Not every prospect will be ready to chat right away – that’s wg up” cold leads comes in. Warming up means building familiarity and trust over time instead of pitching out of the blue. LinkedIn provides excellent features to nurture these colder contacts until they become receptive. Here’s how to turn a cold lead into a warm conversation:
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Start with Research: Before any engagement, research the lead’s profile. Look at their recent activity: Have they posted articles or updates? What interests or groups do they list? Knowing this lets you personalize your approach. For example, if a target office manager shared a post about improving employee wellness, that’s a perfect opening to discuss how plants reduce stress.
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Engage with T non-intrusive first step is to interact with something they’ve shared. If your cold lead posts on LinkedIn, drop a like or, better, leave a comment. This puts you on their radar gently. Ensure your comment actually adds value – for instance: “Love this idea of flexible workspace zones. We’ve seen in some offices that adding greenery to these zones boosts employee creativity. Thanks for sharing these insights!” Such a comment is friendly, relevant, and subtly showcases your expertise without selling.
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Leverage Mutual Connections and Mentions: See if you have any mutual connections who could introduce you or whom you can mention. Sometimes a cold lead will take notice if they see you engaging with a mutual colleague’s posts. You can even ask a mutual connection for a warm intro message if appropriate.
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Share Useful Content (Indirect Touch): If the person hasn’t posted anything recently, you can still warm them up by sharing content they would find valuable. This might mean writing a post on LinkedIn about office design trends and hoping they see it, or directly sending them a helpful resource with no strings attached. For example, send a brief message:
Hi [Name], I noticed you’re passionate about employee wellness. We just published a quick Office Plant Care Checklist that our clients found useful in keeping their spaces green. No pressure – just thought you might find it handy for your team. Have a great day!
This kind of outreach gives value first – a checklist or article – with a friendly tone and zero sales pitch. It shows you understand their needs and establishes goodwill.
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Interact Across Multiple Touchpoints: Don’t limit warming up to just one like or one message. Spread out a few interactions over a couple of weeks:
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Week 1: Like or comment on a post of theirs.
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Week 2: Endorse a skill on their profile or congratulate them if LinkedIn notifies you of a work anniversary or achievement (these appear in the Notifications tab).
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Week 3: Send a connection request with a personalized note (referencing those interactions or a common interest).
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Week 4: After they (hopefully) accept, follow up with a thank you and maybe a question or offer of help. By now, you’ve transitioned from a stranger to a familiar name.
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Personalize Your Connection Request: When you do send that invite, always include a note that reminds them how they know you or why connecting is beneficial. For example: “Hi Maria, I enjoyed your recent post on eco-friendly offices – it resonated with what we do at The Mellow. Would love to connect and keep in touch about office design ideas!”. This note jogs their memory (if they saw your comment) and gives context, increasing your acceptance rate.
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Keep it Conversational: Once connected, continue the conversation in a low-pressure way. Ask questions about their office or their challenges instead of jumping into a sales pitch. Example: “Out of curiosity, are you doing any office revamps this year? We’ve seen a big push for biophilic design lately.” This invites them to share, which can open the door for you to mention how you help, but only after they engage.
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Offer Help, Not a Sales Pitch: A golden rule of warming up leads: be helpful. Maybe you notice their company page seeking ideas for improving the lobby – you could share a quick suggestion or a link to a relevant case study (not necessarily yours, just good info). By being a resource, you become someone they trust. As one LinkedIn expert puts it, focus on “building rapport and offering value, not pitching your services”.
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Be Patient and Consistent: Warming up takes a bit of time. Don’t be discouraged if the lead doesn’t respond immediately. Continue lightly engaging over time (without overdoing it). Perhaps tag them if you post somethelevant to their interests, or send a friendly check-in: “Hi again, [Name]! Saw this article on healthy offices and thought of you. How are things at [Company]?”. The key is you’re on their radar in a positive way.
By warming up cold leads through genuine engagement, you transform the dynamic. Instead of a cold call from a stranger, your eventual sales outreach feels like a conversation with an industry peer. This multi-touch, value-first approach builds trust and significantly improves the chances that a once-cold lead will reply warmly when you finally propose a call or meeting. Remember, on LinkedIn relationships come before sales – warm them up, and the sales will follow.