We’re Not Meant To Sell On LinkedIn . . . Or Are We? ??

Do you like selling? Is it something that comes easily to you?

Or do you worry about coming across as sleazy if you try to sell, especially on LinkedIn!?

No one wants to come across as pushy. And, we all hate those annoying direct messages trying to sell us something the instant we accept a connection request!

But it seems that myths and misconceptions abound when it comes to selling, and particularly selling on LinkedIn, which is exactly what Mark Endacott and I were discussing on a recent LoveIn Live on LinkedIn. ???

Mark who is founder of How To Become A Natural Salesperson, believes that anyone can become a good salesperson naturally with the right training and practice. As you would if you were learning to play the piano or to drive a car. ??

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You can catch the conversation Mark and I had here and / or read on for a summary of what we discussed.

How To Become A Natural Salesperson

Becoming a natural salesperson starts by first understanding what selling actually is. Because its not what we think it is.

For Mark, the stereotypical used car salesman approach to sales is not selling.

Nor is the hard sell LinkedIn direct messages you get – he called that an old school cold call approach that didn’t work 20 years ago and certainly doesn’t work in today's world.

"Selling is a combination of marketing, branding, customer awareness and closing the sale"

Selling is in fact a combination of marketing, branding, customer awareness along with closing the sale.

So branding and marketing help you to sell because they help people know what you're about. They raise your profile and visibility and help you build authority both as a person, and in your business. The actual art of selling itself and a sales pitch incorporates all of that so in does mean you have to be consistent and authentic.

Another way to approach selling is think of it as helping. You are there to help and a natural byproduct of you having a skill set that will help others is that you also get paid.

What Stops People From Selling?

The two biggest challenges Mark sees that business owners have with selling:

1. ?It’s a fear thing. Whether that's fear of rejection fear of money, people have different hang-ups around selling.
2. Closing a deal. You may do marketing and branding really well but you don't like asking for the sale.

Selling is one of those things you can learn how to do in a natural way?

As Mark explained. You can be born with a natural talent for something, but that talent still needs to be nurtured. Even Lewis Hamilton had to first learn how to drive a car!

So selling is one of those things that you can learn how to do, and the more you do it the more natural it becomes.

The more time you put into learning how to sell, following a process and practicing that, the better you will become at it - which is great news for all of us who don't like selling!

But what about selling on LinkedIn, surely that's a No No? ??♀?

Mark's reply to this was that LinkedIn is a sales platform!

In Mark's view we’re all on LinkedIn for either personal or professional gain and “the minute we stop ignoring that fact and start accepting it" our mindset will change towards it.

And it makes sense doesn't it. When we look at selling as a combination of branding, marketing, customer awareness then yes LinkedIn is a sales platform.

Selling on LinkedIn is about consistency .? . .

Mark went onto explain that selling on LinkedIn is about consistency.

From what you say on your profile, to what you post, the comments you make on other people’s posts – all of this needs to reflect who you are, what you do and how you can help people.

You still have to know how to close a sale BUT it makes it a lot easier if you have a persona on LinkedIn that is a reflection of who you are, that makes it very clear what you do, how you help and who you're looking to help.

Finally, when it comes to selling on LinkedIn, sales aren't done in the comments and it’s not done in the posts. Sales are done in the DMs (the direct messages).

In other words you need to become LinkedIn Familiar and take a tailored approach LinkedIn’s direct messaging functionality.

What do you mean by LinkedIn Familiar?

This is where the relationship really starts, because if someone knows you, if they are familiar with you then they're more likely to be positive to seeing a message from you because it won't feel like it's out of the blue. You've commented on their posts, you've connected, and they've liked some of your posts.

If you direct message someone privately they're more likely to talk openly about something they might want help with than they are in a comments section of the public forum.

In Summary - How To Sell Better On LinkedIn

? Understand what's stopping you from selling. What's the fear that is stopping you from asking your dream clients to pay you for your expertise

? Qualify! Are you spending time on the right people?

? Be consistent on LinkedIn. Be clear on how you help people and just talk about that

? Be in a position of how can I help you rather than here's my stuff buy it!

? Build relationships. If you want selling to feel natural take the time to get to know your prospects and become LinkedIn Familiar with them

? Use LinkedIn's direct messaging to see if there's an opportunity to meet face to face or jump on a Zoom call

Will this make you think differently about selling and about selling on LinkedIn?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

If you'd like to find out how to become a Natural Salesperson, then get in touch with Mark Endacott on LinkedIn or go to The Natural Salesperson website.

?? If LinkedIn isn’t working hard for you or you’re not sure where to start with using LinkedIn, email [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn to chat about how I can help.

Or book a virtual brew here and let’s make LinkedIn work for you . . . ?

JUDY Parsons Independent LinkedIn? Training & LInkedIn Marketing Mentor

#LinkedInMarketing #LinkedInTraining #LinkedInStrategy #LinkedInTips #LinkedIn

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