7 Steps to Attract More Clients With LinkedIn

Do you struggle with finding new leads and clients for your business?

You are not alone. Many sellers face the same problem. 

This problem can be further compounded by the amount of time you must spend qualifying leads that are coming in. This is time that you are not spending on revenue-generating activities.

If you are a business-to-business (B2B) business owner, entrepreneur, professional service provider or salesperson, understanding how to make the most of LinkedIn can help you overcome these challenges.

With over 800 million members worldwide, LinkedIn allows sellers to build powerful professional networks. Like a business-networking event, LinkedIn allows users to connect and build relationships in a professional setting. But unlike an in-person event, users have access to a much larger pool of prospective customers and strategic alliances.

In fact, LinkedIn helps you:

• Get direct access to decision-makers.
• Distribute your content to a wider audience.
• Drive more traffic to your blogs and sites than other social media platforms.
• Generate more leads.

LinkedIn is the ultimate relationship-building tool. With so many professionals, business owners, and c-level executives using the platform, LinkedIn gives you direct access to your target market.

LinkedIn also provides you with the tools to find, connect and build relationships with your audience. This dramatically increases the effectiveness of your sales efforts and shortens the length of your sales cycle.

Here are seven steps to help you start attracting more clients on LinkedIn today.

Step 1: Build a buyer-centric profile.

Just as you would not meet key decision-makers in sloppy or unprofessional attire, you must ensure that your profile presents you in a way that will help and not hinder your efforts. A few quick tips for creating a professional profile:

• Always include a profile picture. While a professional headshot is nice, more than anything you should use a photo that helps open doors in your target industry. If your clients don’t wear suits, you may want to opt for something more casual. 
• Check position descriptions and other text sections for typos. 
• Your LinkedIn profile is not your resume. Emphasize measurable accomplishments–not duties and responsibilities. Share achievements that matter to your target market. 
• Your LinkedIn profile is a living document. Update it on a regular basis.

LinkedIn Pro Tip: Take it one step further and make your LinkedIn profile buyer-centric by following the tips in this blog.

Step 2: Understand your market. 

Lead generation on LinkedIn requires you to have a clear grasp of your target market, so begin by thinking of common titles your market would use to describe themselves. This will be a crucial part of finding prospects to connect with online.

Once you have a few titles that you want to specifically target for new prospects, you can easily find prospects that fit your profile. 

You can also go beyond understanding individual prospects, and gain greater insight into industry and sector trends using LinkedIn Sales Insights. For example, data from LSI can help you understand which industries and geographical locations are growing–even when others aren’t. 

LinkedIn Pro Tip: LinkedIn Sales Navigator can help sellers identify buyers by important criteria like title, industry and level of engagement on LinkedIn. Learn how you can dive deep in this blog with advice from LinkedIn’s own sales team.

Step 3: Speak (and write) like a human. 

When you receive a notification that someone has accepted your connection request on LinkedIn, reach out with a personalized “thank you” message. Don’t pitch your services or self-promote in any way other than adding the URL to your website in your signature.

If possible, find some commonality in their profile that can be used to engage in a conversation. LinkedIn has sections where users can share causes they care about, as well as volunteer opportunities they have participated in. Information like this is a great way to understand what truly matters to your buyers. 

Just like a cocktail party, the only thing you should be concerned about is getting to know that person and leaving a positive impression on them.

LinkedIn Pro Tip: Don’t “connect-and-pitch” on LinkedIn. Instead, follow this advice on email communication from sales thought leader Will Allred. 

Step 4: Build your brand.

Building your brand is a crucial step to building your LinkedIn sales funnel.  

According to LinkedIn Sales [In]Sider Darren McKee, one way to do that is by posting fresh content every day.

“It sounds simple, but the results of building an authentic community around your content are staggering,” says McKee, who as of this writing has posted something on LinkedIn every day for more than 1,000 days. “A little more than a year ago, I had 11,000 connections. Now I am gaining about 1,000 followers per week. I haven’t used pods, bots, or spent a dollar (other than my time) on building my following. I have just used my words, and this wonderful community.”

LinkedIn Pro Tip: You can learn more about McKee’s success in this blog.

Step 5: Help your network build out their brands.

It is easy to get caught up in developing your own brand. It is thrilling to get even a fraction of the engagement thought leaders like Darren McKee get.

However, McKee and other LinkedIn creators will always tell you the simple truth: Success on the platform requires building up your network. It requires users to engage in genuine, thoughtful support–without the expectation of receiving the same in return. 

LinkedIn is different from any other social network. The platform allows users to actively invest in the success of others. That alone is an opportunity most top performers relish. 

Spend a few minutes every day:

• Commenting, liking, and sharing content published by your connections. 
• Actively look to make introductions that can benefit members of your network who may not know one another. 
• When you come across members sharing events, achievements, and challenges from their personal life, be especially thoughtful. LinkedIn can provide a window into your prospect’s life. It is an opportunity, but don’t abuse the privilege. 

Step 6: Move relationships offline.

This is a most critical step where many people fall short. Without this final step, there’s a whole lot of social and not a lot of selling. Once you’ve built enough rapport and established your credibility, you have to make the transition to an offline conversation.

Don’t try to sell or pitch anything without having a conversation and getting to know more about the problems your prospect is facing. Only then can you offer a solution.

If you’ve followed steps 1-6 properly, your prospect should be open to the idea of speaking offline since you’ve demonstrated: 

• Credibility
• Expertise
• Your ability to provide value

Step 7: Be consistent.

Ultimately your success on LinkedIn will depend on your dedication to making the platform an extension of your personality and a foundational part of your professional community.

With the consistent addition of targeted connections to your network and building your reputation as an authority in your industry, you will begin attracting a steady stream of your ideal clients through your proactive efforts.

Stick to it. Success takes time, but the results are worth it.  

Remember

LinkedIn is a powerful tool that can help sellers strengthen their pipeline and meet their quota.

By following the seven simple steps outlined above, sellers can reach buyers and develop genuine relationships that can become incredible business opportunities. 

Takeaways

1. Build a LinkedIn profile that places your buyer at the center of your communication. Make sure they learn who you are, what you care about, and how you deliver value. 
2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator can help you identify key criteria about your prospects, increasing the chances of a successful sale. 
3. Communicate with prospects in a way that shows you genuinely value and care about them.
4. Success on LinkedIn is all about creating community. Value-added content is a great way to build that community. 
5. Don’t forget to build up your network. Creating opportunities for others is the best way to build your funnel. 
6. Be consistent. Success on LinkedIn takes time – nothing good ever happens overnight. 

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