Making the Most of LinkedIn to Grow Your Business

How to Use LinkedIn for Networking, the Development of Leads, Talent

Acquisition and MoreAugust 20, 2015

By The Numbers• 300M+ professionals and 2M+ companies are on LinkedIn• A 2014 IDC study revealed that:

• On average, social-selling leaders enjoy these benefits:– 45% more opportunities created– 51% more likely to achieve quota– 80% more productive

(Source: LinkedIn Sales Solutions)

3 out of 4 B2B buyers and 8 out of 10 executive buyers rely on social media to help make buying decisions

Get Started with Social Selling

• LinkedIn offers Sales Navigator – a video overview is available at: bit.ly/sales_navigator

• It integrates seamlessly with your CRM.

It’s simpler than what you’re probably doing now to

generate leads!

PROFESSIONAL PROFILES

• Create a client-focused, client-attracting profile. • Be sure to list an industry.• Create a 30 sec. commercial which considers that

“what do you do?” question from the POV of a prospect in pain who eventually turned into your happy customer.

There are an average of 53M views of LI profiles each day – STAND

OUT.

3 LinkedIn Profiles No-Brainers

1. Complete it to 90% and keep it current.– Include: Professional photo, custom URL,

summary.

2. Add at least one multimedia presentation.

3. Limit the use of “I”.

Call to Action• Invite your reader to reach out to you.Example: “Connect with me on LinkedIn if you

want to talk about (X) [where X is the problem you solve or value you add.]

• Other idea: consider a “freemium” offer.Example: “To get our free white paper on the 3

common mistakes people make when handling X challenge, click here.”

The Power of 3rd Party Endorsements

A recent Forbes article defines “social proof” as a “psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others reflect correct behavior for a given situation.”

•Social proof on LI is a must have and can take the following forms:

Downloadable case studyThird party endorsements (don’t craft the language). Expect give and take.

Keep it Real

• Do NOT do any of the following:– cut and paste catch words or phrases multiple

times.– use fake or ghostwritten recommendations.– exaggerate or mislead.– name drop.– pass along links you haven’t read.

COMPANY PAGES 101

• 30 sec commercial which outlines what problem your company solves.

• Ensure all on your team join and post.• Collaboration between marketing and

sales is critical.• Include industry news as well as

company updates.

GET CONNECTED

• Using Sales Navigator, create saved leads. (30 day free trial at http://bit.ly/sales_navigator)

• Monitor buying signals.• Use the news stream to generate more

leads.• Feel for warm paths to prospects.

Responding EffectivelyA recent study from Lead Response Management revealed that a prospect is 100 times more likely to respond when a seller reaches out within 5 minutes as opposed to reaching out 30 minutes later.

•Research your prospect’s profile and recent activity for insights.

•Use the “get introduced” feature – or, name your shared connection (with permission).

To Connect or Not To Connect

Consider this when choosing to add someone to your network with whom you are unlikely to exchange actual value:

Pros•You can market to a wider audience•Access to more people.•Improve brand recognition and rankings.

Cons•Watered down networking and junk in newsfeed.•Harder to keep track of relationships.•Lose credibility.

Best practice: limit your personal page and open your company page.

LINKEDIN GROUPS

4 Best Practices:1.Only join groups that match your business focus.2.Mind your manners.3.Remember – no hard sell.4.Consider creating and managing a LI group of your own focused on the problem you solve.

POSTING

• How often?– As often as you find content with value.

3x/day – 3x/week.• What?

– A variety about your industry, resources, company, quotes, graphics, etc.

• Hint: use PP to create images to upload.

4 WORST PRACTICES

1. Pretending to know someone you don’t.

2. Failing to proofread your profile.

3. Not maintaining a professional standard of behavior and visibility.

4. Sending long written sales pitches via inmail.

PAGE EXAMPLES

Stacy Strauss - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacystrauss

Innovation Center - https://www.linkedin.com/grp/

home?gid=4014655

Source:

• https://s3.amazonaws.com/sandlertraining/free-offers/25-Secrets-LinkedIn/LinkedIn_The_Sandler_Way.pdf?inf_contact_key=7cf06f6418ac829171a8250985b768640fc491ecf77eff5245588c9c56eab792

LINKEDIN The Sandler Way

Questions??