LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for swiftly locating new clients as well as the individuals we have mutual interests with. However, few salesmen are fully aware of LinkedIn’s capabilities and what it can do for their business.
What are the best ways to make the most of your LinkedIn profile? Today, we’ll go over 7 unique ways to increase sales on LinkedIn, as well as a few ways to increase sales examples.
What is LinkedIn marketing?
Before I get into the specifics, I want to make sure you understand that LinkedIn isn’t just for job seekers and professionals. Sure, LinkedIn is used by millions of people every day to expand their networks and advance their careers, but you can use it to expand your business as well.
This social networking platform exposes you and your company to millions of connections, which you can utilize to create relationships with individuals and other businesses in order to grow your brand.
Importance of a LinkedIn marketing strategy
In comparison to other social media networks, LinkedIn is less about selling or marketing your products and services.
Spamming, evident hard-selling, and overtly pushing your business are all frowned upon on LinkedIn.
This is why having a platform-specific marketing approach is critical. Because this network caters to a completely different demographic, LinkedIn marketing needs a unique strategy in order to achieve the desired outcomes.
LinkedIn, when used correctly, is a powerful marketing tool that can propel your company to new heights.
It’s important to remember that sales pitches and pushy advertising do NOT work. You’ll need a LinkedIn-specific strategy to get the consumer reach and outcomes you desire, as well as appeal to your connections.
How to increase online sales via LinkedIn? Tips for salespeople
The fact that you’re in sales means you’re targeting an entirely different audience than most professionals on this platform. Prospects are the ones you’re trying to appeal to, not hiring managers and recruiters.
Keep this in mind because it implies you shouldn’t brag about how good a salesperson you are. Do you believe it matters to your customers that you broke your team’s sales record?
In no way, shape, or form. In reality, these details just serve to remind people that you’re a salesperson, making them distrustful of your motivations.
So, what is important to potential clients? Consider the following tips.
Build a strong personal brand
A great personal brand demonstrates that you are engaged in your field. Prospects are more likely to contact you as a result of it.
You can’t afford to let your personal brand disqualify you from the buying process in an age when sales prospects are judging prospective vendors and sales professionals online.
Your personal brand requires regular maintenance to stay on top of your game, and an ignored online presence may rapidly become monotonous which could lead to decreasing interest of your customers.
ABC: Always Be Connecting
Although networking has always been beneficial to sales success, it is now absolutely necessary for identifying high-quality prospects.
People buy from people that they like and trust, and having a common link advocate for you is the easiest way to become loved and trusted.
You create warm channels to contact prospects and opportunities to earn referrals by building your network and remaining connected with critical relationships.
You should encourage customers to join your network whenever you finish a sale. Why?
First and foremost, if you have your customers on LinkedIn, it will be much easier to ask for a high-quality recommendation.
But what’s more crucial is that you’ll be able to discover the correct individual to send another possibility to. Simply go to the prospect’s LinkedIn page and see if any of your current clients have mutual connections.
Finally, it’s a means to stay in touch with this consumer and establish a relationship with them.
If sending a LinkedIn request directly seems awkward, just ask, “Can I send you a LinkedIn invitation?” or “Would you like to connect on LinkedIn?” These will be met with enthusiasm by the majority of individuals.
If you don’t have the opportunity to meet in person, always personalize your LinkedIn request. Instead of sending a default invitation, describe why you’d like to connect with them.
Create a pleasant buying experience
Make a positive impression on others by creating a pleasant experience for them. When prospects are ready to take the next step, they will remember how pleasant it was to work with you.
We all want to close more sales faster, and there are a few strategies you can employ to do it organically. Force-feeding an agenda to prospects, on the other hand, does not work.
Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
You can transform your LinkedIn profile into a great sales asset with a few modifications.
The most vital aspect is that your profile is completely filled out. If your prospects are interested in what you’re selling, there’s a good chance they’ll search you up. When they do, your profile should present you and your organization in a professional light.
One of the first things they’ll see is your headline. LinkedIn populates your headline with your current job title by default.
Change this phrase to a value proposition that grabs your audience’s attention to stand out. Make the most of the 120 characters you’ve been given. It should highlight the value you bring to the table.
Furthermore, make your summary more than a list of duties you accomplish at your present work; job descriptions are for that.
Give folks a glimpse into who you are and why you do what you do by using this area. Put the company you work for in a positive light to maximize this section for sales. Consider it a brief yet effective sales pitch for your organization.
Again, don’t be dull or generic; here is your time to make a wonderful and genuine first impression.
Just as important as the headline and summary are the projects.
LinkedIn allows you to highlight projects on which you’ve worked. Make use of this feature!
You should use media to promote your product or service when it comes to sales optimization. To highlight your abilities, you can include photographs, videos, text, and links. Add a presentation to your profile if you use it for demos, for example.
Join and Participate in LinkedIn Groups
Long before you reach out to your prospects, LinkedIn groups are a terrific method to interact with them. Conduct research on the types of groups that your present customers and ideal future customers belong to.
Make a spreadsheet with a list of all these groups, including the number of members, the level of engagement, and whether the group is open or closed. Then decide on two or three groups to join and become active members of.
It will take time and work, but the goal is to become a thought leader in these communities, providing members with important information and guidance, so when you do reach out to them, they will recognize and trust your name.
Best of all, being a member of the same organization provides you with the ideal excuse to contact a prospect.
Prospect smarter, not harder
Those that prospect smarter have the capacity to focus on the right individuals and companies on a regular basis. How to go about it? It’s simple:
- Identify the appropriate folks quickly.
- Maintain a database of leads and current relationships.
- Make the correct companies, prospects, and sales activities your top priority.
Smart salespeople empower prospects by saving them time, giving them information that aids their decision-making, and doing it in a way that builds trust.
Use LinkedIn’s Dedicated Sales Tool
You can purchase a premium LinkedIn account with access to the LinkedIn Sales Navigator if you want to take it a step further. This program offers a lot of features that can help you improve your sales:
- An innovative algorithm that locates prospects who are most interested in what you have to offer.
- Sales insights from the sales navigator to guarantee that as a decision maker, you get the most up-to-date information.
- Relationship-building techniques that help you get closer to your ultimate aim of making a sale.
Overall, this tool aids in the identification of opportunities as well as the capture of the appropriate individuals at the appropriate moment. The Sales Navigator costs $64.99 a month for an annual membership, but you can try it out for free for 30 days.
Conclusion
It’s undeniable that the next big thing in sales is social selling. You’re missing out on a major potential if you’re not using LinkedIn for sales prospecting.
Unfortunately, many people overlook the fact that their current network might help them expand their business and don’t even realize the potential of an effective LinkedIn marketing strategy.
If you’re ready to put your LinkedIn profile to good use and increase your sales, you can’t go wrong if you follow these seven tips. Good luck!