A client recently asked me about LinkedIn and its role in Social Selling. They’d heard of it helping others get business, but were skeptical of the claims. They figured it to be another fading fad that would eventually lose its appeal. They admitted to having a professional profile, but hadn’t done anything since.
I thought about it for a second, and then asked him a question.
“What if you learned that your top prospects were all eating lunch together today? They’re all planning to eat at the same restaurant at the exact same time. Wouldn’t you want to know that? Even if you weren’t sitting together, wouldn’t you at least want to be there? Wouldn’t you want the opportunity to overhear something good? A little nugget of goodness to store away?”
He just nodded in agreement. He was starting to get it.
I Just Joined Linked, Now What?
This is where most people struggle and eventually give up. They create a profile, mainly because everyone else does, but never do anything else. They create it thinking that as soon as their profile’s live, clients will start calling. Wrong.
Social Selling Success is determined by the depth of your social network.
The most important part of social selling is your network. Leveraging a strong network will open doors faster and close deals sooner. It’s the key to long-term social selling success. Learn how the best have had success by downloading the Social Selling Case Study.
If you’re a new member or simply wanting to grow your network, start by following these 3 steps:
- Make a list of people and/or companies you’ve done business with in the last year. These are your advocates. Nurture them for more business.
- Make a list of contacts that left the company since that business. These are also your advocates and now work at a new company. Nurture them and their new company for more business.
- Make a list of new contacts that were hired to replace your old contacts when they left. These are new advocates at a company that happens to be an old advocate. You guessed it, nurture them as well for more business.
In addition to your new lists, here are some tips for attracting new contacts:
- Optimize your profile: LinkedIn views this as “freshness”. It can help your ranking when others are searching for someone like you.
- Tell people who you are, who you help and how you help them in your headline: A headline grabs a person’s attention when searching the site. Be clear and compelling.
- Include all current and past work experiences: You never know who’s looking for you.
- Join targeted groups: Participating in groups enables you to share your knowledge and learn from other members.
- Create a targeted group: Allows you to connect with people who are influential within your specific industry.
- Get endorsements and recommendations: Two of the most powerful additions to your profile
Other ways members are leveraging LinkedIn:
- 76.9% of users say LinkedIn helped them research people and companies
- 68.8% said that it helped reconnect with past business associates
- 49.7% said it was good for building new network relationships with individuals who may influence potential customers
Continue to build, nurture and leverage your social network. This is your key to becoming a Successful Social Seller. Learn how the best have had success by downloading the Social Selling Case Study.
