Sales Question:
"How Do I Use LinkedIn Groups to Generate New Leads?"
Answer:
LinkedIn Professional Groups are awesome for branding yourself as an SME (Subject Matter Expert) in your field - and that’s important if you eventually want prospects calling you first (warm lead Vs. cold calling)
But I see salespeople making the same mistakes when “social selling” as they do when cold calling… they are talking all about themselves and their product rather than piquing interest and engaging the prospect.
BTW… If you are not familiar with LinkedIn Professional Groups, here’s why you’ll want to be:
LinkedIn Professional Groups can be created for any category and interested parties (PROSPECTS) join those groups and look for advice.
Example, we have a SalesBuzz Linkedin Group where members can
join and post questions about phone sales, and get answers / help from the other members who respond.
So, how is this helpful to salespeople? Well, let’s say you sell a CRM specifically for attorneys…. Wouldn’t you want to join a group that is made up of your specific targeted audience and then be able to interact and connect with them? Get the picture now?
An Example of What Not to Do
I saw a recent LinkedIn Group Discussion that said:
“I’m currently using the _________ by _________. If you would like some feedback on this CRM please send me a message and I’ll be happy to help.”
My question to you is this… What’s different from that line over being a door-to-door salesman?
“Hi, I’m just in your neighborhood and if you’re interested in a new vacuum cleaner, let me know and I’ll be happy to help!”
Or a bad cold call opener…
“Hi, I’m _______ with ______ and we provide BLAH BLAH BLAH and can save you time and money!”
So What Should Have Been Done?
No matter if you are selling face-to-face, over the phone or using social media to get things started, your opener is KEY and has to have the right objective:
PIQUE INTEREST
Starting a LinkedIn Discussion that says: “I’m currently using the _________ by _________. If you would like some feedback…” does
NOTHING to pique interest.
In fact, it turns prospects OFF! Which is the exact
OPPOSITE of what you want to achieve.
So if you are going to use LinkedIn Group Discussions as a way to generate new leads, rephrase your “Discussion” to where its more engaging and appealing to your targeted audience and gets them to participate in the conversation.
Example… Let’s say what you have to offer - in this case, a CRM, has a key feature that allows salespeople to increase sales by making more dials for them automatically with a push of a button.
Instead of starting a discussion like the original one above, a better alternative could have looked like this:
“How Many Dials Should Inside Sales People Make per Day?”
Now, that is a much more engaging (and hot button) topic and before you know it, your targeted prospects will start jumping in to the conversation and as they do, you can share your thoughts on the matter.
Respond with helpful insight / knowledge, and your targeted audience will check out your LinkedIn profile, visit your website, ask you to connect with them, and if you’re really on your game, you’ll have a strong
CALL TO ACTION lead capture form on your website that they will have a HIGH interest in filling out.
Just make sure that in everything you do, your goal / message is to HELP and NOT SELL… Or continue to post discussions like the first one and chase your leads away. The choice is yours.
Michael Pedone
CSS: Chief Sales Scientist
SalesBuzz.com (A 2011
Sales Training Company Watch List Award Winner!)
888-264-0562 ext. 1