Linkedin for Sales people

How to take advantage professional networking today

45 min

Linkedin for Sales peopleHow to take advantage professional networking today

• An example:

• What is it?

• Why use it?

• How to use it?

• When should I use it?

• A business-oriented social networking site that is mainly used for professional networking.

What is it?

As of 17th July 2009 based on their websites

spanning +170 industries.

Use your network

I know

Join my networkI know

Do you know ?

Why?How?

When?

Join my groupWho?

I know Harnessing Collective Intelligence

http://press.Linkedin.com/abouthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzT3JVUGUzM

six degrees of separation

What?

Why use it?Brief

• It has Major impact on your business– Get more information = Better qualify– Be more visible = Get more credibility

• It’s powerful– Critical size reached (in terms of users and industries)– To give and receive information / expertise

• It’s Free and easy to use– It’s a live business card

• Easily build your prospect org chart and access to basic info– Brief info on the company– Size (employees / revenue)– Websites & blogs– Locations– Employees– Jobs– Stock information– Snapshot view on Business Week

• Get detailed info on these employees– Past / present activities– Specialties / Education– Connections / Groups– Websites, blogs, and more …

Why use it? It’s powerful

It’s Free and easy to use

+ New hires

+ Former employees

+ Recent promotions and changes

Why use it? It’s powerfull

• Easily scan an industry on a specific territory:– Join groups related to this industry and territory and participate!– Look for companies belonging to this industry / territory– Scan them and their employees– Invite them to discuss or to connect

• 1 example, Footwear in Spain (a Friday afternoon)– Join groups and participate! = 30 minutes– No groups talking about Footwear / Fashion in Spain!

• Create one and put some content = 30 minutes– Look for companies and scan their employees = 60 minutes– 60 potential contacts (send an email / invitation)– 2 days later you have:

• 25 new connections and 10 phone numbers to contact them directly and 26 new group members.

• 2 weeks later, I had 3 meetings to start evaluating and qualifying business opportunities

It has Major impact on your business

HIT RATIO!

How to use it?Some rules

• To receive you need to give

• Present yourself, build your profile, be clear, be professional

• Build your network as you move forward

• Visit the web site at least once a week, max once a day and PARTICIPATE

How to use it?Get started

• Create your profile– http://www.Linkedin.com/home – Work on your elevator speech– Show what you want people to see

• Connect to your ecosystem– Past / present colleagues /

customers / prospects– Sending customized invitation

• Get recommended– Look more professional– Illustrate your achievements

http://www.Linkedin.com/in/jeromecabanes

• Join a group – Of people sharing same interests and needs– Get to open discussions or to comment them– Get to contact directly (“send a message”) group members

• Answers– Give or take advice from others– Impacts all Linkedin members

• Polls– Get input from a specific population (if you post your poll in a

group)– Or get feedback on closed answer from all Linkedin members.

How to use it?Some functionalities

How to use it?Some functionalities

• Search:– Keywords– Territories– Industries– Companies– Groups– Answers– People ...

• Can help you get answers to:– Which are the biggest companies in X area belonging to

Y industry?– Who else can I contact in company ABC?– Who is CFO of company Z?– Can someone give me advice on how to xxxxxx?

How to use it?Some tricks

• Anonymous profile– If you Google “position of the anonymous profile + Linkedin”,

you get the answer!

• Keep an eye on your contacts– Who connects to who?– Which topics are of interest for my contacts?

• Inform them

• Who’s viewed my profile?

Top Tip!

When should I use it?

• During awareness creation– Example > enter a new market segment and get to be visible…

• During prospection phase– Example > find companies per market segment / per geo / per

size…

• During discovery phase of customer you target– Example > find new contacts inside this company and their

relationships…

• As you meet new people during your professional life

Conclusion 1.0Typical objections

• I have not time for this!

• That’s for geeks!

• I’m not looking for a job

• I do not want to expose my business life!

Conclusion 2.0

• Take advantage of today’s technology

• Find the right info with less efforts

• Care about your professional network

• SELL efficiently

ANY QUESTIONS?

Feel free to contact me at jerome.cabanes@gmail.com