How To Generate Leads on LinkedIn [Without Hustling Too Hard]

Looking for leads for your business on LinkedIn? Want to learn how to generate leads on LinkedIn?
You are — most certainly doing it wrong.
Typically, you’d hustle. Hustle isn’t good for you, it won’t get you results that you thought you’d.
If you insist, and if you are obstinate, you’ll end up spending years on the platform with nothing to show for it.
Instead, go slow and be patient.
Hustling can be good or bad, depending on who you are listening to. The “hustle culture” is much celebrated and you might just get away with it.
The only problem with “hustling” on LinkedIn especially is that LinkedIn users are busy, weary of pitches, and your pitch is likely to be ignored.
The “numbers” game isn’t really a number’s game if those numbers don’t count and find their way to the trash can.
You should play the number’s game, of course. Except that you do with a painfully long, counter-intuitive process for getting leads on LinkedIn.
How, you ask?
This is how:
TL;DR? Know Your Ideal Customer [Identify, Follow, Connect & Engage]
Determine who you want to do business with (the answer is certainly not everyone or whoever or wherever the greens shine).
Identify your target audience
Depending on your business, your ideal customers could be:
- Marketing managers at mid-sized companies
- Live streamers (active on LinkedIn)
- Podcasts in the category of Business
- Women content creators, women entrepreneurs aged 32-49
- Digital Marketing Agency Owners
- Small Business owners (with traditional business such as roofing, plumbing, and so on)
- Freelancers
See how we are narrowing down on who we are trying to target on LinkedIn?
Follow or Connect Individuals and/or Businesses
Engage, meaning that you put your heart out there and actually take time to connect with them.
- Dropping comments, loaded with value (Not just “Great Share” or “Awesome this”)
- Continuing to drop comments on most of their content.
- Attending their live streams (if they do live streams) and also connecting with others in the audience (part of that stream).
- Connecting with their LinkedIn brand pages and affiliated pages.
- Joining groups and having conversations there as well. [Like, you are here, on SPN).
Engage with no expectations. Engage just to build up “real friendships”. If you can, show some personality and humanity while you are at it.
Make Active and Detailed Target List(s)
Be sure to keep an entire list of people you are connected with and those that you are engaging with.
No, “knowing them” or “Identifying them” on LinkedIn (generally) is not an efficient way to do it.
Use Google Spreadsheets, Airtable, Notion, Evernote, Apple Notes , or whatever works for you to keep running lists (with minute details, if you can get these details).
Active target lists are living and breathing. They are active. Add and delete as you will.
If you use the LinkedIn Sales Navigator , features like these (lists) are built-in. Even if you don’t, there are obvious reasons as to why this matters.
Once you are done with the basics above, you are in this for the long haul.
Say Hello to Social Selling
Sadly, the “social” part of “social selling” is long dead — thanks to incessant pitching, pitching products or services immediately after connecting with someone (Selling marketing services to marketers, anyone?), and lack of respect of any kind.
Here’s how LinkedIn helpfully lays out how Social Selling differs from traditional selling:
Do you notice the emphasis on “real connections”, “using your network” (respectfully), and using insights?
The point is this: Wait for the right time and the right opportunity to present services, products, or offers just when your prospects are looking for help.
That’s how social selling works. There’s social in there, and there’s selling (later).
According to LinkedIn, 78% of businesses that use social selling outperform those that don’t
Leaders in the social selling space create 45% more sales opportunities than those with a low social selling index
Businesses that prioritize social selling are 51% more likely to reach their sales quota
Pitch When Ready
Your opportunities will come through (if you have the patience).
No patience? Believe in the law of numbers (more people you are connected to, more opportunities arise).
Some of your connections will actually “ask” for it. Or you could look out for signals — in the form of casual comments, questions asked, comments made, and so on.
Here’s an example of an update (someone on my network) who posted an update directly asking for marketing professionals (that I incidentally responded to). [Hint: I got on a call, but I did not accept the work]
It’s slow, and it takes work (just not as much as chasing clients and outright hustling like your brains will blow out).
It takes commitment, patience, and a process for you to follow.
Overtime, it helps you build a pipeline. The kind of pipeline that you’d be proud of.
What do you think about generating lead son LinkedIn? What other tips would you like to add?
Comment and let me know.
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About the Author
Ash spent 18+ years delivering smart digital marketing results for small businesses and content creators. Racking up over $US 12 million in sales for clients and partners with consistent, well-rounded implementation of marketing channels and strategies. Now, blogging, teaching and coaching on digital marketing at fetchprofits academy. 🔥 Get his freebies now
Well done and thank you, Ash! I’m glad to highlight this blog and share it everywhere!
Thank you so much for the love and the encouragement, Mike 🙏. More to come.
Good article!
Thank you @Alex :)
This article offers great insights into generating leads on LinkedIn without the usual hustle. I love the focus on authentic engagement and building relationships over sheer volume. The tips on optimizing your profile and leveraging content to attract the right audience are particularly helpful. It’s refreshing to see a more balanced approach to lead generation that prioritizes quality over quantity!