033: Selling on LinkedIn (Without Being Salesy)—Part 1: Your Connections Strategy

If your LinkedIn connections aren’t fueling your pipeline, you’re leaving money on the table—here’s how to fix that with a simple, systematic approach.

Sean M. Lyden

Jan 31, 2025

Today’s email is for you if you’re experiencing these problems:

You're spending time on LinkedIn without a clear ROI.
You're not converting LinkedIn activity into real sales opportunities.
Your competitors seem to be using LinkedIn more effectively, and it shows.

New to Systematic Selling?

Subscribe for free to receive bite-sized, high-impact sales systems training delivered to your inbox each week.
Upgrade to Paid for the full experience, including access to the entire archives and premium-only sales training content, for the investment of one Venti Latte ☕️ per month.

Review

This is the seventh installment of the 4-Farmland Matrix (4FM) series. In it, we unpack a simple four-part framework that helps you identify and capitalize on your most promising sales opportunities—whether they’re new prospects, current clients, or ones that got away.

So far, we’ve covered these topics:

The 4-Farmland Matrix: Overview

026: Packing Your Pipeline with Low-Hanging Fruit.

Farmland 1: New (Desirable fields yet to be acquired)

Preview

In a previous article, I introduced the four ‘components’ of Systematic Prospecting in your sales process:

~~Systematic Networking~~
Systematic Social Selling
Systematic Outreach.
Systematic Referrals.

In the last post, we discussed the 12 Steps of Systematic Networking. Today, we begin our discussion of the second component: Systematic Social Selling.

Overview

If you’re in B2B sales and not growing your LinkedIn connections, you’re making a huge mistake.

Too many founders and sales reps see LinkedIn as just another social media platform.

But it’s so much more than that.

LinkedIn is:

Your stage (to demonstrate your expertise).
Your network (to lay the foundation for success).
Your potential deal flow (to convert to new sales).

And yet, so many aren’t investing the time to grow their connections.

They’re not intentional.

They’re not systematic.

Here’s why that’s a mistake:

Every LinkedIn connection increases your follower base, which boosts your posts’ visibility and engagement.

If you want to stop posting into a black hole where no one sees your content…
If you want to attract more qualified leads on LinkedIn…
If you want to close more sales with LinkedIn…

Grow your connections.

The Connection Request is the tip of the spear of your LinkedIn Social Selling Strategy.

You get 100 Connection Requests (CRs) per week with the free version of LinkedIn and 250 CRs per week for premium accounts.

So, nothing is stopping you.

But how can you expand your LinkedIn network with more of the right people who fit your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)?

Follow the 3Rs:

1. Reframe: View your LinkedIn network as an Auto-Update Rolodex.

2. Reinforce: Strengthen relationships with clients and other warm contacts.

3. Reach out: Pursue new connections and open new doors.

Let’s break each of these down.

1. Reframe.

Think of your LinkedIn network as a living, breathing ‘Rolodex’ that updates itself to track when your prospects change roles, companies, or locations.

For example, when your connection lands that VP position at your target account or moves to a company that fits your ICP, LinkedIn automatically keeps you informed, creating timely opportunities for warm outreach.

This ‘Auto-Update Rolodex’ doesn't just store contact information—it reveals critical context about your prospects' challenges, aspirations, and professional milestones, all of which you can leverage to initiate more meaningful conversations.

When you adopt this mindset, you will become more motivated to grow your LinkedIn network—and your sales opportunities.

2. Reinforce.

Start by connecting on LinkedIn with your existing business contacts. This will reinforce your relationships with every client, prospect, industry peer, and collaborative partner who represents a potential gateway to their broader network.

These warm connections are more likely to engage with your content, provide introductions, and serve as your unofficial ambassadors, creating a ripple effect that extends your reach far beyond direct sales efforts.

Also, maintaining an active LinkedIn presence with your existing contacts keeps you top-of-mind for referrals and creates natural opportunities for organic account expansion.

Therefore, if you haven’t already done so, connect with these warm contacts:

1. Current Clients

2. Inactive Clients

3. Prospects

4. Networking Contacts

5. Leads (you’ve met).

3. Reach out.

LinkedIn offers multiple paths to discover and connect with your ICP.

Where do you find these new potential leads to connect with?

Comment sections of industry thought leaders
Company pages (search “People”)
LinkedIn Jobs page
Relevant LinkedIn groups
Industry hashtags
The "People Also Viewed" sidebar on the contact’s profile
The “Similar Profiles” sidebar on the contact’s profile
The “My Network” page that recommends connections based on your activity, location, and affiliations (college, former employers, etc.)

All of this information is available to you with the free version of LinkedIn.

So, how should you connect once you find the right people?

A simple connection request without a note often works best. It feels more natural and avoids the immediate resistance that comes with obviously sales-focused messages.

The Next Step

Once you’ve connected, how do you use LinkedIn to cultivate your new connections?

That’s where your Direct Message (DM) strategy comes into play, which we’ll discuss in Part 2 of “Selling on LinkedIn” in the February 14 edition of the Systematic Selling Newsletter.

In the meantime, be on the lookout next week for Episode 25 of the Systematic Selling Podcast!

See you then 👊

Not already a Systematic Selling Subscriber?

Sean M. Lyden is the founder and CEO of Systematic Selling, a sales systems and coaching company for growth-minded SMB founders and owners looking to scale their sales (without the chaos).