from AskMyDaddy

LinkedIn Response Time Expectations

You asked

I needed a consultant today. Why didn't anyone respond to my Introductions?

MyLinkDaddy writes

While you can immediately send an Introduction, you can't expect people to immediately receive and act on it.

First, remember that LinkedIn messages are not sent as emails. Recipients must go to the web site to read the message. Most white collar workers access email during the day, so they know they're received a message. Thus many, but not all, will respond within a day. If they're busy, or on a trip or a vacation, it may take a few days. Some people may take 1 to 2 weeks to respond, depending on their availability and level of LinkedIn activity. In general, a typical person will respond in 1-2 days.

If you use an Introduction, you also have to rely on the mutually connecting member to review and forward your message. So another delay. If your message goes through two connections, it's yet another delay. In that case expect that it can take a week for the recipient to receive and respond to your message ... and that's assuming everyone in the loop is generally available and promptly responding to their LinkedIn InBox.

What's your alternative?

First, join appropriate LinkedIn groups, such as the DallasBlue Executive LinkedIn group ( http://DallasBlue.LinkedIngroup.com ) with over 3,000 members. When you and the recipient are both members of the same group, you can send a direct Introduction without going through mutual connections.

You can sign up for a Premium Personal account where you can list yourself as an OpenLink member. Business and other OpenLink members can contact you directly through an Introduction.

Lastly, you can get a LinkedIn business account and use an InMail to directly contact any LinkedIn members.