Why speed dating will never work on LinkedIn, blog article written by Ted Prodromou


Speed dating wasn’t a thing when I was single, but I know how it works. 

Chat with someone for five minutes, a bell rings, and you rotate to the next person. 

If you feel a connection, you may go on a date to explore a potential relationship. 

I see a lot of people speed dating on LinkedIn. 

Throw spaghetti at the wall and see if anything sticks. 

If someone responds to your sales pitch, you go on a second date, which they call a discovery call to see if you are a fit. 

I’ve been on too many discovery calls, which are thinly veiled sales pitches. 

They do most of the talking, selling me on their service. 

They do very little listening. 

Their goal is to close a deal. 

Sure, some discovery calls turn into new clients. 

Some turn into long-term clients, but it's the exception, not the rule. 

Most of these transactions are one-hit wonders. 

It’s a numbers game. 

Blast enough messages at job titles until someone yells “uncle” and agrees to do a discovery call. 

Some call it a strategy session. 

Don’t be fooled. 

They want your credit card number. 

I admit I fell into this trap when I started using LinkedIn. 

I did get some clients, but most were one-hit wonders. 

Today, I have a better LinkedIn strategy that gets me long-term clients and referrals. 

Linked Accelerator starts next Monday where I’ll help you implement my LinkedIn strategy. 

>>> Join Linked Accelerator 

P.S. If you are an Early Bird, keep an eye out for your discount code. 

About the author 

Ted Prodromou

Would you like me to help you?

I'm the #1 best-selling author of Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business and Ultimate Guide to Twitter for Business. People call me America's Leading LinkedIn Coach.

I'm the founder of Search Marketing Simplified, LLC, a full service online marketing agency. The SMS team designs and implements advanced LinkedIn and social media lead-generation strategies for small to medium-sized businesses. SMS will set up and manage your marketing funnels using organic, social and paid traffic.

Did you know I've been working with the internet since 1991, long before Al Gore invented it?

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