7 BIG Mistakes Salespeople Make On LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the most powerful platforms for people and companies to generate business from, and in 2023 there are more people than ever before using it, or should I say "trying" to use it...

A lot of people are making mistakes though, a lot of mistakes

And those mistakes are costing them?BUSINESS

Today I'm going to highlight the biggest and most common mistakes people make on LinkedIn and how you can correct them to start generating more impact and more customers this year!

Let's get started:?

1) Non-Optimized LinkedIn Profile

Having a LinkedIn profile that isn't optimised is the same as having a bucket full of holes and pouring water in its hoping it will fill. When you start sharing content but haven't optimised your LinkedIn profile it's like pouring even?MORE?water in the bucket with holes.?YOU'RE JUST LOSING BUSINESS!!!

So what does it take to optimise your profile? These are the key areas to focus on:

• Well designed background banner image that tells people instantly how you can possibly help them
• Professional LinkedIn photo (ideally with a plain coloured background)
• Summary section built for your target customers and how you can help
• Contact details included in your summary to make it clear and easy
• Featured content uploaded to further promote what you do
• Recommendations from happy customers (as recent as possible)

2) Not Actively Growing Their Network

This is one of the most common mistakes I see and I see it in startups all the way to billion-dollar companies. You will always be limited to your success if your network is small and not growing. The biggest tip I can give is to start viewing your LinkedIn network as an?ASSET, as something of value. This is my favourite quote...

You want to be growing your network with the right people on a regular consistent basis. I'd recommend adding 10-20 people per day consistently. Book it as an activity in your calendar if you need to, but that small growth every day will lead to big audiences. Grow it with the right people (potential customers or industry relevant people) and it will become a?VALUABLE?audience.?

3) Not Sending Networking Messages

I can't believe this is STILL a problem on LinkedIn, but it is. I shared a post last week where I?analysed 500 LinkedIn messages ?of which a whopping 77% were sales pitches and 87% were NOT even personalised. These messages DO NOT work and do not generate business, and yet so many people are still sending them! We need to change the way we view messages here...

This is actually one of the easiest mistakes to change as the best way to send messages is to just start conversations. Don't pitch your product, talk to people. Think of it like a networking event, you would normally go up to people and talk to them. LinkedIn messages is the same!?

Find something that you can start a conversation with such as:

"Hey Dan, I really enjoyed your LinkedIn newsletter today. I actually really liked..."

4) Not Tracking & Measuring Success?

If you're not properly tracking and measuring success, how do you what is and isn't working? A lot of people use?LinkedIn's SSI ?(social selling index) score which gives you a?SMALL?insight into what's working, but it's not enough.

The best way to track and measure your LinkedIn activity is to capture?WHICH?customers come from LinkedIn (and where on LinkedIn they came from). I'd highly recommend using your CRM and this video shows you how I use Pipedrive CRM to really easily track and manage my LinkedIn activity and success.

(you can try Pipedrive CRM completely free for 30-days here if you want to )

5) Not Creating Good Content

Content is such a powerful part of LinkedIn and when done right it can become a consistent lead generation source (of high quality leads and opportunities). The problem is most people don't know how to create good content, and why would you?! I certainly didn't know what to do when I started creating content on here.

What people tend do when sharing content though is to promote their company, product or service. From re-sharing corporate blogs to posting adverts, this approach never works. There's a simple formula for getting content right on LinkedIn...

• Post top tips for your target customers
• Share the latest industry insights
• Get insights from industry experts
• Share your knowledge and experience?
• Share industry relevant humour?

6) Not Being Consistently Active & Engaging

I've seen people build?HUGE?personal brands, attracting hundreds to thousands of likes on their posts, and then losing it all because they stop being active and consistent. It's even worse when you're trying to?BUILD?your personal brand. Consistency is crucial.?

My biggest tip for this is to book 15-30 minutes into your calendar for LinkedIn activity, and book it as a recurring meeting Monday - Friday for the rest of 2023. Think of this like an accountability buddy and reminder to help ensure you're active on a regular and consistent basis.?

7) Not Commenting On Industry Relevant Posts

There is an untapped?GOLDMINE?of potential by commenting on LinkedIn. From getting your name out there, to building rapport, to even growing your audience and generating leads. This simple task takes barely any time, but done consistently can reap huge rewards.?

I'd recommend commenting on 3-5+ posts per day if you can, and to make sure your comments contribute something. So not just a "Great post Dan", but add your own thoughts and ideas to it as well so people get value from your comment. It's also valuable to interact with other peoples comments as well.?

There you go, those are my top 7 mistakes, what would you add to that list? Pop it in the comments and let me know.

Thank you for reading this newsletter! If you enjoyed it please do also click?LIKE?and let me know your thoughts in the?COMMENTS!?

Keen to learn more? Want to become, or want your team to become LinkedIn & Social Selling masters?

Here are a host of extra resources of mine to help you and your team:

PODCAST?-?The Social Selling Podcast ?

BOOK?-?The Ultimate LinkedIn Sales Guide ?(Available on Amazon)

BOOK?-?The Ultimate LinkedIn Messaging Guide ?(Available on Amazon)

YOUTUBE?-?Daniel Disney YouTube Channel

WEBSITE?-?www.danieldisney.online

If you're interested in me coming to deliver an?in-person?or virtual?SKO,?Keynote or Corporate Training package, please feel free to pop me a message on LinkedIn or email me directly at [email protected]