LinkedIn is a great tool for prospecting! Not only does it allow you to do plenty of research before reaching out, but it also creates a manageable space to keep on top of relationships. Whether an existing client or a new prospect you can stay on top of updates in their lives, sales conversations and their interests or active campaigns. It provides conversation starters and valuable data and insights.
With that being said, if you’re struggling to navigate the platform to prospect more effectively, here are 10 tips to help you out.
Sell Yourself
The first place someone makes a judgement of you will be on your headline and your profile. Your profile needs to be optimised if you’re looking to be successful. If the biography on your LinkedIn profile doesn’t reach out and grab the person looking at it then you might have lost them. Imagine you’re advertising your product or service and then apply that logic to yourself. You have 30 seconds to impress or persuade. Consider the pain point of your ideal prospect and make it known that you are the answer to their problems. Keep it short, sweet and savvy.
The Importance of Connection
Building your connections is vital to prospecting effectively on LinkedIn. Connect to as many relevant people as you can to broaden your network and bring more opportunities your way. Sending a message to introduce yourself before the prospect chooses to connect with you is a more courteous way to go about it. The other person is then more likely to connect and be open to what you may have to offer each other. Not everybody is comfortable with connecting to those they don’t know in real life, so just be mindful of that.
Be A List Person
I think I just heard the groans of a nation that can’t stand curating or sticking to lists. If you spend just a few minutes a day creating a list of people who you’d like to connect with or send a conversation starter to. LinkedIn offers a great feature for this through its advanced search. You can apply certain criteria to comb through potential prospects on LinkedIn who best reflect the type of client you’re looking for. If you upgrade to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, then the criteria with which you can search expands even further.
Become A Follower
When you connect with somebody new, are you checking out their company page? If so, do you give it a follow? Not only is this a way to build up a relationship with them (and offers a chance for reciprocation) but it’s an important part of selling. If you’re listening and actively engaging in what they’re posting about then they’ll notice that you’re paying attention. It will also give you some great insight as to what their pain points could be or present an opportunity to introduce them to your products or services.
Posting On LinkedIn
It really does make all the difference! You can spend as little as 5 minutes on curating a daily post for your LinkedIn feed. Whether it be text, video, an interesting article you’ve seen or a poll asking people whether they prefer tea or coffee. Let people see you and provide an opportunity for your connections and potential prospects to see what you’ve got to say as well. In allowing people to get to know you, you’re showing your human side and that you’re not all about sell, sell, sell. People do business with people, remember that next time someone tries to tell you ‘LinkedIn isn’t Facebook!!!!!!’.
Get In With Some Groups
LinkedIn has a great groups feature. It lets you connect with the other people in these groups too. This can be a more targeted way to seek out potential prospects on LinkedIn. You already know you have at least one shared interest – otherwise, why would you be in the same group together? There’s your conversation starter. As well as joining the groups and associations you may partake in, in real life, you can also search for groups that might be trending within your particular industry or within a sector that you’d like to move into.
Engage With Others
Remember Step 4? It’s great to interact with company pages but remember to engage with the people behind the page, too. Scroll through your news feed. Has someone recently received a promotion? Have they posted about an exciting new development in their life? Engage with it! Leave a like, a comment or a share. You can also use your platform to @ certain clients to publicly thank them for their business or just in general! It’s a great way to build up a genuine network.
You should also consider endorsing and writing recommendations for your clients. Again, it provides an opportunity for reciprocation but also aligns you with that client. This lets others in similar sectors seeking out solutions to their pain points know that you’re someone to take a chance on. Amongst all, it shows you’re active on the platform which is always an attractive prospect in the busy, ever-changing world of social selling.
Limit Your LinkedIn Time
Being able to sell effectively on LinkedIn doesn’t mean sitting on the platform all day. Invest your time in it wisely. Set aside a few hours in the day to get everything done and monitor it as and when you need to. There’s a lot to be consumed on the site and the chance of burnout or being overwhelmed is very real. It can distract you from other things you need to be focusing on. Accomplish your own set goals and stay productive.
Happy Prospecting!
