Is Linkedin the most powerful Social Media for generating leads?

Linkedin is a powerful tool, probably the most powerful social media platform for most sales people available today. Linkedin began in 2006 but didn’t really take off until 2010 when they hit 70 million users. LinkedIn’s founders wisely focused marketing on high-value customers such as venture capitalists and entrepreneurs to champion and then build the platform. The masses then followed the high-value customers.

What is my experience with Linkedin?

I’ve been all over Linkedin for years, ahead of my time one might say. When working at the Housing Industry Association I was one of 6 sales people statewide and was the only one using Linkedin. The other sales people chose to focus on prototypical approaches such as cold walking onto construction sites or cold calling. When in a meeting with the National Sales Manager I mentioned the fact that I had signed up a few clients whereby the conversation started over LinkedIn. An older fellow with a basic grasp on technology he became curious and quizzed me on the matter… Asking me to take screenshots and show him my approach.

Adding prospects as connections

I had been adding as many people as humanly possible every day and I still do to this day, although the amount of people that you can add now is limited to 100 connections per week. Luckily for me, by the time the new restrictions kicked in I had added 17,000 from my specific industry. Admittingly… 4,000 of them may have been hot women working in recruitment also. My Linkedin connections alone propelled my career and helped me land my last two sales management roles and tripled my income. So, I have a lot to thank this platform for.

You won’t just be closing people over Linkedin obviously but it certainly is unrivaled when it comes to prospecting and creating brand awareness.

Prospecting and Creating Brand Awareness on Linkedin

• Scroll through customers friend’s lists to find valuable prospects that know your customer, get your customer to give an introduction to them. Alternatively reach out to the prospect and mention your customer in conversation.
• Find more relevant companies to contact in peoples past experience or “People also viewed” section
• Utilise an Add-on to Linkedin called Lusha which I found to be extremely accurate, get directors phone numbers to avoid getting screened by reception
• See prospects/customers activity to find more prospects
• Add prospects through the “people you may know in your industry” section. Don’t worry if you don’t know them there is a 40% chance in my experience that they will add you. Maybe they want to speak with you or maybe they just want to look important and connected to many people
• ‘Like’ and comment your prospects posts, they will appreciate the support and it will get you noticed
• Post Industry News, Testimonials, Videos.. Content to get you noticed
• When a prospect accepts your friend request, quickly message them and introduce yourself while they are still online if you can. Same deal as when they direct message you, return the response within 5 minutes(if possible). Send a friendly introduction to everyone who accepts your invite or adds you
• Go onto your prospects/customers page and endorse their skills they will appreciate it
• Make sure your “About Me” section makes it very clear as to what you do and how it can benefit prospects

Does Linkedin’s Inmail Work?

Linkedin’s InMail is when you send an credited direct message, like a paid direct message through to a prospect. The answer is simply No, I can categorically tell you from years of experience that it just isn’t worth the effort. You will rarely get a response. Most of the time I don’t think the prospects even see the message as where it pops up makes it difficult to read the entire message. Good prospects would get a number of these messages already and would count you in as just another business coach or weirdo trying to connect rather then giving it the time of day.