Jill Konrath

So how many LinkedIn groups do you belong to? I’m in 50 – the maximum allowed  -- and there are tons of reasons for it. But first, lets talk about the kinds of groups you can join.

My personal favorites are groups that my prospects belong to -- in my case, that’s VPs of Sales, but for you it may be Clinic Directors. Or, if you sell to specific vertical markets such as printing or financial services, you can belong groups with that focus. And finally, if you sell in a certain geography, you’ll find LinkedIn groups too.

Ever had a situation where your one and only connection in a company is too busy to meet with you or just doesn’t have any urgency to change? If so, it’s time to take action.  

The first thing I want you to do is to go to this person’s LinkedIn profile. Scroll down and keep your eye on the right side. Stop when you see “Viewers of this profile also viewed …” Below that you’ll see a whole bunch of other people – and virtually all of them are colleagues of your deadbeat prospect.  

I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn looking at people’s profiles. I think they’re a gold mine of information for savvy sales professionals who wants to learn as much they can about their prospects before contacting them. And, the best thing about these profiles is that they’re self-created. Many of your prospects are sharing invaluable information about themselves on LinkedIn.  

Let me tell you specifically what I’m looking for.

Have you ever been drooling to get into a bigger company, but been unsure of where to even start? If so, here are two ways you can use the LinkedIn search function to find the names of potential prospects.

So how many LinkedIn recommendations do you have on your profile? If you don’t have at least 10, you’re selling yourself short – and here’s why. Your prospects are checking you out. They want to know what kind of person you are.  

Imagine if they go to your profile and see one or 2 recommendations – and they’re from your peers or former co-workers. Not too impressive.  

Today I got this LinkedIn connect message from someone who's in a group with me. He's offering to help me -- or at least, I think he says he is. 

Are you connected to all your customers on LinkedIn? Why not? When I asked most sellers that questions, I often get a blank stare – like they never thought of it. But there are a bazillion reasons why you should be networking on LinkedIn.

Selling to Big Companies has just been selected as one of the "Top 10 "How to Sell" Books of All Time" by Inc. magazine. Writer Geoffrey James says that "These classic sales books should be in every business library."