10 Best LinkedIn Sales Message Templates To Boost Reply Rates

We all know that LinkedIn is the Mecca, El Dorado, and the gold mine to find prospects which is why you have to make your outreach message with care. People on LinkedIn are often on it to network and find jobs, not to be sold to like they're at a trade show. So, if you send generic templated messages to a large number of people or try to sell in the first conversation, you will be ignored.

So the question remains: How to send messages on LinkedIn for sales? 

We put together a list of LinkedIn sales message templates to boost your LinkedIn outreach results. 

Before we get to the LinkedIn sales message templates, let's look at some details you need to know about LinkedIn messaging. Strategy is everything, and you need to get yours' right.

Download Now: LinkedIn Message Templates [Free Access]

How To Write LinkedIn Cold Messages?

Sales reps can message prospects on Linkedin in a couple of ways. Through a ‘personalized note’ sent along with a Linkedin connection message, inmails, and LinkedIn messages.

In this blog, we focus on LinkedIn messages, which are direct messages you can send to your connections or LinkedIn Premium members with an open profile. Here's how you can write a compelling LinkedIn cold message:

• Set the context

Since these are messages sent (mostly) to your connections, you can skip introducing yourself. Instead, start by answering what made you message them. Was it an event you both attended? Was it a demo call you had?

Starting with this bit of information persuades them to read further as they realize it is a personalized message. 

• Explain the offer

At this stage, your prospect knows the 'why' of your message and is reading further to learn the 'what' or the real crux of your LinkedIn cold message. Are you messaging with a solution to a problem they are facing? Are you here to update them about a feature they requested during the demo?

This part establishes the relevance of the messaging by explaining 'What's In It For Them.'

• End it with a low ask

You want a reply from them. But they'll never reply if you sound desperate for it. So, always end the LinkedIn sales message with a low-friction ask that respects their time.

Low-friction asks that don't pin the prospect for a sale work better as it makes them feel that it is their call to reply or not.

Things To Do Before You Send LinkedIn Cold Messages:

1. Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile To Stand Out

A whopping 49% of buyers research salespeople on LinkedIn. A LinkedIn profile is like your brand. The better it looks, the easier it gets for prospects to respond to you. LinkedIn reports that 50% of buyers don't engage with sales professionals with incomplete LinkedIn profiles. So, before you do anything, complete your profile to boost response rates.

Here's how to optimize your LinkedIn profile:

• Write an eye-catching headline to show the prospect what you do in one succinct line.
• Set a clear photograph of yourself in a formal setting cropped at the waist as the profile picture.
• Include your professional experience, like your current role, previously held roles, what you have achieved in those roles, your education, and any certifications you'd like to showcase to the world.
• Write a personal summary where you mention how you help buyers find best-fit solutions and how they can reach out to you in around 100-150 words.

Pro Tip: Resist the urge to add superlatives into your writing mindlessly. Avoid words like "first-class, most innovative, turbocharged, best, and smartest," says Dina Calakovic, co-founder of Authority Marketing, in one of her LinkedIn posts on building a profile on the platform.

2. Find Your ICP to Target the Right Prospects

Your ICP is like a formula for finding the prospects who are most likely to buy from you and bring in the most money. When you figure out your ICP, you get more clarity on your hottest prospects, the right messaging, and the revenue they bring to the table.

Here's a framework to find your ICP:

Find your best customers. You can do this by assigning scores to customers based on their:

• largest Average Deal Size(ADS) and Lifetime Customer Value(LCV)
• Potential for expansion
• Potential to give you referrals or advocacy

After identifying those with the highest scores, find what these customers share in common. You can find commonalities by comparing their:

• Firmographic attributes like company size, industry, annual revenue, age of the company, etc.
• Demographic attributes like age and gender
• Goals, pain points, and purchasing decision cycle

Build your prospect list based on the ICP. This can be done in two ways:

• Manually: First, source names of companies that fit your ICP using tools like Crunchbase, G2Crowd, etc., based on the industry you belong to. Then, identify the decision-makers, find their email addresses, and validate them. 
• Using Automated Tools: Invest in prospecting tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Leadfeeder, or Bombora and let them do the heavy lifting for you.

