If you’re in sales and still treating LinkedIn like a digital resume, Neal Goyal wants to shake you awake.
Before he became VP of Sales at Disco, a post-purchase monetization platform for Shopify brands, Neal was just trying to survive. Cold email was underperforming. Outreach sequences were losing steam. He needed a new lever.
So he turned to LinkedIn—not to build a brand, but to drive revenue.
“It became my most effective lever—because the people I wanted to reach were already there. I just had to show up where they were paying attention,” Neal explained .
That simple shift in mindset—using LinkedIn not as a megaphone but as a proximity engine—would go on to drive millions in ARR and help Neal build an influential presence without a single automation tool.
Neal’s success didn’t come overnight. In fact, for the first 6–12 months, it felt like no one was paying attention.
“I had no engagement,” Neal said. “It was all crickets” .
But he didn’t stop.
“Most people want instant validation. I just thought—this can’t hurt. It’s all upside.” It wasn’t about virality or vanity—it was about discipline. Every post, every comment, every piece of engagement laid a brick in the trust foundation he was building.
Over time, the compounding effect kicked in. Warm intros started replacing cold calls. Prospects responded before he hit send. And a dormant channel turned into a full-blown pipeline engine.
Unlike many social sellers, Neal didn’t outsource a single word of content.
“Everything I’ve ever posted I’ve written myself,” he said .
He didn’t use ghostwriters, scheduling tools, or Chrome extensions. Instead, he did something radical: he wrote posts in Gmail drafts and published them manually. He tracked comments in spreadsheets. He showed up natively on the platform, every single day.
“It’s not scalable. But that’s the point. You build trust by being real,” Neal explained.
When asked about tools like Aware or HeyReach, Neal was clear: “I never used tools. It was not automated. It was authentic.”
One of Neal’s most valuable lessons came from failing to focus.
At a previous startup, BuildFire, his ICP was broad: “influencers, small businesses, nonprofits, enterprise B2B SaaS, B2C, Shopify brands—we tried everything” . But on LinkedIn, that didn’t work.
His posts felt generic. Engagement was low. Deals didn’t move.
When he joined Tapcart, he found clarity.
“It was clear what Tapcart did and who the ICP was. It was just Shopify brands. That allowed me to focus my content and comments on one audience.”
The results were immediate.
“The moment I narrowed, everything clicked,” he said.
Most reps start with the DM. Neal starts with the comment.
Before sending a connection request, he engages consistently on a prospect’s content—sometimes for weeks. His method? Thoughtful, relevant, human.
“My connect rate is 90% because I make deposits first. No pitch. Just presence,” he shared .
This comment-first approach is slow, but it builds trust fast. When Neal finally reaches out, it’s warm. The recipient knows his name, recognizes his face, and sees him as a peer—not a pitch machine.
“I was getting on calls with the right people because I had already built the relationship in the comments,” he said.
For Neal, LinkedIn isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a trust engine.
“It’s not about blasting out messages,” he explained. “It’s about making people aware of you and your solution in a way that feels organic” .
Every post he writes is part of a longer story. Every comment is a touchpoint. “It’s how I stay top of mind and top of funnel,” he said.
That strategy paid off beyond pipeline. Neal was recruited into his current role at Disco because of his presence on LinkedIn. His CEO had been watching him engage for months.
“The post that got me recruited was just a short video,” he said. “I had no idea it would lead to a job.”
Perhaps the most inspiring part of Neal’s story is how LinkedIn reshaped his professional identity. It gave him reach, leverage, and credibility—but it also gave him friendships, opportunities, and a sense of purpose.
“I’ve met people through LinkedIn who are now some of my closest friends,” Neal said .
He’s now mentoring junior sellers, advising startups, and helping others find their voice on the platform.
And he’s still doing it the same way he started: with no shortcuts, no tricks, and no ghostwriters—just consistency and care.
For founders and sellers who want to follow Neal’s footsteps, here’s the condensed playbook:
Focus your ICP. One persona, one message, one lane.
Comment first. Ditch the cold pitch. Build warmth through engagement.
Stay consistent. Neal posted for months with no traction. Trust the process.
Write it yourself. People trust people—not bots.
Track your efforts. Neal kept a spreadsheet of every post and every interaction.
Use LinkedIn like a CRM. Monitor engagement, nurture leads, and follow up with intention.
As Neal puts it:
“Your buyers are on LinkedIn. If you're not meeting them there, you’re missing the easiest way to build trust.”
If Neal’s insights resonated with you, follow him on LinkedIn here. And don’t forget to check out Disco too.
For more unfiltered conversations with LinkedIn founders, creators, and influencers, subscribe to LinkedIn Famous and stay tuned for future episodes!
Check out the full episode on your favorite platforms below.
And if you need help with your LinkedIn strategy, connect with your host with the most, Brad Zomick, on LinkedIn! Send him a DM and let him know what’s holding you back—whether it’s finding your voice, crafting scroll-stopping content, or building a strategy that actually drives business reslts. He’s here to help you get LinkedIn Famous…
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