How to Be More Effective on LinkedIn

There are more than 467 million members on LinkedIn. Are you and your sales team?

I would hope so! Social selling is critical for the modern seller. Social selling provides new opportunities for salespeople to break through all the noise out there and connect with their ideal customers. 90% of top decision-makers say they never respond to cold calls. But, 76% of buyers are ready to have a conversation on social media (Hootsuite).

Many of the salespeople who are on LinkedIn are not using it right or are not using it to its full capabilities. That’s why, when I had the opportunity to speak with one of the nations leading experts on social selling through LinkedIn, Brynne Tillman, Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer at Vengreso, I took it!

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Alice:

What is the biggest mistake salespeople make on LinkedIn?

Brynne:

There are a few – but the biggest mistake is to connect and forget. LinkedIn should be seen just like you would an in-person event. It’s networking with people not just profiles. When you connect and ignore your new connection it’s like showing up at a networking meeting, walking up to a person, handing them your business card and walking away. What good was that? Start a conversation, provide value and engage with all of your new connections.

Alice:

Our clients really struggle with writing a good summary, what tips can you give them?

Brynne:

Make the summary about them not you. Bring value to them, get them curious, teach them something and get them to want to learn more from you. I like to look at the summary almost like a blog post. I start with the challenge, add insights, talk about who and how you help and add a call to action so they know what to do now.

Alice:

What shouldn’t you put in your summary?

Brynne:

This is not an opportunity to pitch. Don’t focus on why they should hire you, rather focus on content that provides value and gets them to want to talk with you, because you provide value.

Alice:

What advice can you give to create a headline that gets people’s attention?

Brynne:

The job of the headline is to get folks to want to keep reading. So make sure you connect with your buyer and get them curious. Talk about who and how you help and lead them to learn more in your profile.

Alice:

What should people know about skills and endorsements in terms of developing credibility and findability?

Brynne:

This section was developed for recruiters to find candidates that have the skills they were looking for regarding a specific job. That said, the skills section is an SEO opportunity, so listing keywords and phrases that people will use when they are looking for your products and services is a smart way to use this section. There are 3 skills that are visible when someone is scanning your profile, choose the top skills that your buyers would resonate with. And, the more endorsements you have the better it looks and the higher you will come up in searches.

Alice:

What are your tips for growing your network, but growing it with the right connections?

Brynne:

Although there are many avenues to building a strong and trusted network, I am a big fan of growing my network in 3 ways:

1. Introductions for COIs (Centers of Influence) and clients

2. Connecting with people that are engaging on my content or that I find through engaging on other people’s content

3. Connecting with people that I speak with or meet offline

Alice:

Some people have thousands of connections, how do you achieve that? Is it important to have so many connections?

Brynne:

I think there is a fine balance between quality and quantity. The more you share content and engage, the more inbound connection requests you will receive. I don’t accept everyone into my network, but I do engage with everyone – ask them how they found me and then if they engage I will most-likely include them in my network.

Alice:

How do you leverage the network you have to reach the people you want to reach?

Brynne:

I share content and run targeted webinars and invite my network to join them. I try to consistently add value the best I can.

Alice:

As a sales leader, how can I help my salespeople be more effective on LinkedIn?

Brynne:

Teach them how to best brand themselves in a way that attracts, teaches and engages their buyers. Guide them to network with their new and existing connections, show them how to leverage their existing connections to gain access to buyers and help them to understand how to be a thought leader and subject matter expert on LinkedIn.

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Are you ready to become an expert in social selling on LinkedIn? Sign up for Vengreso’s Social Selling Bootcamp to reach MORE buyers and GROW your sales pipeline!