SOCIAL SELLING colleagues and bosses and add new acquaintances each time you make a face-to-face connection .
3 . Add a background image : Stand out from the crowd . You wouldn ’ t dream of having a Facebook or Twitter profile without a banner image . Don ’ t leave your LinkedIn profile naked either . ( Hat Tip : Viveka von Rosen )
4 . Don ’ t forget the basics : Profile picture , short tag-line , work history and education .
5 . Brag about yourself a little : Don ’ t be afraid to list your awards and honors .
6 . Have a killer summary : Combine your story into a shortened summary . This will be the first main attraction anyone will see on your page .
7 . Post Content : Hammer away about what you love to talk about . This gives individuals insights into your passions , personality and expertise . Clients don ’ t buy from companies ; they buy from people . Let them know who you are .
TIP NO . 2 : UTILIZE ALL OUTLETS WHY Reaching your customer where they want to be reached when they are ready to buy is critical to increasing sales . Social selling is a great way to do this .
HOW LinkedIn is the greatest selling and prospecting tool we have ever seen . However , this doesn ’ t mean you replace all your offline and online strategies that have worked in the past . Specifically : Social selling doesn ’ t replace your coffees , meetings , lunches and golf outings . LinkedIn is primarily designed to help start and deepen relationships when time and distance are issues .
Use your EQ ( emotional intelligence ) to determine when and where each individual customer wants to be reached both offline and online — keeping in mind that everyone differs . If a client loves the ballet , taking them to a football game doesn ’ t make much sense . So use Facebook , email , direct mail , birthday cards and such to properly cross-sell and augment your LinkedIn social selling activity .
There is exponential power in meeting people for lunches , as well as having your message appear in your prospect ’ s mailbox , inbox and social feed .
TIP NO . 3 : ENDORSING PEOPLE WHY It ’ s a way of posting-it-forward . It keeps you top of mind with important connections in a positive way . Oh , and the science shows it makes you and the recipient happier .
LINKEDIN IS PRIMARILY DESIGNED TO HELP START AND DEEPEN RELATIONSHIPS WHEN TIME AND DISTANCE ARE ISSUES .
HOW 1 . Go to the profile of the person you wish to endorse .
2 . Underneath their photo , you will see suggested endorsements .
3 . Select the endorsement you feel is most relevant .
4 . The endorsement must be genuine — only endorse people for skills you know they have . Endorsing someone for a skill you don ’ t think they have has various downfalls :
1 . You are being phony .
2 . Skills are often randomly placed there by a LinkedIn algorithm and the person may not even want to be endorsed for them .
3 . You signal to that person that you really don ’ t know them well .
We recommend only doing one endorsement for the same person every few days . This helps you stay top of mind for a longer period rather than endorsing the same individual for multiple skills at once . Remember the goal is to play the long game , so it ’ s better to sprinkle 10 endorsements over four weeks than 10 endorsements for the same person in one day .
PRO TIP : Don ’ t use the endorsement box at the top . Instead , scroll down to the list of skills for this person towards the bottom of the page . This list defaults from highest to lowest ( what other people are selecting for skills ). However , the user can also arrange this list to their liking ( reference the book for more tips on managing endorsements ). Always start by endorsing individuals for the skill you know they have that is highest on this list . Avoid the endorsement box at the top , mainly because LinkedIn generates the skills in this box . The skills listed further down the page in the list format are more credible .
Find more great tips like these in Qualman ’ s book , How to Sell on LinkedIn . +
No . 1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qua ! man has performed in 47 countries and reached 25 million people this decade .
His Socialnomics work has been on 60 Minutes to the Wall Street Journal and used by the National Guard to NASA . His book Digital Leader propelled him to be voted the 2nd Most Likeable Author in the World behind Harry Potter ’ s J . K . Rowling .
What Happens in Vegas Stays on You Tube was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and his books are used in over 200 of the world ’ s top universities .
His latest book , How to Sell on Linkedin is becoming mandatory reading for sales teams . Qualman was formerly a sitting professor at Harvard & MIT ’ s edX labs .
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