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Sales Question:
"I'm doing my best to take advantage of "social selling" with LinkedIn but I'm having a hard time getting prospects to accept my connection requests. Any suggestions?"
Answer:
LinkedIn is a powerful social selling tool that can help you increase sales - if used correctly.
What makes social selling work for salespeople is it gives us the ability to quickly & easily get on our prospects radar. It’s the ultimate channel for branding yourself as an SME (Subject Matter Expert) at the cost of virtually "free" other than the time you need to put into it.
Now when it comes to reaching out to connect with potential prospects on LinkedIn there is a default message that most salespeople use when sending their request.
It looks like this:
“I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. – (Your Name Here)”
Now some salespeople will add something like:
“You visited our both at last weeks trade show and I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. – (Your Name Here)”
The problem with the templates above is that there is nothing beneficial that would make a prospect want to accept an invite, let alone check out the requesters profile. (And you want them to check out your profile - provided you have it set up right – as it may generate an inbound lead for you… I’ll write more about how to do that in the future)
Using the "What's In It For Me" Rule
So instead of using the standard boring request form that everyone else uses, try using the WIIFM (What's In It For Me - with "ME" being your prospect) version…
You’ll have to create your own but here’s a word-for-word connection request that I use after someone registers to view our free on-demand B2B sales skills webinar:
“Hi (prospects name)… Thanks for viewing our Voicemail Strategies webinar and hope you found it useful. I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn in case you decide I may be of some help to you in the future. - Michael Pedone"
By making it more personal and having the WIIFM message, your prospects will be more inclined to accept your request – which will help increase inbound warm leads and make you less dependent on cold ones.
Michael Pedone
CSS: Chief Sales Scientist
SalesBuzz.com (A 2011 Sales Training Company Watch List Award Winner!)
8-Week B2B Sales Improvement Program
Learn How To:
- Eliminate "No, Thanks", "Not Interested" & "We're All Set" Responses from Cold and Warm Calls
- Neutralize Gatekeepers & Get Voicemails Returned
- Ask Engaging Questions Instead of Probing
- How to Really Qualify (I'll show you a better way)
- Give Stellar Presentations & Handle Objections
- Close Follow-up Calls and Get Targeted Referrals
- How to Set & Achieve Your Toughest Sales Goals
- Improve Your Time Management Skills
Duration: 1 hour per week for 8 weeks
Where: Online @ your desk, conference room or home
Presenters: Michael Pedone
Get Next Available Workshop Dates / Times / Registration Information Now!
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