There are dozens and dozens of resources showing ways to use LinkedIn to help sales grow. Just like anything, though - having resources does not mean you are actually taking action each week to help you improve your online presence. Here is a page I created to help sales professionals with a variety or resources.
Here is a simple idea to think of this in three areas:
1. Improve Your Profile - take 10 minutes today to do any of the following -
Upload a better profile photo
Change the words under your name - these should show more about who you work with or what you do instead of your job title. [example: instead of "Account Manager" list how you help others in the geographic territory, such as "Data Specialist for Multi-Location Companies, Atlanta". This helps anyone scanning to better understand what you do, and is entirely searchable in Google. I know dozens of business professionals who have gained new clients because of this one idea.
Create a buyer-focused summary that tells how you help buyers rather than what looks like your resume. Now that you have your sales position, change your summary to attract buyers or those who can refer buyers your way, not recruiters. Koka Sexton, Sr. Social Marketing Manager at LinkedIn, rated the #1 Social Sales Influencer offers a good example with his profile. Notice one of the first things he shares in his summary is a link for sales professionals to learn how to better use LinkedIn in selling. How can you do something like that for your buyers?
2. Create a search that will help you weekly
New executives at your prospect companies are some of the best people to know because they are able and willing to make changes. One search we do lists new VPs of Sales in mid-market companies - our target decision maker. Who are your prospective buyers and what roles are they in? You can save the search and get a reminder from LinkedIn by email weekly about any new people who fit your search.
3. Find Strategic Referral Partners
Searching for buyers is great, but why not also make an investment in finding 10 or 20 people who can refer you on an ongoing basis? Rather than one prospect here, and one prospect there, a strategic referer does not do what you do but they know who your buyer is. They can refer multiple times so this is a person to know, value, thank, and help. Start by finding one person who could be key to your growth success and ask them how YOU can help THEM. Later you can tell them more about what you do and who your best customers are.
If you just work on these three areas, you can see new business opportunities happening. None of this takes more than 30 minutes a day collectively - and it could be 10 minutes a day once you have your profile maximized.
Need more help on this? Have your sales leader contact us and we can show you or your whole team how to win using LinkedIn strategies that work. From a single, simple webinar on the basics for sellers, to a custom program for you or the team - we make it easy to learn and hard to fail.
Lori Richardson is recognized on Forbes as one of the "Top 30 Social Sales Influencers" worldwide. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside sales teams in mid-sized companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the "Sales Ideas In A Minute" newsletter for sales strategies, tactics, and tips in selling. Increase Opportunities. Expand Your Pipeline. Close More Deals.
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