Prospects reached out to me because I engaged with them

Hi dear reader ?? hope you’re doing well!

In this newsletter I am going to share with you my philosophy around the effectiveness of publishing & engage on LinkedIn

People are more likely to reach out when you actively engage with them

2 days ago I was in Milan, celebrating a party with my SalesForce colleagues. 99% of the colleagues I met (and I didn’t know) already knew me.

I was really confused.

But they knew me, because of Linkedin.

Even on LinkedIn itself freelancers and founders started to reach out to me, engaging with my posts and sending me DMs asking more about

1. where do I find the energy to handle the platform in that way ??

2. what I exactly do, inside and outside SF

3. how it’s my lead and growth going?

In this Newsletter I’m answering these 3 questions, especially #1 and #3.

#1 How and WHY you should handle LinkedIn like I’m doing?

The answer might surprise you:

But I’m seeing it on my skin:

Linkedin pays

I started last year, you probably know my story. I purchased 2 courses investing more than 6k.

And I started with 0 experience, and low patience, building my brand.

It was pretty hard at the beginning, it’s still hard sometimes, but I can swear that if you act as an entrepreneur of yourself and you invest in this channel, you will receive

> contacts for job opportunities

> leads for your service

> request for partnership

> gratefulness for what you share

BUT

you should be patient. Success on LinkedIn requires mainly 2 things

1. Strategy = you shouldn’t just post and add people without a strategy
2. Patience = you can’t expect overnight success

Like in my business, we had massive growth thanks to perseveration.

The rule works also for LinkedIn.

And now HOW I can find the time to handle LinkedIn like this?

I wrote you in the last Newsletter, but I repeat it here:

I am a business owner → I Invest - PERIOD

You can find tons of excuses for not starting, or you can just say that you’re watching around while wasting time, making the same errors that I was doing: i wrote AMAZING posts without having an audience.

LinkedIn is not magic, it's strategy.

#3 How’s my lead base & growth going?

Sales is not magic either. It’s strategy (& authenticity)!

I bet you are not overly concerned with the specifics of my business growth path

I prefer to share what are the complaints of founders, freelancers, entrepreneurs I see during my 1to1 sessions.

And what is my answer to them

1. Selling to the wrong people

2. Not enough follow-up and NO system to track follow-up

3. Not setting up the sale properly

I barely described on my recent post how to fix these things, but I want to dive into what is SALES for me, and why I’m different from many others.

1) Transparency = Trust:

If we say something that's clearly not in our self-interest, that builds trust with the person.

Be the change you want to see in the sales world.

2) Your Digital Business Card:

Before they even speak to you, leads often check out your LinkedIn profile and website.

Make sure what they find speaks highly of you. If you don’t have a decent presente, or it’s not clear what you do, you have less chance to close that deal.

3) The Art of Listening:

It's crucial to ask relevant questions and listen carefully to the answers. Show that every word from your customer is worth more than gold.

4) Discovery Call Is Not a Pitch:

The discovery call should be used to gather information about the potential client.

It's a time to learn, not to sell.

Read “doing Discovery!” by Peter Cohan to learn more

5) Feedback: The Music of Sales:

During the call, it's helpful to summarize what you've learned from the potential client.

Let them know that every word they've said has been a note you've listened to.

6) Vulnerability = Strength:

Showing vulnerability regarding your strengths and weaknesses can help build a trust relationship.

I shared with my students HOW and WHY I recently lost a deal. This was very appreciated. More than the tips around deals I closed.

7) The Proposal as the Icing on the Cake:

Ideally, the decision to work together should be made before sending the proposal.

The proposal confirms, not convinces. ??

8) Why a Proposal?:

Before sending a proposal, it's important to understand why the potential client is requesting it.

Don't waste time writing novels that no one will read.

AND

Try to remember point #7 before preparing it

9) Who Will Read These Golden Words?:

Asking who else will see the proposal will help you aim at the right target.

Think if you are targeting the right ICP or you’re just wasting your time with the wrong person. I know, it’s sad, but if the decision maker is not sitting on the table, all your efforts are useless.

10) Nourish Your Mind:

I recommend a couple of books to you

• Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely > see a summary of the book in my blog
• How to Measure Anything by Douglas Hubbard.

I hope you enjoyed reading this.

if you want to read more and see my videos, subscribe to my NL at giorgiognoli.it/newsletter or send me a DM