…or know someone who does.

On the other hand, if you have a geographically-based business…maybe not so much. You probably want to focus on your specific area and ignore LinkedIn Invitations outside your targeted geographic area.

Important: Be aware that when you accept a LinkedIn Invitation to connect with someone, they automatically have access to your email address.

Note: If you ignore LinkedIn Invitations, the members are not notified.

If you’re interested in getting more details on what to do with LinkedIn and how to get better results, click here to qualify for your complimentary LinkedIn Results strategy session with me to explore that…and to find out what you can do to have a results breakthrough. I have a limited number of appointments available and request that only people who are serious about dramatically increasing their results on LinkedIn and ready to take the next step apply for a time to talk.

Did this help you? If so, I would greatly appreciate it if you commented below and shared on LinkedIn.

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© 2015 ChristineHueber.com

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Comments

  1. After clicking “Ignore” on the connection request, another question pops up with the option to say “I don’t know (name)”. The polite thing to do is to avoid selecting this option. Informing LinkedIn that you don’t know (or remember) this person marks them for possible account restriction by LinkedIn. So unless you are after vengeance for some reason, just “Ignore” should be sufficient in my opinion.

    • Thanks for your comment, Jerry, and sharing a great tip!

      To go even deeper into what you advised…an account does get restricted if 5 people say they don’t know the member.

      This is why uploading your email contacts (as LinkedIn encourages new accounts to do) and sending them invitations is something that should be done very deliberately and strategically.

      Best,
      Christine

  2. Quite often, when I get an invitation to connect and am not sure if they are prospective Ideal Clients or Referral Partners, I write to the invitation sender to inquire how I know them. That also helps to decide whether I want to allow them into my network or not, Christine.

    • Thanks for your comment, Vatsala. Replying without accepting a LinkedIn Invitation can be an excellent strategy, I agree. You can also view their profile before moving forward as well.

      Best,
      Christine

  3. I’m curious what you think about accepting, or sending, invitations to people who specialize in the same areas that you do. I believe that ‘together we’re better,’ but to what extent?

    • Thanks for your comment, Susan, and that’s a question only you can answer for your business and might also be based on your relationship with the person.

      Does that help?

      Best,
      Christine

  4. Always helpful to read your LI contributions, Christine – thank you.

    • Thanks for your comment and feedback, Brad…I appreciate it.

      Best,
      Christine

  5. I often (just today, in fact) get requests from direct competitors. I prefer not to share my contact list with them, so I do not accept. But I do want to participate in the true networking potential of LinkedIn, so I often accept strangers, even if they are in unrelated fields. But if they block access to their contacts, I disconnect right away.

    • Thanks for your comment, Jay, and for sharing your LinkedIn connection system.

      Best,
      Christine