My LinkedIn InMail box is filled with trash. Yours too. People or AI pretend to know us, but they don’t.

“I have reviewed your profile and the areas of expertise described in your profile are very helpful for my boss’ upcoming project.”

The writer has not reviewed my profile. False interest.

“I am glad to see your profile. I found your photo and profile very good and impressed me. I am interested and want to know more about you. This is not a business talk…”

Not business talk? What could it be? False interest.

“I noticed that your area of expertise would be helpful for a new project I am about to start in Maryland. If it is convenient, please leave your mobile phone number. I will discuss collaboration further with you.”

The writer has pulled my state of residency off my LinkedIn profile. False interest.

False interest almost never leads to success.

Marketing messages are supposed to be one to many, of course. Sales messages must be one to one.

Like preparing for a phone call, sales messages should take time and effort to prepare. It’s obvious when someone does not get to know us before they write.

Are you experimenting with AI sales tools? They are available and tempting to use, but they do not have a light touch. Ultimately, we are in the reading and writing industry. We can tell when we’re not being addressed.

For me, it’s really all I care about. When I see a note on LinkedIn, pick up the phone, or open a sales email, I want to be known. It doesn’t matter initially what’s being sold. If a salesperson is prepared before they reach me, they are much more likely to get some of my time.

This approach takes more time and effort. And it is likely to be much more successful.

False interest fails.