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LinkedIn Tips for Salespeople
LinkedIn has become one of the most widely used sales tools B2B professionals rely on to find prospects and help their companies grow. With the rise of social media, prospecting has indeed taken a completely different turn. The intention is not to replace face-to-face interactions but to develop your network more quickly and to fill it with high quality contacts.
Here is what you need to know to leverage this incredible platform and use it to help your business soar!
Your Profile Is Everything
Regardless of how good the content you share might be, if your profile looks like a resume or, at best, a summary of your achievements, you will be missing your mark. For starters, put much care and attention into your profile photo which makes it more likely to garner consideration. It should make you look professional yet easy-going and authentic. Go for a neutral background and be sure to dress the part!
A compelling headline and summary will also make a world of difference. We can help you find just the right words to make your LinkedIn profile engaging. Your tagline should be unique but, most of all, its role is to sum up what you do concisely while highlighting how you will support and serve your customers or partners. Don’t hesitate to get creative with your summary which should tell a story. Sales are all about connection, so be genuine and speak your truth!
Finally, take full advantage of the cover photo space on your LinkedIn profile. Keeping it plain is such a wasted opportunity! Instead of a random picture that vaguely represents your line of business, use your logo, some inspiring quotes, or an intriguing collage that will act as a conversation starter, making people want to engage with you.
The Right People for the Best Connections
If you have a story to share and a creative way to share it, people will engage. On LinkedIn (as on most social media platforms), a few connections can quickly turn into a dynamic network of mutual connections that will continue to work for you even when you are offline. Be sure to reach out to anyone with whom you have even one single acquaintance in common.
You should also spend time researching other businesses on LinkedIn. This will help you determine who your top tier customers are and how you can bring them exactly what they are looking for.
Be Socially Active
The whole point of social media is to share, share, share, as meaningfully as you possibly
can. Follow your partners and customers and be sure to engage with what they post. This will not only help you stay on top of what they are up to and what their current needs are in real time but give you an opportunity to be there for them whenever the need arises.
Group discussions are an excellent way to connect with others and to provide your insights
on important topics in your industry. It will also show that you know how to make yourself
available and will encourage people to engage with you in a way that will allow them to gain
new knowledge.
Create Content of Your Own
In the same vein as sharing your expertise through discussions, you should create useful
resources that your customers and partners can engage with. Once again, they will learn
something from you and remember you for this useful titbit of information, but they are also very likely to share your excellent post with their personal contacts, thus helping your
network grow! LinkedIn even has its own content publishing platform for long-form posts. A great tool whose usefulness should never be underestimated.