ApproveThis manages your My Most Trusted Network Integration approvals.

When Approval Workflows Meet LinkedIn Juggernauts

Let's cut through the corporate speak: Most LinkedIn automation tools are either glorified spam machines or overcomplicated CRM wannabes. My Most Trusted Network actually gets it right - helping teams make strategic connections without turning LinkedIn into a robotic outreach factory. But here's where things get sticky: scaling meaningful networking requires oversight. Enter ApproveThis.

Combine a Chrome extension that syncs LinkedIn activity to your CRM with an approval system that doesn't require 17 Slack threads? That's how mid-market companies actually manage growth without bureaucratic paralysis. We're talking about replacing "Hey, should we connect with this procurement manager?" emails with a system that routes decisions to the right people in real time.

Why This Combo Doesn't Suck

The LinkedIn Side

My Most Trusted Network does three things well: tracking invitations, monitoring acceptances, and categorizing connections. It's not trying to be your entire sales stack - just the bridge between LinkedIn's social layer and your actual business tools. Where it falls short? Decision-making guardrails.

The Approval Side

ApproveThis isn't another project management module pretending to handle approvals. It's built for companies where a "simple yes" might require legal review, budget checks, or regional manager sign-offs. The kicker? Approvers don't need licenses for external tools. Your CFO can veto a premium connection request without touching LinkedIn or your CRM.

The Magic Middle

Zapier stitches these together so that:

• Every LinkedIn action becomes a trigger for structured review
• Approval decisions automatically update CRM records

Translation: Your BD team stops guessing which connections matter and starts moving deals through actual pipelines.

Real-World Use Cases That Don't Involve "Synergy"

Sales Teams: From Spray-and-Pray to Surgical Outreach

Problem: Junior reps blasting connection requests to every VP of Purchasing in the tri-state area. Solution: Auto-route high-value LinkedIn invites through ApproveThis with:

- Deal size thresholds triggering exec review
- Region-based approval chains
- Auto-denial rules for competitors

Example: A med device rep targeting hospital systems. Any connection request over $250k potential value requires legal + compliance approval before the LinkedIn invite even sends.

Marketing: Actually Measuring Influencer Impact

Problem: "Brand ambassadors" who never move the needle. Solution: Require tiered approvals for:

- Tagged invites to industry analysts
- Connection requests to journalists
- Follow-up messaging after events

B2B marketing teams use approval thresholds to ensure only vetted influencers enter nurture campaigns. Bonus: All approved connections auto-sync to HubSpot/Salesforce for attribution tracking.

HR/Talent: Stop Letting Recruiters Go Rogue

Problem: In-house recruiters poaching from key accounts. Solution: Approval rules that:

- Flag connections to current client employees
- Require hiring manager review for passive candidates
- Auto-escalate high-profile targets to execs

HR directors finally sleep easy knowing that LinkedIn recruiter seat isn't accidentally torching client relationships.

Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind

Zapier integration takes 12 minutes if you're moderately caffeinated:

1. Connect My Most Trusted Network to Zapier (they've got a decent walkthrough)
2. Choose triggers: New invites, accepted connections, tagged users, etc.
3. Map key LinkedIn data to ApproveThis fields (Pro tip: Use calculated fields for deal size estimates)
4. Set approval rules: Who needs to sign off based on deal stage, contact role, etc.
5. Test with actual sales/marketing leads (not your CEO's LinkedIn)

Critical detail: Approvers only need ApproveThis logins. No extra My Most Trusted Network seats required. External partners? Add them as guest approvers.

Features You'll Actually Use

Not Just Another Approval Queue

ApproveThis adds muscle to basic workflows:

- Approval Thresholds: Auto-approve small deals, escalate big ones
- Vacation Coverage: No more "Waiting on Bob's reply" when he's in Bora Bora
- Conditional Routing: Legal only sees contracts, procurement gets vendor requests
- Email Decisions: Approve/deny directly from Outlook without app hopping

My Most Trusted Network's Secret Sauce

Their CRM sync isn't just contact dumping:

- Tags become Salesforce campaign members
- Message history logs to HubSpot activities
- Connection dates trigger nurture workflows

Paired with ApproveThis? Now every CRM record shows who approved the connection and why.

Who Should Steal This Setup

50-200 Employee Companies: Finally scale outreach without losing oversight. BD teams get autonomy, execs keep control.

200-5000 Employee Enterprises: Enforce regional compliance, prevent brand-damaging connection spam, audit trails for legal.

Any Team Where Connections = Revenue: Partner managers, channel sales, biz dev. If LinkedIn's your top lead source, this stops it from becoming a liability.

Objections We Anticipate (And Shut Down)

"We already use [generic approval software]!"
Cool. Does it handle conditional routing based on deal size? Automatically reassign approvals when someone's OOO? Sync decision data back to Salesforce? Didn't think so.

"Our process is too complex."
We've seen approval chains with 23 steps across 8 countries. If your compliance team can articulate it, we can automate it.

"We don't need more tools."
You need fewer approval bottlenecks. This isn't about adding software - it's about cutting the 37 follow-up emails per connection request.

How This Pays for Itself in Under 90 Days

Math even your CFO will like:

- 2 hours/day saved chasing approvals × $40/hr avg wage × 45 workdays = $3,600
- 12% increase in high-value connections (conservative) × $25k avg deal size = Variable but tasty

At $49/user/month, even 5-seat teams break even fast. Plus, you avoid the "Why did we connect with our competitor?!" fire drills.

Getting Started Without the Sales Circus

Option 1: Grab a free trial, connect your My Most Trusted Network account via Zapier, and test with one sales rep.

Option 2: Book a 15-minute demo where we show how procurement teams cut approval times by 68%.

Either way, stop letting LinkedIn be the Wild West of your outreach strategy. Actual governance doesn't require red tape - just the right tools.