Two weeks ago I spoke at LinkedIn's SalesConnect Conference in San Francisco. Over 500 sales leaders came to learn more about leveraging LinkedIn to drive revenue.

Mike Derezin, VP of Sales at LinkedIn, shared one statistic that was mind-boggling:

Sales professionals who use social selling are 51% more likely to exceed their quota.

Got your attention yet? I sure hope so. At this point, you're probably asking, "So what exactly is this 'social selling' thing?" According to LinkedIn, the primary components are in the graph below.

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You know what I hate? Not knowing if my prospect has opened my emails… wondering if they disappeared into a black hole… and never being able to catch them on the phone. I suspect you feel the same way.

That's why I wanted to let you know about HubSpot Sales, a new, free and easy email prospecting tool that I'm loving. Here's why:

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What strategies do I recommend for using LinkedIn to connect with others? Here are three ways that can really help you out.

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If you’re not using video meetings to connect with prospects and clients, you’re wasting tons of time. There’s no reason to spend hours driving to and from sales meetings anymore.

Just open up a browser, log onto an online meeting site (ala GoToMeeting) and send the link info to who you want to talk with. Voila! You’re connected.

Using video makes it even better. You can quickly establish personal relationships with new people at a much deeper level. And, with ongoing relationships, it keeps the momentum going.

That’s the good news. But … there’s always a but … doing it well requires mastery of new skills. Believe me, I’ve made a ton of mistakes in the process. Here are a just a few:

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Connections matter. Big time. Recent research from Reachable.com shows just how much it impacts you're ability to get a callback from a "stranger." In fact, you're: 

  • 3x more likely if you contact a mutual acquaintance.
  • 4x more likely if the connection calls to make an introduction.
  • 11x more likely if they have an actual connection. 

See. It does make a difference. But most sellers don't know how to leverage their LinkedIn connections nearly as much as they could. 

To help you expand your thinking, here are some TRUE STORIES shared by people who took our 2013 Sales & LinkedIn Survey. By reading them, you'll discover numerous ways you can get in touch with someone even if you don't have a 1st level connection. 

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Since publishing my two free ebooks Cracking the LinkedIn Sales Code and LinkedIn Sales Secrets Revealed, I get asked tons of questions about how to use LinkedIn best. One of the most contentious issues relates to the use of InMail. 

Numerous people have written to tell me it's a total waste of time -- that they never get responses from it. Yet, our 2013 survey results showed that top sellers used it nearly 4 times more than all other respondents.

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Today's post from the Chamber of Commerce features business-growth advice for small companies.

As more people collaborate remotely across the globe, online meetings are rising in popularity. They’re a whole lot more efficient than sending emails back and forth. Plus, they provide more interaction than phone calls alone.

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In our 2013 Sales & LinkedIn Survey, we found out lots of great info on how top sellers are leveraging LinkedIn. One statistic that really stood out was the difference in LinkedIn connections with customers.

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Lots of sellers don't realize just what a big impact LinkedIn can have on their personal credibility. In our 2013 Sales & LinkedIn Study, we found that top sellers are doing far more than other salespeople to leverage LinkedIn to help them develop trust and credibility with their prospects and customers.

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If you're not doing online business meetings yet, you will be shortly. They're great for initial meetings, in-depth discussions, demos, presentations and more. Here are some things to consider to make sure you come across as a real pro.

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