Old Skills, New Tool: Get Started Selling on LinkedIn (Pt. 1)

This is Part 1 of a two-part series by guest writer, Robert Knop, CEO of Assist You Today. In this article, Robert clearly outlines five steps to getting started selling on LinkedIn.

For many sales reps, the shift to a 100% virtual selling experience means they are using LinkedIn much differently than have in the past. From an online resume to now a tool for prospecting and connecting, it only takes a little bit of prep work to get ready for social media networking. You can reshape your real-world experience into a plan for social media prospecting.

The first step of the plan is to get your digital house in order. Here’s how to ensure you get the right kind of attention.

Step 1 - Refine your personal brand – Put your house in order

Before you start prospecting on LinkedIn, you need to establish a strong personal brand external for that of your company’s. On social media, people want to talk to people, not companies. So, having your own brand is imperative.

The first thing people do when you reach out to them is to check your LinkedIn profile. In your profile, show them doing your job. If you see yourself as a trusted advisor to your clients, then they should see you being a trusted advisor that shows you as a smart, trustworthy industry expert, and entice them to learn more (but don’t pitch).

Most LinkedIn profiles are written with a recruiter or hiring manager in mind.

Your target audience = potential clients + centers of influence. Make sure your profile is written with them in mind, not a recruiter. Use keywords that are searched for often in your field. Use Google Trends to compare search terms (e.g. “sales professional” vs. “sales representative”).

Step 2 - Bring your offline network online

When using LinkedIn for business development, tap your offline network. Connect with current and past clients, friends, family, co-workers, and fellow volunteers. These should be people you know well enough to send a simple intro message without much explanation about who you are or why they would want to connect with you.

Your minimum goal should be at least 500 connections. After 500, LinkedIn quits showing the number. This means if you have fewer than 500 you cast doubt on your true experience and connections.

Go ahead and personalize your invitation to connect on LinkedIn, but keep it brief (e.g. “Hey Jane, great working with you at Bank of America a couple of years ago. Let’s stay in touch.”). Adding offline contacts will give you a strong foundational network to start your online business activities.

Step 3 - Post value-adding content

A great way to brand/establish yourself as an expert in your field is to post content. The content you distribute needs to be something your target audience finds interesting. What’s interesting? You want to focus on posts that:

·      solve their pain points

·      tell them something they don’t know

·      make them think

·      showcase how much you know about the industry

·      display how involved you are in the industry (day-in-the-life in the field)

·      add value, which will set you apart above all else.

One thing that does NOT add immediate value is pitching. Leave the posts about your products and services at the door. There will be time for that later, but you need to earn some trust first.

A few days after you post content, look through the likes and comments. Would any of these people be potential clients or referral opportunities? If so, reach out to them with an invitation, thanking them for liking your post and asking them to connect.

Step 4 - Engage with others

When people comment on your post, respond!

This is the most overlooked part of social media: You need to actively engage with others. That’s why it’s SOCIAL media, not ANTI-SOCIAL media. Your goal is to start a conversation! At least, like the response. Even better, respond, and ask a follow-up question.

Social media is all about reciprocity. If you engage with my content, I’m more inclined to engage with yours. That’s human nature.

Engaging simply means two-way and group communication. Offline, it’s okay to send a ton of direct mail without responding to anyone else’s. However, posting social media content without engaging with anyone else’s is bad form.

In addition to creating your own content, you need to like, comment and share other people’s content. Each time you do so, LinkedIn sends a notification to the prospect you are engaging with, putting your name and face in front of them. Active engagement makes people more likely to listen when you reach out to them.

Remember, most posts on LinkedIn get five likes or less and one comment or less. That means liking and commenting are an easy way to get someone’s attention or stay top-of-mind. You’ll stand out.

Step 5 - Start right away

The next time you have a few minutes before a meeting or before you jump on a plane, instead of scanning friends’ Facebook pages, open the LinkedIn app, and engage with your connections. You’ll build stronger professional relationships that will pay off down the line. Once you’ve established your LinkedIn presence with these steps, you’ll be ready to start actively selling.  A topic we will cover in the future.

In Part 2 of this series, I will share with you the steps to take to begin to identify and engage with your target prospects, leveraging your LinkedIn profile and your offline experience to be successful in the new reality of Post-Covid selling.

Robert Knop is the former head of social media, marketing and sales at Fortune 500 companies and has built his reputation by transforming the way companies think via innovation, “what if” thinking and an entrepreneurial approach.