Selling with LinkedIn is possible. Yes, is that total clear and precise.
But, first of all, I have to tell you that the right way to sell products or services on LinkedIn is not based on aggressive sales, but will be the result of establishing relationships of trust, of adding value. It is a process that we can structure in a few steps and that culminates in the sale. And in this process, we run into obstacles and we must focus on progress and stand out on LinkedIn.
In this article I am going to tell you about the first of those stages, the one that refers to your mentality.
What you think, the beliefs and preconceptions you have about LinkedIn, make you not consider this channel as an option to sell your products or services; or maybe yes, but you don't even know where to start.
Well, let's start at the beginning, at the bottom, with your mentality.
I am going to banish in this article five misconceptions about LinkedIn that are operating as mental brakes and before starting with how to do it, you have to be clear about what exactly this powerful tool is and what it offers you.
Get ready to discover great things about LinkedIn that will make you start to consider it as an option full of opportunities for your business.
1. LinkedIn offers you a great opportunity to sell
Does it surprise you? Don't you think LinkedIn can become a sales channel for your business? Perhaps maybe it is because you have not realized the full potential that this platform offers.
And it’s thanks to conversations between people, which in turn can be part of businesses and business structures and where do those professional conversations take place in the internet age? exactly, on LinkedIn. It is the network focused on professional and business relationships, on business.
It’s a virtual space in which business opportunities are being created because companies and professionals seeking products and/or services are present here and those that are offering it and also the profiles that have the power and decision-making authority in the market. Can you think of a more appropriate forum where to go to position the product or service you offer?
The data shows this: more than 690 million users, almost 121 million of them registered in the last two years. Half of the profiles present are professionals with decision-making management positions.
And it is a figure that grows exponentially: currently, every second two new professional profiles are created on this platform.
Do you have an idea of what this means? 80% of the potential clients that are generated today in B2B environments from social networks do so through LinkedIn. As you can see, it is a platform that offers you a great opportunity.
What can your company or business do on LinkedIn? It is not about having a profile and overwhelming with commercial messages; It is about generating conversations, establishing relationships of trust that, at a certain moment, lead to the sale.
To achieve this, you have to work on the profile and the content that is shared. But the options are endless:
- Show who you are and what you offer to the market.
- What is your value proposition and how do you help people and companies.
- What are your objectives and how do you channel the strategies to achieve them.
- Provide value, helping others and offering content related to your activity that serves other people.
- Show your team, the profiles and the people that make it up.
- Humanize your brand.
- Demonstrate your positioning in your sector, why or how you do it.
- Positioning you as a specialist in your sector, service, product ...
- And, thus, getting visibility and recognition on this platform.
LinkedIn is a powerful tool for social selling. Establishing relationships with those people who do not know you yet but who could become your clients is possible. So if you want to position yourself in the B2B market, you must have a presence on LinkedIn.
2 . Specialization is necessary
Some professionals have realized and are aware of the importance of having a presence on LinkedIn, but they are most disoriented because there is another belief that blocks them: thinking that there will be more sales possibilities due to the more products or services are offered. Or that the possibilities of sale increase the more types of different audiences they cover.
And, in reality, it is just the opposite: it is about defining what is the value proposition that your business offers and working to position yourself in a specific aspect.
Specialize in a niche or segment of the market in which you can stand out and achieve visibility and notoriety. Offer a single transformation and a specific audience. This is the key.
And the way to achieve this is thanks to differentiation: if you specialize, you will not be one of the bunch: you will be different from the rest, with which your chances of having you as a reference increase.
What is specialization in a niche market? A market niche is a segment, a group of people or businesses that have similar needs.
The moment where we’re defining well who we are targeting with our product or service is essential, especially when it comes to digital businesses, in which we have infinite opportunities, but the competition is also great. It is about specifying exactly what is the solution that you offer with your product or services and to whom you offer it.
Although it may seem otherwise, the more specific and specialized the value proposition and the audience you are targeting, the greater the probability of success you will have. Also in the case of LinkedIn.
Why? Because your proposal cannot be coffee for everyone. You cannot help everyone; your product or service does not meet all needs. But when it comes to what it does achieve and who it helps, the more specific you are, the greater your chance of being able to position yourself in that segment as a benchmark.
You see the difference? Regarding the type of specialization, it can be varied:
- By type of audience, a specific group of people, either demographic (such as babies, the elderly, young people ...); or by situation or activity (housewives, students ...).
- Tools.
- Geographic location.
- Product type.
- Business sector.
- Language.
- Ticket level, from low cost to high ticket.
- Therefore, when you want to stand out and position yourself on LinkedIn, you need to focus your offer on a specific aspect and work to differentiate yourself in that segment.
When you want to stand out and position yourself on LinkedIn, you need to focus your offer on a specific aspect and work to differentiate yourself in that segment.
3. LinkedIn is not free. If you want to do social selling you need a Premium account
LinkedIn offers the possibility of having a free basic account, yes. But, like many other business models, its offer is freemium: the basic account offers limited resources and other payment options are added to this.
So why am I claiming that LinkedIn is not free? Because on this platform where the possibility of generating business is really in the Premium account and if you do not know this type of account you are missing the true potential of the tool.
Advantages offered by LinkedIn Premium
The difference and the opportunities it offers compared to the free one are these:
- Access to all profiles
With the free account, it is not possible to access all the profiles that have a presence on LinkedIn.
It is in Premium Sales Navigator where you can reach the more than 690 million people present on the platform.
- Powerful search engine
The search engine for the free account is limited and it is also only possible to perform 25 searches per month.
The LinkedIn Premium Sales Navigator option, on the other hand, offers a powerful search engine with numerous filters that allow you to reach unsuspected levels.
- Direct access to professionals with decision-making power
Being able to reach the professional profiles of thousands of people in your sector at the click of a button is a great advantage that becomes an opportunity.
Access the data of those people, name, surname and have the possibility to communicate directly with them, establish a relationship without being aggressive.
- More sales opportunities
LinkedIn Premium Sales Navigator harnesses the power of the LinkedIn network to help sales professionals generate more leads through social media sales. On average, social media sales leaders see:
- 45% more opportunities created
- 51% more likely to achieve quota
- 80% more productivity
You do not need to advertise
With the Premium account, you will not need to carry out paid advertising campaigns on the platform, because you will organically reach the profiles of the professionals that interest you.
Paying to use LinkedIn, is it worth it?
At this point you will have realized that the answer is yes, it is worth paying to use and exploit LinkedIn to the fullest.
4 The best product is not the one that sells the most, but the one that communicates the best
LinkedIn offers you a great place and a powerful speaker to show yourself to the world and communicate your message, who you are and what you offer.
Because the best product is not the one that sells the most, it is the one that comes first or communicates the best. The one that manages to impact. And to achieve it, this is the ideal platform.
Think of everything I have told you so far and the great opportunity that LinkedIn offers.
Reach those people who interest you because you can help them with your product or service and convey first-hand what your value proposition is. From person to person, one to one.
I repeat that, in addition, it is not about aggressive selling. But to establish a relationship, to generate trust through what you tell and offer and, thus, smooth the process until the sale. Because when closing time comes, there will be no objections left.
You will have traced a path in which the prospect will have already become a potential customer in a natural way and from there to closing it will be easier. If you value it in effort and time, you will undoubtedly benefit.
You will begin by communicating to a large group of prospects and, little by little, you will close the circle until they are one-to-one relationships.
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