Writer RajuBhai
LinkedIn is a social network aimed at companies, businesses and job search. The website connects millions of companies, employees and references in each sector, based on the profile of each user, which freely shows their work experience and skills.
Of the nine hours a day that an average person spends browsing the Internet, more than three are dedicated to social networks . The data from the “ Digital in 2018 ” study , carried out between the We Are Social agency and the Hootsuite platform, prove the influence that the interactions carried out on these platforms have on people's lives.
Networks also influence the way companies advertise, serve consumers, sell products, and even how they do business with each other. LinkedIn is one of the most important channels for B2B companies, which need to focus on a more corporate profile.
In this post, we give you nine tips for your sellers to improve business generation through the platform, which already has more than 75 million users in Latin America.
Do you want to learn more about how to generate results on LinkedIn? Download our eBook How to sell more on LinkedIn and learn how to extract business opportunities from this social network.
1. Create an important network of connections
The saying “tell me who you hang out with and I'll tell you who you are” makes a lot of sense on LinkedIn. Being connected with recognized people in your sector increases credibility with potential customers.
To increase your connections and also be a bridge with the prospect:
- Include your profile address in your email signature and on your business card.
- Add friends from college and former coworkers.
- Take advantage of the contacts made in courses, talks and other events in the area.
- Add good customers, new customers and older contact bases.
- Add interesting contacts created in groups on LinkedIn itself.
2. Attract good connections with interesting updates on your profile
We already mentioned here on the blog how important it is for your company to use content production to attract potential customers. That strategy also works for sellers.
Use the platform's update space to share interesting articles or news with your connection cycle. And even better if you have written the material and it was published on a reputable channel, since it shows your knowledge of the sector for which you are offering solutions.
Avoid making posts about your personal status, announcing your resume or trying to sell your product.
3. Take advantage of the potential of groups to be well informed
A basic LinkedIn user can participate in up to 100 groups. To improve your position as a source of interesting content, try to be an active participant in each of these circles. The following are worth keeping in mind:
- Talk about new issues: keep up to date on what is happening in your sector abroad, read specialized material, discover innovations, seek the opinion of specialists and start generating discussions.
- Maintain the frequency: it is of little use to create a topic or comment once a month. Posting weekly earns you status as an influencer within a LinkedIn group. Spend at least 30 minutes a day to see what is being talked about out there.
- Avoid advertising: if you are going to offer a solution to someone who seems to be a potential client, do it through a private message.
4. Accompany potential prospects
Have you seen a contact in a group and do you think they have the potential to be your client? Use the "Follow" option to follow their updates, as they can serve as clues for a safer approach.
The option to continue is similar to the option to connect, but it does not depend on the other person accepting.
5. Find out the best time to contact a prospect
Hitting the timing of the approach greatly increases the chances that your offer will be heard.
LinkedIn shows the exact update time of your connections or the people you follow, making it easy to identify when a contact is generally available.
Take advantage of that moment to send a message through the tool itself or make a call. Think that if your prospect has time to comment in groups or update the profile, it is very likely that they will also be available to answer a call in that time.
6. Take advantage of profile resources
Use a professional photo. Profiles with photos are 21 times more likely to be viewed, and the InMail response rate for them is 40% higher. Put on your best smile, face the camera, and invest in clothes that show professionalism.
Invest in the summary. That's your "30-second sales pitch." Focus on what you do, how it helps your customers and the best way for them to establish contact. Write in the first person, avoid clichés, and mention skills and experiences that are directly connected to your current job.
Other interesting options are the possibility of adding certifications, presentations through SlideShare, publications on LinkedIn itself or on other blogs. Use this space to make available materials produced by your company, presentations of your products or services, or even a document with different cases of clients that you have attended.
7. Develop a good connection with your customers
No one can be more important to a seller than their current customers. After all, a satisfied consumer has the potential to be an excellent promoter of your products or services.
When the client is loyal to a seller , there is a great chance that he will recommend you, even before your company. You must be attentive to consumer publications, comment on interesting posts, participate in the same groups, recommend quality material, create a relationship of trust and, if possible, get a good recommendation.
Another tip that is worth putting into practice is to recommend your clients for the areas in which they are specialists. This helps to establish a relationship of respect and trust.
8. Humanize the contact with extra information about your prospect
LinkedIn offers a series of information that can be very useful for a first call.
If you are a seller, it is very likely that you do not know where to start a conversation. At that point, having common ground with the prospect helps a lot.
Search for mutual friends, work connections, topics of interest, discussion groups, college, courses abroad, and past jobs. These points tend to humanize the contact and make the approach less mechanical.
In addition, the prospect's behavior on LinkedIn offers clues as to the language to be used, a very important point for the first contact. Pay attention to the way they communicate, especially in group discussions: if they write a lot or little, if they are formal or casual, if they impose ideas or are more participatory.
9. No seas a Spammer
Nobody likes inconvenient people. For this reason, avoid advertising products all the time or spreading texts of the copy and paste type in the groups in which you participate. Doing so can backfire on you!
Sending invitations indiscriminately to all the people you think are interesting is another frowned upon attitude.
Inserting the name of your product or sector in the description countless times makes your profile less professional and unreliable. It is a practice widely repudiated by those who make up the network.
Before implementing some of these actions that may seem tempting, evaluate what other users are doing and the impact. That's a good way to know what works and what doesn't. In this way, it is easier to find the path of good practices and achieve the expected result.
Want to dig even deeper into how to drive results on LinkedIn? Take a look at the eBook How to sell more on LinkedIn and learn how to discover potential clients, influence decisions and exceed your sales goals through this social network. We also leave you a complementary video to enhance your strategy:
Frequent questions
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a social network aimed at companies, businesses and job search. The website connects millions of companies, employees and references in each sector, based on the profile of each user, which freely shows their work experience and skills.
How to sell on LinkedIn?
It is very important to have an updated profile, generate connections with people in your industry and with your target audience, post content, comment on other posts, send direct messages and always have a call to action.
