We do business with people that we like. Be yourself. Be interested and be interesting. Take time to build rapport. Think of LinkedIn as being at a networking event. If I walk up to you and say “Hi, I am Randy, do you want to buy life insurance?” my chances of a sale are zero and you are probably trying to run away. Schedule meet-and-greet conversations to qualify people and then do the selling later. Ask open-ended questions like “How did you get started in this industry?” or “What interesting projects are you working on this year?”