How to win business on LinkedIn

I posted a poll a few weeks ago on LinkedIn asking people to vote on what “winning” on LinkedIn means to them.

304 people voted.

Over half (51%) said “regular direct messages about my services” was their number one measurement of success on LinkedIn.

(The next up was high engagement on posts with 36% of the votes)

If you’re on LinkedIn to grow your business, getting regular direct messages about your services (or other opportunities) is indeed a great way to measure how effective you’re being.

It’s easy to get distracted by less important metrics like who’s viewing your profile and how many likes you’re getting on a post, but if you really want tangible results, DM enquiries are the way to go.

I’ve been actively using LinkedIn now for 3 years – posting every single weekday - and there’s almost not a week that’s passed by where I haven’t received at least one DM inquiry about my services or some other opportunity.

Is there a magic formula to achieving this?

Not necessarily.

But if you would like to have more people reaching out to you in DMs about your services, here are six things that have worked for me that I’d recommend for you too.

6 ways to encourage more DMs about your services

1) Visibility

This goes without saying. You can’t get people messaging you about your services if they don’t know you exist! You need to start being visible and start doing so TODAY!

2) Consistency

Being visible is one thing, doing it consistently is where the magic is at. Commit to the process of using LinkedIn to build your business and stick with it for the long run. Then – and only then – will you be able to reap the rewards.

3) Add value

Yes, I know it’s a clichéd phrase, but the truth is if you want people to reach out to you about your services, you’ve got to demonstrate your value through your content. Regularly share content that helps your audience in some way and you’ll soon have people enquiring after your services.

4) Clear messaging

For people to reach out to you about your services, it needs to be clear to your audience what you do. Your profile is the best place to start this process. Make sure your messaging is clear from your banner and headline all the way down to your featured and About section.

5) Expand your reach

I’m not saying you have to build a following of 50K+ like I have, but if you do want regular DMs about your services, having 10 people in your network isn’t going to achieve that for you. Actively seek to expand your network and your reach on a daily basis.

6) Ask and you shall receive

You’ve got to learn how to make the ask. If you’re here on LinkedIn to do business and you never actively invite people to engage with your services, you’re doing yourself (and your audience) a major disservice. And yes, it is possible to do this without coming across as salesy. If you don’t know how, send me an email (see what I did there? ??).

Which one of these recommendations do you need to do more of? Let me know in the comments...

??? Want to learn how to build a visible and profitable business on LinkedIn? Apply to join my Visible & Profitable Mastermind here.

If your application is accepted, you’ll be invited to attend my free private 2-hour training session on how to build a visible and profitable business on LinkedIn, taking place on Thursday 30th March. Click here to apply.