LinkedIn Sales Advice - Social Media for Sales Professional

Joanne Black, author of No More Cold Calling, joins us to talk about the interaction between social media and sales: it’s not all LinkedIn and Twitter! (Sponsored by Grow Plumbing)


This post is sponsored by Grow Plumbing which is a plumbing internet marketing company helping plumbers use social media and SEO to generate sales leads.

This was an awesome article that was posed on the Business Insider. It is about using LinkedIn as a CRM Tool. 

When it comes to a company's social media strategy, it's easy to get wrapped up in Facebook and Twitter. That's where most of the people are, after all.

But for a more professional edge, LinkedIn is another excellent tool you and your company can use to reach out to current and potential customers.

We spoke to a LinkedIn insider for some tips on how to turn the social network into a handy CRM tool.

Here's the best stuff:

What you can do as an individual LinkedIn user

Comment on status updates. This is a good way to stay in touch with current and past clients. Just don't be too pushy by promoting your services. It's more important to let your contacts know you're around and active.

Search groups related to your field. If you want a leg up before meeting with a potential customer or client, you can search forums related to your company. That way you'll know the kind of questions customers are asking in advance of a sales pitch. It also helps to stay active in those groups to get your name out there. (You can search for groups in the drop down menu located on LinkedIn's main search bar.)

Ask for recommendations from clients. If you receive a complimentary note from a client, it never hurts to ask them if they would add that under your LinkedIn profile's recommendations. This will give prospective clients a good idea what it's like to work with you.

Make sure your profile is complete. You never know if someone is searching for you. If your LinkedIn profile doesn't give visitors a full picture of your professional history, you could end up losing a new contact without even knowing it.

What your company can do

Make a company page. If you haven't done so already, you can make a free company page on LinkedIn. Those pages can be used to share more about your company's products and services to potential customers.

Post updates to your company page. Similar to the way brand pages work on Facebook, you can use a company page on LinkedIn to post updates and share links to those who follow.

Research other company pages. Take a look at other company pages related to your business. It will give you an idea what prospective B2B partners are talking about. You can also get a peek at what the competition is up to.

Advertise on your company page. Your company can work directly with LinkedIn to set up custom advertising and marketing campaigns on its page.

Read more about some of our other social media, internet advertising, and internet marketing sites! 

This is from Better Closer by Bill Rice

Here are some of my regular money-makers…

Keep Up on the News

Whether it's Google News online or the good old-fashioned newspaper, keep in the know.

At least once a week I will spot a person, an organization, or a trend that has an interesting business angle for me. These opportunities are going to look a little different for every sales person, but here are some real examples readers have shared with me:

• A local region was targeted by the Department of Energy for funding smart grid technology. One of our readers sold a technology solution that was a key component to the kind of project.
• A mortgage broker spotted a new builder purchasing existing lots in a incomplete neighborhood development. She got an exclusive referral relationship.
• Numerous stories of how recent legislative changes have opened and closed short-term opportunities for mortgage and insurance brokers.

In addition to direct leads, being knowledgeable of what's going on the world, and even in sports, can give you the edge in a new sales conversation.

Do you have any stories of sales leads you got from tracking the news? I'd love to hear it in a comment below.

Follow Your Competitors

It sounds like follow-the-leader, which is rarely a good strategy. However, I use this strategy more like a quarterback reading the defense. I want to know where the gaps are so I can throw to the open field. And if everything is covered I like to know where the weakest coverage or my strongest advantage is so I can drive it to my strongest option.

You're going to have competition. It's really silly to ignore them. I've found over the years, whether they are better or worse than you, they're still going to feed you leads. Be ready to gather them up.

Networking

Online or offline, you need to be meeting and connecting with people constantly.

My online networking strategy is to go broad, test, and then narrow to the most productive. On a monthly basis I'm usually testing one or more social networking channels. I love observing and measuring the sociology of it all and seeing how I can move human behavior. It's fascinating and highly profitable. In a highly attention saturated market it's tough to move people in the right direction. I want my market to see the real stuff that can help them or their business–that's my goal.

[Secret tip: Once I have determined the most effective strategy in these online networks I teach it and have others manage most of the day-to-day engagement. This allows me to scale these less efficient networking venues.]

My offline strategy is similar. The challenge is that it takes your physical presence and that can be highly inefficient. Therefore, my testing is far more critical. I want to find the best events, meetings, and organizations that are target-rich. Then I concentrate on those venues.

[Secret tip: I also leverage others in my offline strategy. Again, as I figure out the venue or it becomes less productive, I will have others manage and maintain our organization's presence. That way we are still participating, adding value, and gaining value; but it doesn't always require my personal presence.]

Don't Forget Local

In the age of the Internet and everyone being connected, local is rich with business opportunity. I'm not talking about Google Local or some other hot topic in online local. I'm talking walking through the door and shaking a hand in your local community.

