Clearly, LinkedIn holds tremendous value for sales teams. But you don\u2019t have to limit LinkedIn prospecting to InMail or sponsored posts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On top of using Sales Nav and LinkedIn advertising, this guide has 7 additional, unique ways to use LinkedIn for sales prospecting. You don\u2019t even have to have 10,000 followers to make it an effective prospecting technique (but gaining connections and followers should be one of your goals). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are no \u2018quick wins\u2019 here. It takes work, but it will <\/em>work for you if you take the time to put a handful of these tips into practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n LinkedIn prospecting refers to the process of identifying and connecting with potential clients or customers on the LinkedIn platform. It involves searching for and engaging with individuals that align with your target audience, then using cloud telephony to convert LinkedIn connections into productive sales calls<\/a>. LinkedIn prospecting aims to build relationships, nurture leads, and convert them into customers through personalized interactions and valuable engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When engaging in prospecting on LinkedIn, it’s important to avoid certain practices that can hinder your success. Here are three things you should avoid:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoid sending generic or automated connection requests to prospects. Personalize your invitations by mentioning their specific interests or common connections. This demonstrates genuine interest and increases the likelihood of acceptance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steer clear of sending overly promotional or sales-oriented messages to your LinkedIn connections. Instead, focus on building relationships by providing valuable content, sharing insights, and engaging in meaningful conversations. This approach establishes trust and credibility, increasing the chances of converting prospects into customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One common mistake in LinkedIn prospecting is neglecting to personalize your outreach efforts. Sending generic messages or using mass templates can make your approach appear impersonal and insincere. Take the time to research and understand your prospects before reaching out to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personalization can involve referencing their recent activities or posts, acknowledging their achievements, or highlighting mutual connections or interests. By tailoring your messages to each individual, you demonstrate that you have taken the time to understand their needs and establish a genuine connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neglecting personalization can lead to lower response rates and hinder your ability to build meaningful relationships. So, make it a priority to personalize your outreach messages and demonstrate a sincere interest in your prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By avoiding these pitfalls, you can enhance your prospecting efforts on LinkedIn and establish strong connections that lead to meaningful business opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most sales prospecting is defined by hustle: send 200 emails, request 100 connections, make 20 calls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But you could make those efforts much more efficient by taking a step back first. Take a look at your LinkedIn profile. Is it optimized to help you sell? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Better yet, take a look at Justin Welsh\u2019 LinkedIn profile. He\u2019s a sales consultant with more than 15 years of experience and it shows<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Justin does more than a few things to optimize his profile to sell:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may not want to be as zealous as a consultant, but make sure your headline defines your role and your background photo speaks to what you\u2019re selling. Try to balance your personal brand with your company\u2019s value prop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not all connection requests should be made with a discovery call in mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But as you progress in your career, you may be sitting on a good number of connections that fit your ideal customer profile. Every so often, circle back to see who may be open to one of your (charismatic, personalized) messages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a couple of ways to do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n LinkedIn lets you export all of your connections at once. You can request the export as part of your data archive, through Settings & Privacy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You won\u2019t be able to filter your connections ahead of time, but the spreadsheet will include company and role information for you to sort through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For more info, we wrote a separate guide on how to export LinkedIn connections<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using Sales Nav, you can filter your connections by your ICP criteria ahead of time. Export and get the emails only for the connections you know have a good chance of turning into prospects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, every single day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of your more \u2018organic\u2019 connection requests, find a way to work connection requests into your prospecting, too. Instead of relying on your feed or LinkedIn suggestions, build a lead list in Sales Navigator and treat it as your pool of future connection requests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, you want to keep this highly personalized. Create lead lists with specific criteria that you can create personalized messaging for. Then send a connection request with a voice message whenever your sequence dictates. Some sales reps prefer to send a connection request first, but with other sequences you can call or email first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever you do, don\u2019t send a pitch right after someone accepts your request. Be tactful, people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to turbocharge this approach, you can use a tool like Phantombuster to automate your connection requests while maintaining some level personalization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ever heard of the six degrees of separation? