Here's the template, and then the important part about why it works.
The basic recipe
Three parts: a specific reason, one line on why it's relevant to you, and a light close with no hook.
Hi Anna, saw your comment about how hard it is to recruit salespeople right now. I work a lot with that question myself and thought you put words to something important. Happy to connect.
// The templateNote what isn't in there. No pitch. No calendar. No link. Nothing about what you sell.
Three principles behind the template
Simple to understand, harder to do every day.
Salesy pushes people awayThe second a first message smells of a sales meeting, the recipient puts their guard up. You became one more in the queue. A connection request should do one thing only: start a relationship where a conversation becomes possible later.
Personal beats volumeTwenty requests that genuinely reference something the person did or said beat two hundred copy-pasted ones. Yes, it takes longer. That's the whole point — the recipient instantly feels the difference between someone who saw them and someone who pasted.
And here's your responsibilityThe template is simple. The hard part is actually sending it, every day, to people you want to work with. You decide that ten new right people hear from you today.
Appearing in someone's inbox isn't selling. It's introducing yourself. Selling comes later, once you've earned it.
// The door, not the pitchSame logic as in turning connections into customers — and the direct outreach that is the engine in a B2B strategy.
The habit is yours
No template in the world helps if you don't hit send. The tool is small, the habit is everything, and the habit is yours.
It isn't a perfect message that builds your pipeline. It's that you actually reach out, again and again.
// Hit sendOne reason, one line, no hook
Write short and personal with a concrete reason why you in particular are reaching out, and keep the pitch, the link and the calendar out of it. Then send ten today — and ten tomorrow.
LinkedCoach helps you fill your inbox with the right people and conversations that actually lead somewhere.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a connection request that isn't salesy?
Short, personal, with a concrete reason why you in particular are reaching out — and sell nothing. Three parts: a specific reason, one line on why it's relevant to you, and a light close with no hook. You're not asking for anything. You're opening a door.
What should I leave out?
No pitch, no calendar link, no link at all and nothing about what you sell. The second a first message smells of a sales meeting, the recipient puts their guard up.
Many requests or personal ones?
Personal ones. Twenty requests that genuinely reference something the person did or said beat two hundred copy-pasted ones. The recipient instantly feels the difference.
When should I start selling?
Later, once you've earned it. A connection request should do one thing only: start a relationship where a conversation becomes possible later.