Inside Sales Series

How to optimize

your LinkedIn

profile to help

you attract more

sales prospects

David MaloneTrainer| Speaker | Consultant

www.evolve.ie

Your LinkedIn Profile Is now part of your Sales Prospecting D.N.A. ....

Particularly the

‘Headline’ in your personal profile.

LinkedIn is fast becoming the 1st point of contact

for B2B Sales networking – so your profile needs to

be more than a historical CV of your career

Some scary 2013 LinkedIn facts

35% access LinkedIn daily

83% of B2B users use LinkedIn as primary business networking Daily interactions - 15,000,000,000

Searches - 5,000,000,000

200,000,000 users world wide200,000,000 users world wide

In Ireland – 680,000 registered users approx

Source factbrowser.com – as at 9/5/2013

In B2B sales we

moving from the

age of the cold

caller .....

To the age of the social selling market place!

Buyers in

particular are

using LinkedIn to

find and checkout

potential suppliers potential suppliers

as much as

sellers use it to

find and checkout

sales targets

But often it has the opposite effect.

It sends potential buyers in the

direction of your competition

Fact! Many profiles on LinkedIn read like poorly written advertorial!

Often over indulgent, vague, and generically written!

LinkedIn Point

Danger: Don’t copy

everyone else!

Don’t set up your

If you want to LinkedIn to help you sell ...

Don’t set up your

LinkedIn profile

headline for failure by

writing it as if it were

the start of a

traditional CV!

1. Your headline summary is ...

The bit about you

that comes up at the

start of your profile

The description of

you that will appear

in a key word search

on LinkedIn

One of the 1st

references to you that

will probably appear

on a general Google

search

The only peice of

information a buyer

might use to decide

you are not the right

fit for them!

The 1st piece of

information a

potential buyer might

see about you

Your Profile headline should....

• Entice the reader of your profile to want to

learn more about you and your sales

offering?

Typical headline

Dave KellyDirector, Dublin, Ireland

NBC Software Consultants

ABC Training Consultants

Trinity College, Dublin

Uk.linkedin.com/davekelly/1235*7/8

Trinity College, Dublin

Question is ... What impact is it making?

The Headline Autopsy

Dave KellyDirector, Dublin, Ireland

NBC Software Consultants

ABC Training Consultants

Trinity College, Dublin

Which profile will you be drawn

towards ..

a) One with a photo

b) One with no photo

c) An unprofessional photo (Such

as guy standing on a beach in

the distance))

2. Dave has described himself

as a director. The question is a

Uk.linkedin.com/davekelly/1235*7/8

Trinity College, Dublin as a director. The question is a

director of what ......

Sales? Marketing? Traffic?

His headline summary is based

on the title the HR dept have

given him. This is of no use to

the potential buyer screening

for a supplier. Drop the

resume approach!

3. There is no description of how he adds value to his

customers ... A wasted opportunity to get the

attention of the buyer.

Public URL not customised

Rules for an effective ‘Headline’

• State your role from the customer perspective

• Outline your area of speciality or expertise

• Headline the results you deliver to customers

• If you cover a territory - mention it!• If you cover a territory - mention it!

• Write in 3rd party (No ‘I’ or ‘We’)

• It should be attention grabbing not a description of

your role as the HR dept see it!.

A Worked Example

Dave KellyB2B Telecoms Expert

Cork, Ireland

NBC Software Consultants

Helping companies in Munster get the best deals on

phone and data usage. dave@telco.ie

Trinity College, Dublin

1.Decent head shot photograph

2. Job title based on customer

perception of seller’s role

You are allowed 100 characters here.

3. Role description based on

results delivered to customers. Key

words included for search

optimisation purposes. You are

allowed 120 characters to describe

Cork, Ireland

Uk.linkedin.com/davekellytelcoexpert

Trinity College, Dublin allowed 120 characters to describe

your role.

3. Email address included to enable

non 1st tier contacts to engage with

you.3. Public LinkedIn URL address

edited to be consistent with role

description. This address can then

be used as part of Microsoft

outlook digital signature

You are allowed between 5 & 30

characters here.

Examples of a good headlines

1. B2B Social Media Expert specialising in driving

business opportunities to your website.

John@qbc.ie

2. Financial Planning Consultant: Specialising in 2. Financial Planning Consultant: Specialising in

helping high net worth individuals set up

pensions, investments and family trusts.

3. Need a change of career? Recruiter specialising

in placing management in ICT /FMCG in new

roles. Average time for placement 30 days.

Magic Numbers: The amount of characters you

can use in your LinkedIn profile

• Professional Headline: 120 character limit.

• Summary: 2,000 character limit.

• Position Title:: 100 characters.

• Public Profile: Between 5 and 30 characters

Remember, its all about making your profile

Standing out from the competition

“Fortune favours the brave”

www.evolve.ie

davemaloneinsidesalescoach