The Most Valuable Site To A Sales Pro: LinkedIn

LinkedIn is by far my favorite social media platform. It might be because I am not inundated with updates from people about their cats, puppies, babies, favorite lunch spot, etc.

I’m sorry but for the most part I really don’t care what your dog looks like sleeping. He’s cute, I’m sure very cuddly. But unless he was my dog I don’t care.

Because LinkedIn is a business social network you won’t find any posts like that. Instead you will find professionals from all industries and walks of life posting and share interesting articles and news stories. Comments and groups used to share knowledge, and a new way to network with colleagues.

Because of this I have spent a great deal of time learning the top tips and tricks to using it effectively.

I was on LinkedIn from the very beginning and I’ve continuously studied other professional profiles to see what they are doing, try to figure out why they do it, and see if it is a concept I can and would like to use on my own profile.

I also look for consistencies throughout the good and bad profiles. To see what they are doing and again if I want to do the same thing. This has helped me not only perfect my profile, but those I help with LinkedIn optimization.

Keep in mind that being unique on LinkedIn is not about your profile being like no one else’s. It’s about tailoring it to your experience and to your prospects.

If you need help with LinkedIn be sure to get my FREE eBook, Top 9 Tips For Using LinkedIn Like A Sales Pro. All it will cost you is a tweet.

Besides what’s included in the eBook I do have a few other tips that will help you build a stellar LinkedIn profile whether you’re a sales professional or not.

Complete Your Profile Please!

LinkedIn caters to a professional crowd. It’s purpose it to showcase you as a business person.

And yet time after time I am searching through LinkedIn (like a good sales person should) and I find profiles that are outdated, incomplete, or down right confusing.

This blows my mind. You have this one stop shop to find more prospects and networking professionals then any one person could handle. To ignore it or not use it to it’s full advantage is a very bad idea.

As a sales person LinkedIn should be a top priority. And that’s actually true for any business professional.

So be sure to make your profile as clear and concise as you can. And show why someone would want to work with you.

Complete every section to it’s fullest so that you have as much information as possible. All information you control.

This helps you put your best foot forward and helps LinkedIn point people in your direction when they search for your specific keywords.

One thing I’d like to add…don’t lie. Just like a resume, you should NEVER lie about your experiences on LinkedIn.

Don’t Make Your Profile About You

This kind of goes against the basic idea of “your profile” doesn’t it?

Another common mistake I see is that sales professionals make their profile a rehashed version of their resume.

Your LinkedIn profile is not your resume. Don’t treat it like one. ~Tweet This!

Your LinkedIn profile should be about your ideal prospect. What you’ve done for other people like them, and what you can do for them should they choose to do business with you.

Also always be sure to provide a call to action in your profile. I’ve found this to work best in the Summary section close to the top but you’re welcome to put it where you feel it will work best. Your summary, work experience, contact information.

It’s up to you. Just make sure to add one.

Connect With Your Peers

LinkedIn is all about networking. So be sure to reach out to your peers. Not only those you currently work with. But individuals you’ve worked with in the past.

Reach out to customers, prospects, and everyone else in between.

Not only does this allow you to stay up to date with their happenings, it also helps when you’re searching for contact people within an organization.

For example, if you connect to someone who has 100 connections, then you can see some basic information for those 100 people. If you connect with someone who has 500+ connections then you can see the basic info for those 500+.

The larger your network, and the higher connected your network is, the better your prospect research will be.

Start by connecting with people you know before you start reaching out to prospects. If you reach out to someone who has no idea who you are, and you only have 23 connections, you won’t be taken very seriously.

Next Steps For LinkedIn

Well I hope you got a few ideas from the above but if you need another one please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.

I am always happy to connect with fellow sales professionals. But please don’t send me the generic invitation to connect. Send me a personalize message. And of course be sure to mention you found me from The Sales Pro Blog.

And if you need more tips and tricks sign up now and get your free copy of my  Top 9 Tips For Using LinkedIn Like A Sales Pro. Simply pay with a tweet and it’s yours.

Hope to see you soon on LinkedIn.

~Johnny Bravo