Having a strong LinkedIn strategy for generating leads and sales is essential for success as a sales executive. This begins with an exceptional profile, written from the perspective of delivering value.
When you target potential clients or customers on LinkedIn, the first place they usually go is your profile. You need to give them something catchy that grabs their attention at a single glance. If they stay, you need to lead them into reading your profile where you have a chance to present your value proposition. This is worth its weight in gold if you do it correctly.
The following profile sections, if completed correctly will convert more of your profile visitors into discovery calls:
A professional image is critical. I'm sure you've seen tiny little photos, no photo, pictures of people's dogs, cartoons, and so forth. These are all immediate turn offs. Who wants to engage with somebody who hides their identity? Statistics show that a professional and attractive photo has a strong impact on the rate at which potential customers will connect with you.
The banner image at the top of your profile is a great place to brand yourself. LinkedIn's stock photos are pretty well-worn, so I recommend getting one from a stock photo service. Contrast and color matching with your headshot photo is important. For example, if you are wearing a black suit, a lighter color banner image can work well and make your photo pop out. Or you might want to go with a dark banner to emphasize the serious nature of your work, such as law or Internet security. I recommend against adding logos, avatars or anything like that.
Your byline or headline should state what you do in a nutshell. LinkedIn defaults to your job title, which is usually something like Head of XYZ. That might means something if you're the CEO, but you should also include a few words about what value you bring to the conversation. Otherwise, why should I connect with you? It's like an elevator pitch.
Publishing Posts is one of the most important things you can do. These are essentially blog posts on topics where you have expertise. Do you sell engineering services? Then an article on the top 10 questions to ask before settling on an engineering service is a high value Post. Comparisons, how to articles, case studies, personal stories about successes you've brought about. All of these are good Posts to publish. These help establish you as an industry authority and get you found in searches.
Projects are important. This is a place you can put case studies, successful projects, etc. This adds credibility to your pitch. It also gives sales prospects an idea of how you can help them with our solution.
Believe it or not, the interests section is important for a good LinkedIn strategy. When people in your second degree network see how they're connected, one or more common interests may appear. Many times your potential prospects will want to do business with you because they share your love of the environment or animal rights. So list as many interests as you have.
If you have published online or offline, the publications section is the place to list these. Publishing is important in many circles (law or science, for example), and it is good to list papers, articles, films, interviews and other content you've originated or co-authored.
Your LinkedIn profile, when written from the perspective of what your ideal target prospects are looking for, will work for you for years as a core part of your successful new LinkedIn strategy.
When you target potential clients or customers on LinkedIn, the first place they usually go is your profile. You need to give them something catchy that grabs their attention at a single glance. If they stay, you need to lead them into reading your profile where you have a chance to present your value proposition. This is worth its weight in gold if you do it correctly.
The following profile sections, if completed correctly will convert more of your profile visitors into discovery calls:
A professional image is critical. I'm sure you've seen tiny little photos, no photo, pictures of people's dogs, cartoons, and so forth. These are all immediate turn offs. Who wants to engage with somebody who hides their identity? Statistics show that a professional and attractive photo has a strong impact on the rate at which potential customers will connect with you.
The banner image at the top of your profile is a great place to brand yourself. LinkedIn's stock photos are pretty well-worn, so I recommend getting one from a stock photo service. Contrast and color matching with your headshot photo is important. For example, if you are wearing a black suit, a lighter color banner image can work well and make your photo pop out. Or you might want to go with a dark banner to emphasize the serious nature of your work, such as law or Internet security. I recommend against adding logos, avatars or anything like that.
Your byline or headline should state what you do in a nutshell. LinkedIn defaults to your job title, which is usually something like Head of XYZ. That might means something if you're the CEO, but you should also include a few words about what value you bring to the conversation. Otherwise, why should I connect with you? It's like an elevator pitch.
Publishing Posts is one of the most important things you can do. These are essentially blog posts on topics where you have expertise. Do you sell engineering services? Then an article on the top 10 questions to ask before settling on an engineering service is a high value Post. Comparisons, how to articles, case studies, personal stories about successes you've brought about. All of these are good Posts to publish. These help establish you as an industry authority and get you found in searches.
Projects are important. This is a place you can put case studies, successful projects, etc. This adds credibility to your pitch. It also gives sales prospects an idea of how you can help them with our solution.
Believe it or not, the interests section is important for a good LinkedIn strategy. When people in your second degree network see how they're connected, one or more common interests may appear. Many times your potential prospects will want to do business with you because they share your love of the environment or animal rights. So list as many interests as you have.
If you have published online or offline, the publications section is the place to list these. Publishing is important in many circles (law or science, for example), and it is good to list papers, articles, films, interviews and other content you've originated or co-authored.
Your LinkedIn profile, when written from the perspective of what your ideal target prospects are looking for, will work for you for years as a core part of your successful new LinkedIn strategy.
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The right LinkedIn strategy can help boost your sales. To get you on track to beat your sales targets check out these professional LinkedIn lead generation services.