Read Me to Level-Up Your Digital Sales

When you’re considering if it’s worth putting pants on for your next Zoom call, it’s probably time to admit we’re no longer in a normal sales environment.

But it does highlight just how reliant we now are on technology when it comes to engaging our prospects. Digital tools and technology have never been more effective at helping you find and convert new opportunities, which is just as well.

The opportunity for in-person meetings has long been seen as important to advancing deals, so being without them can feel like having one hand tied behind your back. In reality, all it’s done is make it essential for sales to be as smart as possible about working remotely – which means using the right tools to their maximum benefit.

It’s the reason why we created a series of short, step-by-step guides on the basics for using LinkedIn for sales. The series is called Read Me, because frankly, it should be pretty high on your list of priorities to refine your strategy and adjust to the new sales landscape.

Each of the six guides leads you through a simple process to improve your LinkedIn presence, as well as how to find, understand, and engage potential customers through LinkedIn. The ultimate goal, naturally, is closing more sales, more often.

The series includes:

·       How to create an effective sales profile

Make an outstanding first impression on your prospects with a strong personal brand. Follow 9 steps that will optimise your sales profile to generate more leads and opportunities for dialogue.

·       How to target the right prospects on LinkedIn

Spend less time selling to people who can’t make decisions and more time on the ones who’ll say yes. Take 10 minutes out of your day to learn how you can build a stronger sales pipeline.

·       How to improve your InMail response rate

Start better conversations with this guide on how to create a well-crafted, personalised InMail. With average open rates of more than 50%, it’s your best introduction when a personal referral isn’t possible.

·       How to uncover relevant sales insights

There is a wealth of information on LinkedIn to help you learn what matters most to your prospects. Build a research routine that allows you qualify leads and boost your initial interactions in just a few minutes.

·       How to engage with key decision makers on LinkedIn 

It is a fact that more top-performing salespeople use LinkedIn to seek-out and build relationships with their prospects. But none of them have a secret method, so here are 6 proven ways that you can join them.

·       How to build valuable relationships on LinkedIn

Nothing ranks higher than trust in your relationship with the buyer when it comes to closing a deal. Learn how you can establish credibility and leverage your contacts with the right decision makers.

Of course, a good salesperson never relies on one tool to get the job done and there are plenty of sales technology options that enable a more streamlined and effective pipeline. A natural place to start is your CRM, where you can automate tasks like emails and appointments, gather further intelligence on customer behaviour and prioritise your most profitable prospects.

But when if you're stuck inside with only a computer and a telephone, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is pretty unbeatable when it comes to the depth of intelligence on offer.

And by integrating your company's CRM with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you can spot more insights and grow shared connections with your buyer, allowing you to increase your win rate and reduce your sales cycle by up to 10%.

It’s one of the reasons why 47% of sellers in UK, France and Germany report using LinkedIn for sales intelligence, higher than any other platform¹. By gaining a better understanding of what buyers value, when they change jobs, or which connections you have in common, you inevitably find yourself in a much stronger position to engage and convert them.

Now, no one’s pretending that the art of the handshake is lost forever. But to build and nurture relationships in the current sales environment you need to add more digital strings to your bow. The good news is that with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you can engage buyers with personalised outreach through a single platform.

And with our six Read Me guides, you now have no excuse for not getting started. So put your trousers on, pull your socks up and get stuck in.

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