Why do some salespeople succeed at LinkedIn while others fail miserably? In my latest podcast episode I had a talk with Liz J. Simpson, digital marketing specialist at Stimulyst, to get insights on how to make it work. In this blog post you will get a conclusion about my learnings.
If B2B salespeople want to succeed with their sales today, they need to create effective strategies on LinkedIn. A new client acquisition requires the buyer’s contact information, and an established connection. What more is, to be a trustworthy partner you also need to provide them with valuable content and have an authentic approach. Your prospects need to consider you an authority or a “peer” within the area.
LinkedIn gives us all this at our fingertips, which is a salesperson’s dream.
But there are some things to consider.
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Have a clear positioning
How do you get leverage as a B2B company on LinkedIn? Success rates still vary since everyone on LinkedIn hasn’t yet figured out how to be effective. You can’t be everything to everyone. First off is therefore to have a clear positioning. And once you’ve niched yourself you need to target your messages towards your prospects.
Since buyers today are sceptical, visual appearance important. Your prospects will trust a person who is authentic and visible. That’s why account based strategies (ABM) works well. Ask yourself who you’re looking to influence and how to build a genuine relationship with them.
Next step is to make sure you have optimized your profile.
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Optimize your personal profile
The most common mistakes are to focus on posting and connecting instead of engaging and building relationships. An optimized profile is a good start where the key areas are:
- Cover banner
- Profile image
- Headline
- The about section
- Work experience
Since LinkedIn is connected to Google your profile appears first in the search. If it’s not appealing, you will most likely be disregarded. 90% of all companies today rule out a service provider before even talking to them.
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Build relationships with mail one-to-one
Authentic relationships on LinkedIn are best built through the InMail function, but each message need to be customized to feel genuine. And don’t rush it – the best way to gain trust is to provide value without asking for something in return.
SUMMARY: The 6-best advice for LinkedIn success
- Have a clear positioning and target your messages
- Start with a well-defined and specific profile
- Be visual and authentic
- Focus on account based strategies
- For content – focus on the buyer’s journey
- Build relationships with InMails on-to-one
Do you work in B2B sales and would like to know more about how you can succeed with your LinkedIn? Watch our webinar on demand "Social selling: How B2B tech salespeople can succeed on LinkedIn"
