Comments on: LinkedIn Is Not The Place For Cold Calling

By: Christine B.

Christine B. — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:31:05 +0000

Hello Justin!

I came across your posting on “cold calling” via LinkedIn messaging. I was wondering if you felt this could be a useful tool for an undergraduate looking to make connections within a company as well as learning more about internship and job opportunities within a certain department. I am currently a senior in college from the east coast looking for an internship for school credit this summer in Los Angeles. I have considered this tool for approaching potential summer employers but am hesitant. Any opinions from professionals would be greatly appreciated!

By: Justin Freid

Justin Freid — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:28:25 +0000

Hi David, thanks for your comment. I wrote this article because I repeatedly receive spam emails through LinkedIn offering SEO link building services and hi power broad band internet. I have also received phone calls asking to speak to decision makers for something I am not even associated with. It was not effective and frankly a waste of time for whomever was sending the emails.

I understand LinkedIn can be a valuable source of leads for sales professionals, but since LinkedIn is not regarded in the public eye the same way Twitter or Facebook are (viewed as a more professional resource) I don’t believe it is the proper place to be sending spam emails or random cold calls.

There are also many effective marketing tactics that do not involve cold calling. Have you heard of networking? How about SEO or SEM? How about traditional print advertising? I head up an SEM team for a very successful ad agency. We generate thousands of leads per day for our customers not through spam emails on Linkedin, but through effective SEM and SEO strategies.

By: David

David — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:45:29 +0000

That be frank about this, if you wish to have a profile online and be viewed then you need to expect some sales calls, sales and marketing as already mentioned are intrusive one way or another but that’s just how business works. The individuals that kick up a fuss are often themselves not on the front line. No clients means no work and eventually no job, so how do you get clients initially? Usually sales and marketing that’s right! If you get cold called and you genuinely have no interest just simply ask them to take you off their contact list. No big deal. If however they keep pursuing you despite you requested them to remove you from their database then that’s a unacceptable and complain to the appropriate regulatory athority.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:22:30 +0000

I’ve just started using LinkedIn myself and quite frankly I have only joined the site from a recommendation from a friend. With all the networks around I admit that when I signed up I was suprised – and not in the good way – of how cold calling was allowed. This is never a good tactic in my view and I don’t see how it will get people very far in any business industry. This is also the reason why I prefer using networks like facebook that have more privacy enabled restrictions. Lets see how it goes…

By: jeffery

jeffery — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 03:38:50 +0000

I am very grateful that I have discovered your posts, thanks for all the fantastic info.