Only today, I was invited to an in-person networking event that was two and a half hours away.
Now, I love networking. I believe in it. I run networking events, attend them, promote them, and have seen first-hand how powerful the right room can be for SMEs.
But this particular invitation highlighted a common LinkedIn mistake:
The person had connected with me, but they hadn’t properly researched me.
And that matters.
LinkedIn Is Not a Numbers Game
One of the biggest misunderstandings about LinkedIn is that success comes from simply building a large network, sending lots of connection requests, and pushing out messages at volume.
It doesn’t.
LinkedIn works best when it is used as a relationship-building tool.
That means understanding who you are speaking to before you speak to them.
In the real world, you probably wouldn’t walk into a networking room, grab a stranger by the sleeve and immediately pitch something irrelevant. Yet online, this happens every day.
Connection request accepted.
Sales message sent.
Event invite fired over.
No context. No relevance. No thought.
A Prospect Is Only a Prospect If They Are Actually Relevant
This is where the phrase “perceived prospect” becomes important.
Someone may look like a prospect because of their job title, business type or location. But that does not automatically make them a good fit.
Before reaching out, ask yourself:
- Are they in the right geographical area?
- Do they work with the type of businesses I support?
- Is their role relevant to what I offer?
- Have they shown interest in this topic before?
- Are they likely to attend, buy, refer or engage?
- Is my message genuinely useful to them?
In my case, an in-person event two and a half hours away was unlikely to be a good fit. A quick look at my profile, my business activity, my events, and my regional focus would have made that clear.
Research Shows Respect
Good LinkedIn prospecting is not about being clever. It is about being considerate.
When you take time to research someone properly, you show that you value their time. That alone puts you ahead of many people using the platform poorly.
A little research can help you personalise your approach in a way that feels natural rather than forced.
For example:
“Mark, I noticed you run Your Business Development Meeting across the Midlands, so I thought this might be relevant to your networking audience…”
That is very different from:
“Hi Mark, come to our event.”
The first shows awareness. The second feels like a broadcast.
What Should You Research?
Before messaging someone on LinkedIn, spend a few minutes looking at:
1. Their profile headline
This tells you how they position themselves.
Are they a business owner, consultant, director, employee, recruiter, trainer, investor or supplier?
2. Their location
This matters enormously for in-person events, local services, regional networking and face-to-face meetings.
A brilliant opportunity in the wrong location is often not an opportunity at all.
3. Their recent posts
Their content tells you what they care about right now.
Are they talking about growth, recruitment, events, social media, funding, property, training, wellbeing or leadership?
4. Their company page
This gives you a wider view of the business.
What services do they offer? Who do they serve? Are they active? Are they growing? Are they likely to need what you provide?
5. Mutual connections
A shared contact can create a warmer, more natural introduction.
But use this carefully. Name-dropping without context can feel lazy.
6. Their activity and engagement
Are they active on LinkedIn? Do they comment? Do they attend events? Do they share business updates?
There is little point crafting a LinkedIn-heavy approach for someone who rarely uses the platform.
The Difference Between Personalisation and Pretending
Personalisation does not mean writing a long, over-familiar message.
It does not mean pretending to know someone better than you do.
It simply means making your message relevant.
A good personalised message might say:
“I saw your recent post about SME networking and thought this may be of interest…”
Or:
“Given your work with local businesses, I wondered whether this event might be useful for your network…”
That feels human.
It shows effort.
And it gives the recipient a reason to respond.
Think Like a Good Networker
The best networkers do not walk into a room thinking, “Who can I sell to?”
They think:
- Who can I help?
- Who should I get to know?
- Who might benefit from an introduction?
- Where is there genuine alignment?
LinkedIn should work in exactly the same way.
Your goal is not to collect names. Your goal is to build useful, relevant, trusted relationships.
A Simple LinkedIn Research Checklist
Before you send that invite, message or event link, run through this quick checklist:
- Is this person geographically relevant?
- Is the offer or invitation genuinely suitable?
- Have I read their profile properly?
- Have I looked at their recent activity?
- Can I explain why I am contacting them?
- Is there a clear benefit for them?
- Does my message feel like it was written for them, not copied and pasted?
- Would I say this to them face-to-face at a networking event?
If the answer is no, pause before sending.
Why This Matters for SMEs
For SMEs, time is precious.
Business owners, directors and decision-makers are busy. They do not want more noise in their inbox. They want relevance.
That is why well-researched LinkedIn activity can be so powerful.
It helps you:
- Start better conversations
- Avoid wasting time on poor-fit prospects
- Protect your reputation
- Improve response rates
- Build trust before selling
- Create warmer opportunities
- Strengthen your business network
In many ways, LinkedIn is like a large networking room. The opportunity is there, but the quality of your conversations matters far more than the number of people you approach.
Practical Takeaways
If you want better results from LinkedIn, slow down slightly.
Research before you reach out.
Personalise before you pitch.
Check relevance before you invite.
And remember that a smaller number of thoughtful, well-targeted conversations will usually outperform a large number of generic messages.
LinkedIn is a powerful business development tool when used properly. But like all good networking, it works best when you do your homework first.
Because the right message to the right person at the right time can open doors.
The wrong message to the wrong person simply reminds them that you did not look properly.