The buzz around “social selling” is deafening. Every guru, every pundit, every platform is screaming about its power. And yet, most salespeople are failing at it. Miserably.

They log into LinkedIn. They dabble with AI. They send dozens of messages and connection requests. They log off. Then they wonder why their pipeline is dry. They’re making noise, but they’re not making money. 

Social selling on LinkedIn isn’t a game. It demands discipline, strategy, and skill. Ignore it, and it will chew you up and spit you out, leaving your pipeline drier than ever.

 If you’re committing even one of these social selling sins laid out in my book, The LinkedIn Edge, you’re costing yourself deals.

1. Treating LinkedIn Like a Digital Resume

Listing old jobs and achievements? Stop. Your audience isn’t hiring you—they’re buying from you. 

Most sales reps still craft profiles that are just chronicle past responsibilities, are self-centered, and are utterly devoid of anything that compels a prospect to engage. 

The profiles that list job titles and accomplishments from three companies ago, forgetting that their audience is a potential buyer looking for a solution and not a hiring manager. If your profile doesn’t speak directly to your Ideal Customer Profile’s (ICP) pain points and offer clear value, it’s nothing more than digital dust.

Action Item: Immediately rewrite your LinkedIn headline and “About” section. Your headline should clearly state who you help and what outcome you deliver. Your “About” section must articulate your ICP’s core pain, offer a compelling insight, position you as the solution, and end with a clear call to action.

2. Automating Personalization with Generic AI Fluff

AI is a powerful tool, but it’s not a shortcut to genuine connection. 

Many salespeople are using AI to generate what they think is personalized messaging, but it often amounts to shallow flattery combined with publicly available tidbits. Prospects see it. They know the difference between real messages and AI fluff. This approach erodes trust, making you sound robotic and inauthentic. That misses the mark when your goal is to start a human conversation.

Action Item: Stop letting AI write your entire message. Use AI as a research assistant to quickly gather insights about a prospect’s company, recent activity, or industry trends. Then, use those genuine insights to craft the first two sentences yourself. Your human touch is your advantage.

3. Broadcasting Your Pitch Instead of Building Rapport

Social selling is about conversations, not campaigns. Too many salespeople spam LinkedIn with nonstop pitches. They treat it like a billboard for their product or service, completely missing the point that people come to the social network to learn, connect, and solve problems—not to be sold to. 

If your activity consists solely of pushing your agenda, you’re not social selling; you’re spamming LinkedIn users. This alienates prospects and trains them to ignore you.

Action Item: Shift your focus from “what can I sell?” to “how can I help or add value?” For every direct outreach, commit to two genuine engagements: Comment thoughtfully on a prospect’s post or share an insightful article relevant to their industry with a personalized note. Build the relationship first.

4. Ignoring the Power of Your Activity Feed

Your Activity feed is your credibility hub. Prospects check it before a single call.

If your activity feed is empty, or worse, filled with irrelevant content, you’re essentially telling prospects you’re not a serious player. It proves you’re either out of touch, disengaged, or simply not worth following. This lack of visible engagement and insight kills your credibility before a conversation even begins.

Action Item: Audit your last 10 pieces of LinkedIn activity. Ask yourself: “Would an ideal prospect see this and think I’m an expert worth talking to?” If not, immediately commit to leaving thoughtful, insightful comments on 2-3 industry-relevant posts per day and sharing at least one piece of original, value-driven content (even short-form) per week.

5. Failing to Follow Up Consistently and Creatively

A single message or connection request on LinkedIn is rarely enough to break through. Social selling requires persistence, but persistence without differentiation just adds to the noise. 

A clueless rep will send one message, get no reply, and then quit. Or worse—same generic message five times. This demonstrates a complete lack of strategy and ensures your efforts will be forgotten. Effective follow-up is about providing continuous, diversified value.

Action Item: Design a multi-touch, multi-channel follow-up sequence that integrates LinkedIn touches with other channels. For every connection request, plan at least three follow-up touches over the next two weeks using different formats (e.g., a relevant article in InMail, a short video message, commenting on their recent activity). Vary your approach to keep it fresh and valuable.

6. Relying Solely on Connection Requests for Prospecting

Your connection request is the first step, not the entire strategy. 

Connecting isn’t social selling. Send a bland request, pitch immediately, and watch it fail. It’s a fast track to being disconnected or ignored. 

A connection is an opening, an invitation to a conversation. What it isn’t is a license to sell. Without a plan for engaging after the connection, you’re just collecting names, not building pipeline.

Action Item: Before sending a connection request, always include a personalized note that explains why you want to connect, focusing on a shared interest or a value you can provide. Once connected, have a clear, non-salesy first touch ready (e.g., sharing a relevant resource, asking a genuine question about their industry).

7. Overlooking the “Give” Before the “Get”

The fundamental principle of social selling is value exchange. You must give before you ask. Many sales reps approach LinkedIn with a “what’s in it for me?” mentality, constantly looking for leads, meetings, and sales. 

They forget that social platforms are built on reciprocity. If you’re not consistently providing insights, offering help, sharing valuable content, and engaging authentically, you haven’t earned the right to ask for your prospect’s time or money. This imbalance makes you look transactional and self-serving.

Action Item: For the next 7 days, commit to an “all give, no get” strategy on LinkedIn. Post content that educates or inspires, share relevant articles from others, and leave insightful comments. Do not pitch or ask for anything. Track the engagement you receive. This will rewire your approach to genuine value creation.

The Choice: Discipline or Disaster

Social selling isn’t optional; it’s the new battleground for attention and revenue. But it requires discipline, strategy, and genuine human engagement. 

If you’re committing even one of these mistakes, you’re actively pushing prospects away. 

Winning in social selling doesn’t have to be complicated: Top performers master the art of connecting, contributing, and converting while relentlessly avoiding common pitfalls.

Remember, LinkedIn is your personal brand’s engine, designed to attract, qualify, and convert prospects.

Social selling is too important a strategy in your sales arsenal to ignore. Discover how to master using LinkedIn for sales in Jeb Blount and Brynne Tillman’s book, The LinkedIn Edge.