I use LinkedIn a fair amount. It helps me keep abreast of the industries I work in and those I serve–along with individuals ranging from colleagues to customers.
I don’t believe I haphazardly reach out to connect with people on LinkedIn. My success rate at connecting seems to confirm that belief.
Yet, there is a gray area within LinkedIn connecting. Those LinkedIn invites which I extend and that do not result in a LinkedIn connection. They just sit there in my sent invitations box.
I know, the reasons are many:
They don’t login to LinkedIn often.
They have an old, maybe personal, email address and don’t see the connection request.
They are busy and see it, but move on to more pressing issues–and never return.
They don’t understand how LinkedIn works.
Even with my personalized invite, they can’t quite recall when we met/spoke/last communicated.
They realize I am in Sales and feel they will be bombarded with spam should they connect. (Never!)
And the reasons continue…
Oddly, well over half of the LinkedIn connection requests I send out–who have not connected with me on LinkedIn in 8 weeks–HAVE reached out TO ME within those 8 weeks–for advice, for assistance, to meet, or to work together.
So, we connected–or continued a working or collegial relationship–just not on LinkedIn. I am guessing for some, “LinkedIn just isn’t their thing.”
I do go into LinkedIn every 8 weeks or so and withdraw unanswered connection invites. I know it doesn’t reset any counter, or do anything of value by doing so. So, why do I do it? It’s a feeling of a “clean slate,” I suppose. A “how I work” kind of thing.
On some level it likely makes no sense that I do this. It’s not done out of spite or anything untoward. In fact, I withdraw invites more out of respect and care. “I reached out, didn’t hear back via this ‘channel,’ so let’s start fresh.” That’s how I see it.
I am curious as to how others handle unanswered LinkedIn invites you’ve sent out?