One of our clients was making 'cold' reach outs on LinkedIn using 

the process in Chapter Three of The Inbound Way to Use LinkedIn. He was using this approach.

"I was surfing LinkedIn and landed on your profile. When I saw what you did and that you were connected to (mutual connection), I wondered if they shared this case study with you."

He started getting responses and immediately started replying with information about his company, ways he could help the target, and asking if the target was available for a sales call on Tuesday between 1 and 3 or Wednesday morning and he wondered why he got shut down.

Here's the problem. He went too fast. He took too big a step.

Every profession has rules of engagement.

Lawyers have rules about asking questions.

My father was a carpenter and when we needed to cut a piece of wood with a saw, he used to remind me, "Measure twice. Cut once." The moral was that if you cut too much off and the piece was too short, you couldn't make the wood longer.

If you're a cook, you probably know that you can't "un"-break and egg. Once it's broken, that's it.

If you overcook a roast, cake or burn the toast, the meal is ruined unless you like very well done.

When parents advise their children about virginity, they often use the analogy that you can't "un-ring a bell".

So, here's the point. When you're talking with a suspect, prospect, lead, influencer, decison maker, ANYONE, go slow. Take baby steps. Go at their pace because if you overstep, you may be dead and dead is irreversible.

This is the biggest issue with inbound leads. If you've got leads, but you can't close them FOR WHATEVER REASON! Whether you think it's the lead quality or your sales approach, maybe we can help.