LinkedIn for Building Products Sales Professionals. Part 6 of 7.
LinkedIn is the window to see everything and the front door to get in. It's not the room where the deal gets done.
At some point, every LinkedIn interaction that matters needs to move somewhere else. A phone call. An email. A video call. A coffee. The platform is brilliant for visibility, research, and making first contact. But if a conversation stays on LinkedIn, it usually stays shallow.
This post is about recognising when to make that move, how to do it without being awkward, and why the sooner you get off LinkedIn the better.
The signals worth paying attention to
LinkedIn gives you more information than most people realise. You just need to know where to look.
Profile views. I check mine regularly. Not out of vanity but because profile views tell you who's curious. If a GM at a building products company views my profile, that's a signal. They might be hiring. They might be thinking about hiring. They might just be checking me out after seeing a post. Either way, they looked.
My approach is simple. If someone views my profile and I think I might do business with them, I'll connect. If they're not relevant, I ignore it. Not everyone who views your profile is worth pursuing. But the ones who are in your target market absolutely are.
Repeat engagement. If someone comments on multiple posts, reacts to your content regularly, or views your profile more than once, they're paying attention. That doesn't mean they're ready to buy or ready to move jobs. But it means your name is landing. That's enough to justify a call.
Inbound messages. When someone messages me on LinkedIn, I move it to phone or email immediately. LinkedIn messaging is fine for a first touchpoint but it's a terrible place to have a real conversation. Messages get buried. Threads get lost. The format doesn't lend itself to anything beyond surface-level exchanges.
The goal is always the same. Get off LinkedIn and onto a channel where you can have a proper conversation.
How to actually make the transition
There's no magic script for this. It depends on who you're talking to and what the context is.
But here are the principles that work.
Offer options. Not everyone communicates the same way. I have candidates who prefer to text. I have candidates who want to jump on the phone every time. I have clients who live in their email inbox and others who prefer a quick video call.
You've got to adjust your communication in sales to however the other person feels comfortable. The goal is to make it easy for them to say yes to a conversation, not to force them onto your preferred channel.
"Happy to jump on a quick call or drop you an email. Whatever works best for you." That's it. Simple. No pressure.
Always try to shift away from LinkedIn. Whether it's a phone call, an email, or a face-to-face meeting, the real relationship building happens off the platform. LinkedIn is how you find people, learn about them, and get noticed. The conversation that matters happens somewhere else.
Don't overthink it. If you've been engaging with an architect's posts for a few weeks and you want to have a real conversation about working together, just offer the option. "I've been following your projects on here. Would be worth a chat if you're open to it. Happy to call or grab a coffee, whatever suits."
That's not weird. That's not pushy. That's just a professional offering to have a conversation. Most people appreciate directness.
If someone is irrelevant, close it down. Not every LinkedIn interaction needs to go somewhere. If someone messages me and it's clear they haven't thought about who I am or what I do, I ignore them. Candidates message me about jobs in industries I've never had any exposure to. Companies try to sell me an MBA every other week. It's noise.
Don't feel obligated to respond to everyone. Your time is limited. Spend it on the people you can actually help or do business with.
Face to face still matters
In building products, relationships are built in person. That hasn't changed just because LinkedIn exists.
I'm always keen for a face-to-face meeting. But I'm also realistic. In 2026, a Zoom call or a Teams meeting is perfectly acceptable. Not everyone has time for coffee. Not everyone is in the same city. The important thing is having a real conversation, not where it physically happens.
That said, there's still something about sitting across from someone that a screen can't replicate. If the opportunity is there, take it. A 30-minute coffee with a client or candidate will do more for the relationship than six months of LinkedIn engagement.
The progression usually looks something like this. LinkedIn makes them aware of you. A phone call or email starts the relationship. A face-to-face meeting solidifies it. Each step builds on the one before.
LinkedIn at events (and why to be careful)
This one is specific to my world, but it applies to salespeople too.
I'll use LinkedIn to tee up a quick hello at an industry event or conference. A message beforehand saying "I'll be at the expo on Thursday. Would be good to say hello if you're around." That's fine.
But I'm always mindful that people at events are not there to see a recruiter. They're there for the content, the networking, and the suppliers. A recruiter hovering around trying to poach candidates is not a good look.
The same principle applies to salespeople. If you're going to an architecture or design event, people are there to learn and network, not to be pitched. Use LinkedIn to connect before and after. Do the relationship building in person at the event. Save the sales conversation for a follow-up call the next week.
Events are one of the best opportunities to turn a LinkedIn connection into a real relationship. But only if you read the room and respect why people are there.
The people who stay on LinkedIn forever
Some interactions never move off the platform. And that's fine.
Not every connection is going to become a phone call. Not every person who likes your post needs a follow-up. Some people will sit in your network for years, passively seeing your content, and one day they'll reach out because something changed. They got a new role. They need to hire. They're thinking about a move.
The point of this series isn't that every LinkedIn interaction needs to be converted into an offline conversation immediately. It's that when the moment is right, you need to know how to make the move smoothly and confidently.
LinkedIn is where you plant the seeds. The phone, the email, the meeting, that's where you water them.
When to move and when to wait
Move now:
You can see they're actively looking for what you offer. A candidate who's set to "Open to Work." A hiring manager who's posted about needing to grow their team. A specifier who's asked a question your product answers. Don't wait. Call or email.
Move soon:
They've engaged with your content multiple times. They've viewed your profile. They've connected with you. The interest is there but it's passive. A well-timed message offering a conversation is appropriate. "Noticed we've been connected for a while. Would be good to have a chat if the timing's right."
Wait:
They're in your network but there's no signal of interest or need. Don't force it. Stay visible through your content. Let the relationship develop naturally. When the time comes, you'll be the first person they think of because you've been showing up consistently.
Quick action checklist
1. Check your profile viewers weekly. Connect with anyone in your target market who's looked at your profile.
2. When someone messages you on LinkedIn, move the conversation to phone or email as quickly as possible.
3. Offer communication options. Phone, email, video call, coffee. Let the other person choose what works for them.
4. Don't overthink the transition. A simple "worth a chat if you're open to it" is enough.
5. Ignore irrelevant messages without guilt. Your time is better spent on people you can actually work with.
6. Use LinkedIn to set up brief meetings at events, but respect that people aren't there to be pitched.
7. Not every connection needs to become a conversation right now. Some relationships take time. Stay visible and let them develop.
I'm a specialist recruiter for the building products industry. James Bowesman runs Specified Select, a boutique recruitment consultancy based in Melbourne.
If you're a sales professional in building products thinking about your next move, or a hiring manager looking to build your team, get in touch at james@specifiedselect.com
This is Part 6 of a 7-part series on LinkedIn for Building Products Sales Professionals. Part 1: Clean Up Your Network | Part 2: Your Profile Should Sell You Twice | Part 3: What to Post and What to Stop Posting | Part 4: The Phone Still Wins | Part 5: Stop Broadcasting, Start Engaging | Part 6: When to Take It Offline | Part 7: LinkedIn for Job Seekers | Part 8: After You Accept a New Sales Role