Jill Konrath

Gene McNaughton, President of Business Breakthroughs, International, takes his LinkedIn activity seriously. He has to! When your targeted prospects are senior-level decision-makers, you don't get a second chance. They make snap decisions about if you're someone who's worth talking to -- or not. 

To ensure that he can quickly connect to these executives, Gene does his homework. And that's exactly what top sellers do on LinkedIn. 86.7% of them always research prospects prior to making contact, compared to only 26.7% of their colleagues. 

Now, check out Gene's story to find out what he's looking for on LinkedIn and how he uses his research.

Keeping in front of your prospects is essential for sales success. It often takes between 10-12 emails or phone calls before you actually connect. And, in most cases, they're not ready to make a change.  

So how can you nurture prospects and keep in touch without being a pest? And, better yet, how can you contact prospects in a way that elevates your credibility?  

As a partner in Sales for Life, Jamie Shanks is constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible with LinkedIn and other social selling tools. I'm always learning new things from him -- which is why I think you'll like today's article about the business value of using LinkedIn. 

Did you know that overall, you're 5X more likely to get a sales call returned if you have a personal connection with someone? To me, that's an amazing statistic. In a world where people are swamped at work and suffering from information overload, it's the best way to capture their attention.   

So what does that mean you should be doing?  In essence, implementing a connection-based strategy to reach new prospects.

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.