3. Automate Your LinkedIn Outreach

Once your LinkedIn profile is optimized and your prospect list is ready, invest in a LinkedIn automation tool. These tools automate LinkedIn actions like sending connection requests, inmails, and cold messages and gives you detailed reports on your outreach success. 

This way, your sales reps can skip the task of manually crafting every LinkedIn message to focus on selling and cloning more deals.

Doing LinkedIn outreach? Here are 5 tips to get more prospects on LinkedIn.

10 LinkedIn Sales Message Templates for Different Scenarios:

Let's go over all the different scenarios you, dear sales maverick, may need to send LinkedIn sales messages for.

1. LinkedIn Message Template For Prospecting

Hi, (Name). Thank you for the connection.

I noticed that you were part of the (event/webinar), but I couldn't quite connect with you there amidst all the bustle. I did, however, listen to your question on {topic} and found it to be both valid and interesting. 

I took some time yesterday to work on it, and I think you'll like what I was able to come up with.

Would you like to discuss it over a coffee call?

Cheers,

Here is an example of a LinkedIn message template for sales,

2. Thanking Prospect for Accepting Your LinkedIn Connection Request

Hey, (Name)! thank you for accepting my invitation to connect. 

I think (pain point) should be solvable if we bring (solution) into the equation. I dug into this a bit last night and read up on the pros and cons of relying on a solution like (solution).
 
I would love to get your opinion on it :)

Here is an example of a LinkedIn message template to thank the prospect,

3. Basic Follow-up After Demo/Discovery

Hey, (Name)!

It was an absolute pleasure having you on call yesterday. My team is very intrigued after going over what you are looking to build at (Company).

I think with, (your product), we should most definitely be able to have your workflow implemented without a hitch.

I'm open if you have any questions :)

Sample LinkedIn sales message template for following up with the prospect after a demo or discovery call,

4. Following Up After a Demo To Ensure You Are on the Same Page

Hi, (Name)

Thank you for being on call yesterday. I hope that you found our presentation useful for your use case. 

Now that you've had a chance to go over our platform, do you have any follow-up questions you'd like me to answer?

Example LinkedIn template,

5. Following Up After a Demo Agreeing to Their Feature Request

Hello, (Name)

It was absolutely great having you with us yesterday. I've always admired your company, and to actually be on call with you felt amazing. 

The pain points you mentioned on the call were absolutely true, and I went back to a discussion with our product team about it. They have given me a workaround which I think would solve your queries.

I would love to set up a call to follow up on them.

LinkedIn sales message example of following up after a demo agreeing to their feature request,

6. Following Up After an Unsatisfactory Demo/Discovery

Hi (Name)

Thank you for being on call yesterday and for taking the time to go into detail about what you'd like to build at (company).

I understand we couldn't quite substantiate your {requirements}, but you know what? I'm not willing to give up, and I want to take another stab at it.

Let me talk to the product team and get back to you in a few days with a workaround. I'm sure we can work it out:)

Sample for following up after an unsatisfactory demo or discovery,

7. Qualifying the Lead

Hi, (Name)!

It was great to have you guys, and judging by the great questions that were put forth; I think you have a brilliant team, and we are really looking forward to working with you.

I know you're the one who's supposed to have follow-up questions (which I welcome wholeheartedly), but I'm so interested in this that I have some!

If you could let me know about (question 1)and (question 2), that would be great.

Let me know how I can be of help :)

Example template for qualifying the lead,

8. Nurturing the Lead

Hi, (Name)!

I tried to read between the lines of your LinkedIn profile, and I found that you are an ambitious SDR who is always on the lookout for effective sales tips to crush your quota.

