While twitter and facebook have proved themselves to be fairly valuable in lead generation, LinkedIn has always been referred to as the ‘businessman’s tool’, great for connecting with other like-minded individuals. But, can it be used successfully as a sales tool? Are those people who check you out going to connect with you, and once connected, will they purchase what you sell?
According to Flyn Penoyer, a LinkedIn expert and guru on online business networking, the trick is not to ‘sell’ yourself (or your products and services) on LinkedIn, but rather to use it as a marketing channel. Challenge your connections to become evangelists for you, and use them to widen your network and build up your relationship circle.
Others disagree. They say if used appropriately, LinkedIn can support an entire sales cycle, including lead generation and solution offerings. Let’s look at some ways a sales person can leverage LinkedIn to their benefit:
Use it as a Lead generation tool: LinkedIn has some invaluable tools to help you find your ideal customers, including a simple, yet powerful ‘search’ feature. Use it to search by company, title, or even industry. Likewise, remember that others may be searching for you. Ensure your profile is always updated and linked to sales tools such as your website and blog.
Gain referrals: Prepare a list of what you offer, and ask your 1st person contacts if they can refer potential customers to you – you may be surprised at how many names get sent your way. By tapping into 2nd and even 3rd degree contacts, you can widen your potential customer database thrice fold.
Network: This is the prime purpose of LinkedIn, so use it to meet others in the industry. LinkedIn supports networking at various levels – you can search and find colleagues and partners, join groups, start groups (preferably around an industry, not a product), ask for interviews, and even subscribe to RSS feeds, all which help keep you in the know and grow your contacts. I particularly like the ‘Who’s viewed your profile’ feature and the ‘Viewers of this profile also viewed’ feature, as they give you a sense of potential contacts and what they are interested in.
Advertise: Special offers on LinkedIn can generate results. The ‘ads by LinkedIn members’ is a unique feature that allows you to customize your ads to a selected target audience. One more way of reaching your potential customers.
Promote your expertise: As a salesperson, your profile is only a small part by which to showcase your abilities. The ‘question and answer’ section is another place to promote yourself. Use it to ask questions from industry experts and take the time to answer questions. You’ll be amazed at the strong connections you can forge at the question/answer section, simply because people appreciate you taking the time to share your expertise with them.
Find solutions partners: Sales prospecting is about finding customers who require your services. But it’s also about building long term relationships. Those who may not use your services immediately cannot be ruled out as future potential customers. LinkedIn allows you to build on these relationships. Another good sales practice is to grow contacts with ‘partners’, those who offer complimentary services to what you do. Share their expertise and benefit from their connections. Use them to help you deliver a complete solution to your customers.
Build an online reputation: People want to work with top sales reps, but they also want to be reassured you are a trusted advisor, offering workable solutions that make their lives/businesses easier. LinkedIn is a great tool to build your own reputation, and you can connect your profile to your website, blog, and other social networking accounts, to stay in the loop and strengthen your brand. Don’t forget to ask customers or clients for recommendations – they are an excellent tool to validate your work. On my own LinkedIn profile, you’ll see I have a number of recommendations which talk about my work and my work ethics. As a salesperson, what better way to cement your reputation than by having others recommend you!
As with any online tool, it takes time and patience to build your reputation, flesh out an appropriate target pool, and gain the trust of a wider audience. But if used in conjunction with other social media tools, LinkedIn can be a valuable resource to a sales person.
