1. Optimise your LinkedIn profile for B2B sales
Before reaching out to B2B leads left, right, and centre, it’s essential that your LinkedIn profile is in tip-top shape. Why? Because this builds truth and credibility.
Leads will look at your profile and judge if they want to do business with you. So don’t ruin great messaging and positive interactions with an empty, outdated or mistake-filled profile.
- Profile photo – As this is the first element people’s eyes gravitate towards, ensure you have a professional image that conveys trustworthiness.
- Background image – As you’re a company representative reaching out to new people, a background photo of your company logo or achievements is an easy way to build credibility.
- LinkedIn headline – Your headline should be more than just your job title. Write a catchy headline that conveys the value you offer. For example, our Account Executive’s headline is “Helping companies generate high-quality leads for their sales teams 🚀”.
- Summary – If your tagline describes what you do, your summary should represent why you do it and why people can trust you. It’s basically your elevator pitch. Address your customer’s biggest pain points and how you and your company solve this challenge.
- Work history, skills and endorsements – Having these sections filled in gives you more credibility. Showing the companies you’ve worked for, and your skills backed by colleague endorsements help prospects feel like they are in great hands when they choose to buy from you.
2. Build your LinkedIn network
Armed with a top-notch LinkedIn profile, it’s time to build your LinkedIn network by connecting with potential customers. People who match your buyer’s persona. Doing this ensures you are engaging and nurturing the right people.
You can do this in two ways: manually or using Leadinfo and LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
How to manually build your LinkedIn network
Use LinkedIn’s search feature to find and connect with your ideal client. Search for potential clients based on industry, job title, location, current company, profile language and more.
But don’t simply hit the “connect” button for hundreds of people in the search overview. Instead, check out people’s profiles. Take the time to briefly review each profile and confirm that they match your buyer’s persona. And then send a personalised connection request.
That last step is crucial. A personalised connection request helps you stand out from a sea of requests. And it provides context as to why someone should add you to their network.
The note doesn’t have to be detailed. In fact, you’re limited to 300 characters, so keep it brief. And if you’re feeling stuck, here are some prompts you can use to tailor your message:
- You’re both in similar industries or fields of work.
- You have mutual connections or are in the same groups (if applicable).
- They recently engaged with your content or a post you found interesting.
- Mention an experience on their profile that caught your attention.
Check out our 10 free LinkedIn InMail templates for more inspiration.
It’s also worth noting that LinkedIn has a weekly limit of 100 connections. Therefore, building your network will take some time.
How to build your LinkedIn network using Leadinfo and LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Consider investing in LinkedIn Sales Navigator if you frequently use LinkedIn for prospecting. Sales Reps that use LinkedIn Sales Navigator can run specific searches, create a pipeline of leads and connect with decision-makers.
And if you’re using Leadinfo, you have a wealth of connections at your fingertips. How? Leadinfo enables you to identify your B2B website visitors. Download the company data of your website visitors and upload this information to Sales Navigator. And watch as the tool provides an overview of company and employee profiles. All of which are leads.
Meaning that instead of searching for target companies one by one, you can bulk upload lead company information. Saving you time and effort.
Use this overview to send personalised connection requests to your target audience. And reach out to decision-makers at companies who have visited your website. Thus purposefully growing your network with leads which you can immediately nurture.