Whether you're tired of receiving the same "pitches" all over LinkedIn or you're a self-professed introvert like our guest Ben Lai, you know there's a way to use LinkedIn to sell without selling out. Today on the Sales Evangelist podcast, Ben and host Donald Kelly tackle bringing humanity back to social media.

Connection Requests: Being Other-Centric

Your messaging should communicate that you care more about the person than the sale. Be courteous and authentic. Don't use the same lines as everyone else – show others who you are. Identify a commonality that builds trust. People will then check out your profile, so if your message and profile are incongruent, you'll lose that trust. If you have a limited market, personalize each connection request or meeting request, depending on what makes sense for you. Meeting Requests: Personal AND Commercial

Before you reach out, give them a little bit of breathing room (about 1 week) after getting your connection request gets accepted. Find a conversational thing to ask them about, or find something of value to give to the person without them having to do business with you. Letting the meeting come about naturally makes your target more likely to respond