LinkedIn for Sales & Acquisition

LinkedIn Accounts

Be Aware! – Selling is moving in a new direction

2013 LinkedIn Numbers

• Daily interactions - 15,000,000,000

• Searches - 5,000,000,000

• 200,000,000 users world wide

• 182,000 new members on a daily basis• 182,000 new members on a daily basis

• In Ireland – 680,000 registered users approx

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

More magic numbers

• 90% use the free account version

• 40% - Manager plus

• 79% of users are 35 years of age or older

• 44.2 years is average age of LinkedIn user• 44.2 years is average age of LinkedIn user

• 83% of B2B users use LinkedIn as primary business networking site

• 35% access LinkedIn daily

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

Where is your sales world at?

What do you want to do

on LinkedIn?

Be StrategicStrategic

What is your business objective for using LinkedIn?

Remote customers?Visibility?Visibility?

Research?

Thought Leadership?

Inside Sales Process?

Must Understand where your offering best fits

Rifle

notnot

Machine Gun

You can’t be all things to all people!

• Clearly define target market

– 1. Vertical

– 2. Organisation type

– 3. Size – 3. Size

– 4.Function

– 5. Buyer type

• Understanding your stakeholders– 1. Companies 2. Buyers - Executive / Technical / User

What is your value proposition?

Be Clear - if you don’t know why

people buy from you – how can

you position yourself on LinkedIn!

Be Informed

1st Tier connections

• Can see full profile

• Can email

• Can recommend

• Can send messages (up to 50)• Can send messages (up to 50)

• Can tag

• Can search their 1st degree connections

• Make notes on their profile (in my account)

2nd Tier connections

Example: Key word search to target someone

• Can see headline summary within profile

• Can’t see personal contact details

• Can send invite to connect – can’t sent a • Can send invite to connect – can’t sent a

message

• Can’t see their connections

• Can see summary of experience / company

website etc

3rd Tier connections

Example: Key word search to target someone

• Can’t see full name

• Can see headline & high level summary

• Can’t send invite to connect• Can’t send invite to connect

• Can’t see connections

• Can’t see full profile (even background)*** Fellow group members have same level of visibility as Tier 3

Your Profile

Be Noticed

STOP!!

• Think ..... Who are you writing the profile for?

Profile: Most common mistakes

• Blank profile

• No photo

• CV type summary

• List of job responsibilities .. • List of job responsibilities .. “I was sales team leader

for EMEA sales office managing 30 people with turnover of

600 million annually”

• Being overly self indulgent

• Sweet heart recommendations!

1) Professional

Headshot photo:

business clothing

3) The Summary:

• Restate the benefit of working with you

• Expand on what they get (Results / value)

2) Headline: Type of people you work with and

how they benefit / can benefit from your input

• Expand on what they get (Results / value)

• Testimonial / case study

• Evidence: Explain what / makes you different

• WIIFM: - Must have potential results included

• Call to action: link to presentation to website etc

• Consider sharing something personable

Be Creative

As a prospecting tool

Research & target

• Target– 1st Tier

– 2nd

– Groups

• Search– Names– Names

– Titles

• Look for (In their experience)– Mutual contacts

– Previous clients

– Similarity

• Seek introductions

• Consider ‘In-mail’ – last resort

Target 2/3 per company

You can always move laterally

towards the correct buyer

regardless of which of the five

targets you initially meet with!targets you initially meet with!

Follow their

• Comments

• Groups

• And watch out for mutual contacts

• Answering of questions

• Create your own visibility in their groups -post resources, articles and answer questions

50 % of the decision to purchase

has been made before you meet

Tip

Invite them to connect with Invite them to connect with

you via LinkedIn once you

agree to meet

Be Active

TipIt’s a good idea to follow

your sales targets on

LinkedIn and twitter in LinkedIn and twitter in

advance of ever speaking

with them.- Comment on their activity if appropriate

- Be sincere

Develop relationships with

representative organizations

in that sector

A Professional body

Or Or

A trade association(Example: If you sell to Retail - Retail Excellence Ireland)

(Example: If you sell to HR Managers - Chartered Institute of Personal Development –C.I.P.D.)

Leverage Client relationships – where

those clients are well networkedthose clients are well networked

How can you find out how well

networked they are?

• Check their LinkedIn account for your sales targets

• Ask them who they know!• Ask them who they know!

• Remember, most of your clients (if they rate you) will be delighted to introduce you to their contacts – Just ask them!

Target & connect with

Complimentary Solution ProvidersComplimentary Solution Providers

A complimentary solution provider

Is a supplier who

� Targets the same people you do

�Is not the competition

�Compliments your offering�Compliments your offering

�Is well networked

�Will share information

�Will swop introductions

CSP’s

• For example, if you sell Security services to

Facility Directors - a CSP ,might be environmental

monitoring equipment providers

• Have 3/4 CSP’s on the go, meet , chat once a

month and swop two prospects with each one

each time you meet.

Thought Leadership & Blogging

• Shares ideas

• Writes articles

• Answers questions

• Share ideas• Share ideas

• Provides insight

• Anticipates new trends

Rules for blogging

• Be very clear who you want to find you

• Be clear on what you want to be known for

• Join groups where you already have credibility

• Join groups where you already have existing relationshipsrelationships

• Don’t spam

• Give opinion … be original

• Show judgment

• Position re-posts

• No advertorial

Be Sales Process Driven

Integrate into sales process

• Make it a formal part of prospecting process

• Insist on identifying people not just target

companies

• Connect with existing clients• Connect with existing clients

• Make it part of follow up from networking events

• Measure the movement

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www.evolve.ie

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