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Do you want to know one of the main reasons prospects don’t respond to your outreach or book discovery calls?

Because your LinkedIn is a mess.

The reality is, most salespeople (and business owners) treat their LinkedIn profile like an online resume:

“I’m a detail-oriented, results-driven, team player, who thinks outside the box… and my biggest weakness is that I care too much!”

Why is this a problem?

Well – like it or not – the buying process starts BEFORE your discovery call.?

In fact, according to Google:

“70% of the buying decision is made online before someone contacts a business for the first time."

This means if a prospect checks out your LinkedIn and you have less than 500 connections, a confusing bio, and an off-putting photo…

They’re NOT going to take you seriously, never mind show up for a discovery call.

Here are five simple LinkedIn ‘hacks’ ’to transform your profile from “this person seems sketchy” to “this person’s legit” in the next 20 minutes:

1: The ‘Perfect’ Profile Picture

Make sure your profile picture is clean, clear, and visible.?

Which basically means:

No club pics.

No seatbelt selfies.

And, no empty photo boxes.

Although this might seem super obvious, you’d be surprised by how many business people screw this up.

When taking your profile picture…

Be smart with your space – aim for the ‘goldilocks’ distance of 2 feet between you and your camera. Also, make sure you’re looking at the lens.

The goal here is to appear professional, but also friendly and approachable.

2: Write To A 10-Year-Old

People over-complicate their ‘Headline’ section.?

Which is the one-liner that goes under your profile picture.

Using big words (or trying to be funny) will not only make you sound like a douche, but you’ll confuse your prospect.

So instead of writing:

“I am a savvy, seasoned, strategic leader.”

Go for something simple and straightforward like:

“I help nonprofits meet their fundraising goals.”

The second example is written in Grade 5 English – meaning a 10-year-old could understand it.?

Now, I’m not saying your prospect won’t understand anything over a 5th Grade level, but the average person's brain is overwhelmed with information and needs you to keep things simple.

If you can’t clearly explain what you do and who you help, then don’t be surprised if your prospect doesn't show up for a call.

This also applies to your ‘About’ section, and any posts or newsletters you publish.

3: It’s NOT All About You

Yes, technically speaking, your ‘About’ section is about YOU.?

But you should frame it in a way that speaks about HOW you can make your prospect’s life better and/or easier.?

No one wants to read industry jargon. No one wants to guess their way through acronyms. And NO ONE wants to hear about how you used to play ‘college ball’.?

Simply state:

WHO you help.

WHAT you do.

WHAT results your prospects can expect to achieve.

And HOW they can contact you.

Albeit simple, this format tells your prospects everything they need to know about you, so they can make an informed decision.

4: Ask For Recommendations

Admittedly, this is something I need to improve on too.

Still, if you’ve gone above and beyond for a client, you must make it easy for them to write you a recommendation.

Sending a message like this might work for you:

“Hey, I really enjoyed working with you. Could you please write me a recommendation?”?

But here’s the thing –

People are busy and writing recommendations takes time and effort, so your client will, more than likely, procrastinate doing this.

Because most of the time, they have no idea what to write.

Your chances of getting a solid recommendation – one that fuels future business – will drastically increase if you send your client an outline to follow, and/or a list of questions to answer.?

So something like:

“Hey [name], I really enjoyed working with you.?

I’ve just written you a recommendation on your LinkedIn profile.

When you have 5 minutes to spare, would you mind writing me a recommendation??

If you’re open to the idea, here’s a handful of questions that might help you structure your review:

1: Why did you hire me?

2: What problems did you have before working together and how did I help you solve these challenges?

3: How did you find the process of working with me?

4: Was there anything that stood out about my work?

5: What would you say to other business owners who are thinking about hiring a [job title]?

Don’t worry, your recommendation doesn't have to be long or over-the-top, just an honest reflection on our time working together.

Thanks,

[Sign off]"

Not only will this streamline the process, but you’ll give them a starting point, which will go a long way to getting more trust-building recommendations.

Alternatively, you could always send them previous examples, or even pre-write your own recommendation and ask them to sign off on it.

The same goes for getting more reviews and testimonials on sites like Clutch, Trustpilot, and Capterra.

5: Stop Looking Like An Amateur

One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners making on LinkedIn is NOT having enough connections.

But what’s ‘enough’?

On LinkedIn, 500 is the magic number.

If you have fewer than 500 connections, LinkedIn will display the EXACT number – which will make your prospects question the legitimacy of your business.?

However, if you have more than 500 connections, LinkedIn will show ‘500+’.

Which is good... But there’s a problem.

Because even with 500+ connections, these need to be the right connections.

AKA: Thought leaders in your industry.

For example:

If a marketing agency owner was to visit my profile, they’d see that I’m connected with over 4,000 people on LinkedIn with another 4,000+ followers. Many of whom are well-respected in the marketing space.

Connecting with thought leaders won’t seal the deal entirely, but engaging with big accounts gives you social proof.?

At the end of the day, LinkedIn is a social network.

If you DON’T have enough connections, and you’re not engaging with people within your industry, then you won’t have the social proof you need to gain your prospect's trust.?

Even if you’re not using LinkedIn to prospect…

Showing that you have strong connections and relationships within your industry gives you gravitas.

So you need more connections than just your Mom, your frat bro, or your ex – that’s what Instagram and Facebook are for.

That’s a wrap!

Want to find out if your LinkedIn profile is up to par?

Want prospects reaching out to (and chasing) YOU?

Want your prospects to actually show up to their discovery call, excited to hear what you have to say?

Then drop me a private message with the word ‘audit’ to get a FREE mini audit of your LinkedIn profile – so you can start building social proof, booking more calls, and closing more deals.

PS: Ring my bell for more LinkedIn insights!