And that's why I decided to send this {resource link} to you. Through this series, we declassify the {strategies} used by 10 {job role} from around the globe.

I hope you find it useful.

PS: One of the 10 SDRs is {name}, your favorite.

9. Messaging the Decision-Maker

Hi, (Name)

I hope you had a chance to try out our platform. I wanted to reach out to gather your opinions on what's good, especially on what I can do to improve your experience. 

I would love a quick call to go over how we can make it better for you.

Cheers,

Example LinkedIn sales template to message the decision-maker

10. Reminder Follow-up Message

Hey (Name),

I know it's been a while. I hope you're keeping well.

I just wanted to quickly check in regarding the demo we had last week. I understand that you're busy, and so I won't take up much of your time. If you could give me a word on the demo and a peek into your decision cycle, that would be great.

Cheers,

Sample for reminder follow-up message on LinkedIn,

7 Tips To Write LinkedIn Sales Messages That Your Prospects Can't Ignore

LinkedIn prospecting messages are not like emails. You cannot address your prospects like you would in an email. You cannot go to supacaz, either.

So how can you write a LinkedIn sales message that gets more replies?

Personalize Your Message

Check out your prospect's profile. Comb through their company and their activities on social media platforms. Give their articles a read. What events have they attended or signed up for? Did you guys go to the same college? Are you both from the same city? Use bits of such information to establish a connection with your prospects. Sales begin with trust, and trust is built through shared interests. 

Keep Messages Under 100 Words

Don't write a press release outlining your business' value proposition. Tell them what you want straight, in the least possible number of words, because, like you and us, nobody would indulge in wordy sales pitches. Blair Decembrele, Director of integrated marketing and communications at LinkedIn, told a news organization that their in-house research found messages with 100 words or less increase your chances of getting a response, but those with over 200 words decrease the likelihood. 

Don’t Start by Selling

This is a mistake many make on LinkedIn. We get that your sales strategy would include LinkedIn as an effective outreach channel for sales. But LinkedIn is a networking tool, not a sales tool, unless you use LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Such a network. Talk about your prospect's webinar. Their blog articles. Your friend's cat if that interests your prospect. Build your network, gain their trust and sell when the time’s right.

Don’t Apologize for Reaching Out

While sending a message that respects their time is important, apologizing for reaching out isn't a good practice. "You don't need to apologize for messaging them or taking time from their busy day. Chances are if a person is bothered by outreach attempts, they aren't worth your time," says Kim Peterson Stone, LinkedIn expert, and CEO of Linkability, in one of her tweets on cold messaging on LinkedIn.

Stay Active on LinkedIn

LinkedIn reports that 92% of the buyers have engaged with sellers who were seen as thought leaders. So post engaging thought leadership content in the industry you're selling in, write about your buyers' pain points, share a case study or two, and the different solutions available for your prospects' problems. That doesn't mean you should sell your product at every turn, moderate the number of brand plugins in these posts. Remember, you are there to provide value.

Mutual Connections Are Gold

Let's face it. People don't trust salespeople. So, you'd need to get your mutual connections to do it for you. If you have mutual connection with your prospect or if you're both part of a LinkedIn Group, get someone to introduce you to them. This way, you'll skip the first two steps needed to break the barrier. They'd be willing to listen to you and be okay with spending time on what you have to show.

Outline Next Steps Clearly

Just like you’d write emails, add a clear call to action in the message. Decembrele adds, "Be sure to include clear next steps or a call to action, encouraging the recipient to respond."

Key Takeaways

LinkedIn works like emails. As in, you have to have a strategy to make the effort valuable. Just like you'd set up an email campaign,

• Research the prospect to find common ground
• Personalize your messages to establish connect
• Keep your content short and engaging
• And don't be salesy

Once you have a solid strategy in place, invest in a tool like Klenty that supports LinkedIn automation and ramp up your LinkedIn outreach campaigns.

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