Turning Connections To Conversations When Selling With LinkedIn, Episode #112

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Most sales professionals don't realize that selling on LinkedIn is not only possible, it’s powerfully effective. This episode of #SellingWithSocial is a “takeover” featuring Viveka von Rosen as host of the show, interviewing Mario in order to highlight the content of the new Vengreso course, “Selling With LinkedIn.” You’re going to hear…

How to use existing LinkedIn connections to get referrals to your prospects How to follow your prospects strategically and get on their radar through engagement The InMail secret weapon The RIGHT way to send a connection request How to convert connections into conversations And more…

If you’ve been wondering how to make the most of LinkedIn for selling, wonder no more! This episode gives you the basics of how to use the most prominent business-oriented social media platform to connect with prospects who fit your buyer persona perfectly. Don’t miss it!

 

There Is Nothing More Powerful Than Starting Connections Through Referrals

In a recent webinar, the Vengreso team held (Entering Into The Mind of The Marketing Executive Buyer) every exec who participated in the webinar made one thing very clear: The BEST way to get a connection with them is through a referral from someone they already know. That means referrals are your golden ticket into the executive prospect’s office.

But how do you get referrals when you don’t know what connections the two of you have in common? ANSWER: You do it via LinkedIn.

In this episode, Mario outlines a two-step process for finding and utilizing referrals to the people who match your buyer persona. Keep reading to see exactly how it works and listen to this episode to hear it fleshed out in detail.

The Two-Step LinkedIn Process To Personal Referrals To Your Perfect Prospect

It’s true, you can use the tools baked-in to LInkedIn to get personal referrals to the prospects you’d most like to talk to. Here’s how it works:

STEP ONE: Look through your prospect’s connections to see who they know that you also know. These are called “mutual"or "shared” connections. Ideally, you’ll see multiple people who are connections with both of you. What do you do then? Send a message to MULTIPLE people who are connected with both of you. There's a reason for that, and on this episode Mario details why and what that request should say.

STEP TWO: Send a scripted sample message to be sent to the prospect, to the connection who has agreed to make the referral. You want to make it as easy for them as possible. They should modify it to fit their voice and relationship with the person. This saves them time and enables you to make it quick and easy for them to do this favor for you.

Listen to learn more about who are the ideal connections to make referrals for you, how to craft your messaging, and more.

Connect With Sales Prospects By Following Them Effectively On LinkedIn

When you “follow” someone on LinkedIn, do you know what that allows you to do? Following someone allows you to see the person's posts and articles on your homepage without being connected to them. That’s a HUGE advantage when it comes to building the knowledge base you need in order to effectively connect with prospects through LinkedIn. It also enables you to get on their radar in a pre-connection way so that when you do reach out to them, you won’t be an entire stranger.

Here’s how it works: Imagine that you find an ideal buyer for your product or service and you choose to follow them on LinkedIn. They will receive notification that someone followed them (you). In many cases, they will check out your LinkedIn profile. Pay attention to when this happens, it will show you that they are definitely active on LinkedIn.

Once you’ve followed them, what then? It’s time to ENGAGE! As you interact with your prospects by commenting or asking questions about the resources and posts they’ve shared, you are building positive sentiment, displaying your expertise in the industry, and making yourself available. You are able to build the KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST factor with every interaction.

Listen to learn how to use LinkedIn InMail and connection requests appropriately, how and why to incorporate video, and how to apply the PVC methodology to everything you do in relation to prospects.

PERSONALIZED Connection Requests Can Lead to Sales Conversations

How many times have you received a connection request via LinkedIn where the person requesting to connect didn’t bother to tell you why they are connecting with you or how they came to know about you? It’s typical, but the added touch of a personalized connection request goes a long way toward building positive sentiment and familiarity.

So when you finally make a connection request with a prospect, do what you can do personalize it - and be sure to use the PVC methodology (personalize, add value, include a call to action). When you do, most people receiving the request recognize the additional effort you took and accept the request. Then you’ve got your foot in the door to engage with the prospect on a deeper, more meaningful level - eventually leading to sales conversations.

Don’t miss this episode. It’s one of the most practical “how to” conversations you’ll ever hear about selling with LinkedIn.

Outline of This Episode [1:46] Viveka von Rosen hosts Mario on his own show [3:10] Converting connections to conversations when selling with LinkedIn (C2C) [14:27] A step by step cadence to create a connection to a potential buyer [25:46] You’ve done everything so far and no connection - what next? [34:22] An example of circling back on the process multiple times Resources Mentioned Viveka von Rosen on LinkedIn Viveka on Twitter: @LinkedInExpert Selling with LinkedIn and Selling With LinkedIn Sales Navigator courses CSO Insights The previous episode that focused on PVC methodology Entering Into The Mind of The Marketing Executive Buyer (webinar) OneMob Feedly LinkedIn Hashtag search AAISP Sales Conference Previous episode with David Elkington Modern Marketing Engine Podcast - Bernie Borges Connect with Mario! www.vengreso.com On Facebook On Twitter On YouTube On LinkedIn

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