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on the industry you\u2019re selling into, you could be just 2 or 3 degrees of separation away from a good portion of your target audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Run through the same process as you did for exporting connections, but select \u20182nd Degree Connections\u2019 instead of 1st degree. You\u2019ll need to get much more granular in your targeting \u2014 these searches can return hundreds of thousands of results. For example, I narrowed in on specific SDRs using advanced filters on Sales Nav<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ended up with a lead list of just over 500 \u2014 very manageable for multiple touchpoints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For large deal sizes, you should keep this as organic as possible. Create a list on Sales Nav to keep yourself organized, follow them on LinkedIn, then spend some time engaging with their content. After a few touches, send them a connection request mentioning both their content and the most promising person you have in common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For high volume sales, you\u2019ll need a way to work this approach at scale. Create a larger list on Sales Nav and export their emails right away. Then create a message that focuses on why you\u2019re interested in them <\/em>instead of why they should be interested in you. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After the emails are sent, go through your list and send connection requests all at once (or over the course of a week). With both the mutual connections and email, they\u2019ll likely be more receptive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on what you\u2019re selling, it may make sense to go all-in on social selling. Done right, social selling is the perfect midpoint between outbound and inbound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But \u2018trying to get more active on LinkedIn\u2019 doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll turn into a LinkedIn star overnight. Committing to social selling requires at least three things: consistency, organization and knowing what the hell you\u2019re talking about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by building your foundation. Join groups, engage with posts, make organic connections and post your own content consistently. Give before you take. Offer insight into your industry, stories that enlighten, and comments that lift the conversation. This is the most time consuming element here, but will likely have the biggest impact long term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then it\u2019s time to get organized. As you see more engagement on your posts, start tracking it. Get into the \u2018prospecting\u2019 part of social selling by sharing your webinar or offering additional insight to those who comment that they\u2019re interested. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Through inbound messages, interested comments and event attendees, you\u2019ll start getting qualified prospects. Who\u2019s to say if they\u2019re MQLs or SQLs? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn the tables on the \u201cwho viewed your profile\u201d feature on LinkedIn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every week, go through the list of people who have looked at your profile. Pick out those that seem to fit your target audience and send a Connection request. It doesn\u2019t have to be awkward. Mention you saw that they stopped by, ask what brought them to your profile and if you can be helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This one isn\u2019t exactly scalable, but you may just strike gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s be honest: it\u2019s hard to track conversations in your LinkedIn inbox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It gets cluttered as your connection requests are accepted, and it\u2019s hard to remember to mark each important conversation as unread (let alone find it later on). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, consider using different channels for different purposes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then again, InMail messages are expensive, connection requests shouldn\u2019t be used for pitching, and you\u2019ll need a tool to export email addresses. Use your best judgement for which channel will work best for each purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is more of an MQL tactic than sales prospecting, but some revenue teams will find value in paying the premium for LinkedIn advertising. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is prospecting on LinkedIn?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3 Things You Shouldn’t Do When Prospecting on LinkedIn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sending Generic Connection Requests<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Overly Promotional Messaging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Neglecting to Personalize Outreach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
9 Tips to Use LinkedIn for Sales Prospecting <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Optimize your profile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"linkedin](\"https:\/\/wiza-edge.b-cdn.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1-1024x565.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n2. Export your LinkedIn connections <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Export your connections with LinkedIn settings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Export qualified connections with LinkedIn Sales Navigator <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3. Add new connections every day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Leverage shared connections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Jump into social selling <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"linkedin](\"https:\/\/wiza-edge.b-cdn.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/3-Max-A-1024x499.png\")
6. Look at who\u2019s looking at you <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wiza-edge.b-cdn.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/4-looking-at-profile-1024x806.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n7. Switch up your channels <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
8. Try out LinkedIn advertising <\/h3>\n\n\n\n