Sure everyone goes straight to Google when they need a product or service, but what if you had walked through the door a couple of months ago. Right! They would instead say, "Who was that guy or gal that was in here a few weeks ago–I'm gonna find that card and call them." Or even better, when that person is asked for "Their guy (or gal) for such and such." They'll proudly dig out your card and get you a referral because everyone wants to show they're connected.

Speaking & Writing

This is my bread and butter if you're willing to put in the effort. It is a long-term strategy, but it is also a long-term money-maker. I get calls and emails daily for folks that have read my stuff or heard me speak. Ironically, most of it is older stuff (I think this might be the Google effect of older stuff ranking higher). However, that's the magic. Stuff I wrote years ago or a talk I gave months ago is still bringing me a steady flow of conversations and leads.

In addition, it is a rich repository of sales collateral and references for my current sales. Invariably a new prospect will want me to send them something. My archive of blog posts and presentations makes that about a 5 minute exercise.

Talk to me people! What are your favorite sources of new business? Leave a comment and share.
Also, Contact Us For LinkedIn Sales Training! 

LinkedIn Groups Insights

by anitalillie

Have you ever wondered which LinkedIn Groups would be most valuable to your career? Have you explored new groups and wondered, how active is this group, is this the group for me, or what kind of professionals are in this group?

Today we're launching a brand new Group Statistics dashboard that delivers unique insights into groups. And it's available for every group on LinkedIn.

The new Group Statistics tool focuses on three areas: demographics, growth, and activity.  We've designed each infographic view to highlight the most important signals you'll need to help you understand your group better.

1. Demographics:

In the demographics view, we show you who's in the group.  You can see information about the seniority level, function/role, location, and industry of the various professionals in the group.  Now it's easy to learn which groups are local, which groups cater more to entry-level types vs. CEOs, or which groups are focused in your own industry.

2. Growth:

Here we show how the group has grown over time.  Some groups with truly explosive growth this week may even earn the coveted "Sky-rocketing" badge!

3. Activity:

In the activity panel we focus on comments and discussions, the heart of professional conversation in LinkedIn Groups.  You can easily see whether members start and contribute to discussions regularly. We also show you recent job and promotion counts for the group; a sizeable number of promotions often indicates that the group is being actively moderated by managers and members.

If you find any particular view that intrigues you, or that you'd like to bring to the attention of a friend or colleague, you can share that view through your favorite social channels, such as LinkedIn or Twitter.
This data stays fresh: It's updated every day.

As a data visualization designer at LinkedIn, this has been a very fun tool to design.  In the coming weeks, look for my LinkedIn blog design post where I'll delve into our journey to the design you see today.

Try it out for yourself!  Go to any of your groups (or start with the Groups Directory if you're new to Groups) and click the "Group Statistics" box on the right-hand side of the group's homepage.

 

Check out Groups Statistics for a great group here.

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Gregg Towsley 
Local Search Specialist
tel: (310) 909 8835
cell: (617) 549 5241
gregg@wsiqualitysolutions.com
visit us online at www.wsiqualitysolutions.com

What is Search Engine Optimization?
Watch Video - View Here!

Fwd: Prospect and strike gold!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Verizon Services <verizon-services@verizon.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 6:36 AM
Subject: Prospect and strike gold!
To: GREGG@wsiqualitysolutions.com

Finding new customers is without a doubt the most difficult and stressful aspect for any business seeking to grow or expand, but there are ways to make prospecting for your business less of a chore. Prospecting should be considered as more of an attitude rather than simply as an activity. It is something you need to be constantly aware of because you never know where your next prospect will be coming from. Rather than thinking of prospecting as quoting product features and service benefits, think about it as relationship building and giving people a reason to believe—and a reason to buy. It's very important that, before you begin prospecting leads, you take the time to devise a realistic and workable plan. With the right combination of research, planning, and implementation, you can increase your market presence and make yourself known to your newly targeted audience. Prospect development is a habit. Make it a part of your daily business life – create a rhythm. For example – start every day by making five new contacts. Building your network is an imperative. One of the easiest ways to start to familiarize folks with your business is to create an online persona and presence through social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. CLICK HERE TO MAKE THE Verizon Business Center YOUR DEFAULT WEB PORTAL © 2011 Verizon. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reply to this email as this mailbox is not monitored. If you would like to be excluded from future email communications, please click here to opt-out. Allow up to 10 days for Verizon to process your request. Verizon respects your privacy. For a complete description of our privacy policy, click here. This commercial email is being sent by the Verizon Online Marketing Team, 821 1st Ave., N. St. Petersburg, FL 33701

 

--

Gregg Towsley 
Local Search Specialist
tel: (310) 909 8835
cell: (617) 549 5241
gregg@wsiqualitysolutions.com
visit us online at www.wsiqualitysolutions.com

What is Search Engine Optimization?
Watch Video - View Here!