Sent 50 LinkedIn messages. Booked 8 calls. Closed 2 clients. Here’s the EXACT approach.
THE PROBLEM:
“How do I find clients on LinkedIn?”
Most advice: “Add value, engage with posts, build relationships…”
Cool. But I needed clients now, not in 6 months.
THE COLD MESSAGE THAT WORKS:
Sent 50 messages using this template. Got 8 responses (16% response rate).
THE MESSAGE:
“Hi [Name],
Saw your post about [specific pain they mentioned]. I actually helped [similar company] automate exactly this process – saved them 8 hours weekly.
Not sure if you’re still dealing with this, but happy to share what worked if you’re interested.
[Your name]”
That’s it. 3 sentences.
THE BREAKDOWN:
Sentence 1: Prove you’re not spam (reference specific post)
Sentence 2: Provide relevant social proof (similar company, specific result)
Sentence 3: Low-pressure offer (no hard pitch)
WHO TO TARGET:
SEARCH FOR POSTS ABOUT:
– “Spending too much time on…”
– “Tedious process…”
– “Manual data entry…”
– “Overwhelmed by paperwork…”
Filter: Posted last 7 days
Target: Small business owners (not employees)
Sweet spot: 50-500 employees
MY TARGETING CRITERIA:
Posted about operational pain in last week
Title includes: Owner, CEO, COO, Operations Manager
Company size: 50-500 employees
Industry: Service businesses (agencies, firms, consultants)
THE OUTREACH SCHEDULE:
Day 1: Find 10 relevant posts, save profiles
Day 2: Send 10 messages (use template, personalize sentence 1)
Day 3: Find 10 more posts
Day 4: Send 10 more messages
Repeat: 50 messages total over 10 days
THE FOLLOW-UP:
If they respond: “Would a quick 15-minute call help? I can show you exactly what we built for [similar company].”
Book call immediately. Send calendar link. Done.
THE NUMBERS:
50 messages sent
8 responses (16%)
8 discovery calls booked
4 showed up
2 closed ($2,900 total)
ROI: 10 hours outreach time = $2,900 revenue = $290/hour
THE MISTAKES I MADE:
First 20 messages: Generic (“I help businesses with automation”)
No responses.
Next 30 messages: Specific pain point references
8 responses.
Specificity matters.
WHAT NOT TO DO:
Don’t: “I noticed you might need automation services”
Don’t: Send connection request with sales pitch
Don’t: Mention pricing in first message
Don’t: Use “I help businesses…” language
WHAT TO DO:
Reference specific post
Mention similar client success
Offer value without asking anything
Keep it short (3 sentences max)
CURRENT STATUS:
Those 2 closed clients: Still active 5 months later. Total LTV: $4,400. Both referred others.
LinkedIn outreach works. But only if you’re specific, relevant, and helpful first.
