Kurt Shaver on #SocialSelling: Leveraging LinkedIn and Other Social Apps to Grow Your Business" eBook‏

Kurt Shaver on #SocialSelling
By Kurt Shaver
Leveraging LinkedIn and Other Social Apps to
Grow Your Business
E-mail: info@thinkaha.com
20660 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 210
Cupertino, CA 95014
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Initial Publication: May 2014
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61699-148-7 1-61699-148-8
Place of Publication: Silicon Valley, California, USA
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Contents
Section I
Overview of Social Selling 5
Section II
Enhancing Your LinkedIn Profile 28
Section III
Growing Your LinkedIn Network 43
Section IV
Finding Prospects 61
Section V
Engaging Your Network 73
Section VI
More Tips to Successful Social Selling 88
About the Author 107

5Kurt Shaver on #SocialSelling
Section I
Overview of Social Selling
There has been a lot of marketing strategies that have been shared by experts.
The marketing strategy that has been used before, at some point, may not be
applied in this generation because of the changing time. We live in a generation
wherein almost all of our transactions can be done online; it’s just a click away.
It’s needed that the marketing strategies must evolve through the changes of
time and improve to be able to be in demand in the market.
Even if marketing strategies have evolved and are still evolving through the
change of time, one thing remains constant: the customers. Businesses were
created because of the demands in the market to serve the customers. What
could then be the fastest way to reach the customers and to let them know that
your business exists? Does social media marketing and social selling ring a
bell to you? As you read on, you’ll be able to differentiate these two and identify
which of them is the fastest way to generate revenue. And there are four skills
that you need to enhance in social selling.

Section I: Overview of Social Selling
#SocialSelling is an effective way to reach
decision makers early in the sales cycle.
@kurtshaver

1

Kurt Shaver on #SocialSelling 7
To be successful today, salespeople should
align their selling process with the new
social buying process. @kurtshaver
2

Boost sales by combining proven sales
principles with new #SocialSelling
techniques. @kurtshaver

3

5
Corporate #SocialSelling is challenging
because it requires balancing company and
individual interests. @kurtshaver

4
Aligning marketing and sales is the key to
implementing a successful #SocialSelling
program across an enterprise. @kurtshaver

Companies need to manage the
#SocialSelling process in order to achieve
maximum productivity. @kurtshaver

6

8
#Socialmedia marketing for branding
is not the same as #SocialSelling to get
appointments @kurtshaver

7
Marketing can supply quality content to
help a company’s sales force connect with
decision makers via #SocialSelling.
@kurtshaver

10
Only a small percentage of sales reps
embrace #SocialSelling techniques on their
own and leverage it to great success.
@kurtshaver
9
#SocialSelling represents the best
opportunity for Marketing and Sales to
work together. @kurtshaver

Time in #SocialSelling moves like dog years
- FAST. @LinkedIn had 35 major feature
changes in 2013. @kurtshaver
11

13
Companies need to understand that what
salespeople do online today affects the
bottom line results tomorrow. @kurtshaver
12
Get your personal #LinkedInSelling
Score (0-100) in two minutes at
http://bit.ly/LI_Score. @kurtshaver

15
There are two sides of #SocialSelling:
finding customers and attracting customers.
@kurtshaver

14
#SocialSelling is the part of #socialbusiness
that is most likely to generate revenue.
@kurtshaver

A study from @AberdeenGroup shows that
sales teams using #SocialSelling techniques
reach quota 31% more often. @kurtshaver

16

18
#SocialSelling is effective at engaging
prospects early in the sales cycle, where it is
easier to influence decision making.
@kurtshaver

17
Marketing owns social media for branding.
Sales owns #SocialSelling for getting
appointments. @kurtshaver

Adopting a corporate #SocialSelling
strategy is like implementing CRM. It
requires changing people’s behaviors.
@kurtshaver

19

21
The four skills of #LinkedInSelling are:
build a profile, grow a network, find
prospects, and engage with content.
@kurtshaver

20
Track #SocialSelling metrics to measure
progress in advance of seeing higher sales.
@kurtshaver

It takes three to six months to fully
implement a corporate #SocialSelling
program. @kurtshaver

22

The three steps to build a #SocialSelling
culture: set your goals, train your people,
and manage the results. @kurtshaver
23

25
With #SocialSelling, you can build real
relationships that lead to sales. @kurtshaver
24
A bottoms-up approach to #SocialSelling is
not sustainable. There is no alignment with
company objectives. @kurtshaver

27
A #SocialSelling salesforce is a company’s
highest trust content distribution channel.
@kurtshaver

26
The most popular #SocialSelling practice is
prospecting for new customers.
@kurtshaver

29
Learning #SocialSelling takes time. You
need to understand the techniques and
then practice them on a regular basis.
@kurtshaver
28
In #SocialSelling, the best way to initiate a
new sales cycle is through introductions via
common connections. @kurtshaver

Mastering a social application is not simply
about acquiring knowledge. It involves
people responding to you. @kurtshaver
30

Stop thinking of @LinkedIn as your online
resume. Think of it as your personal
website. @kurtshaver

31

A brand is a promise. Showcase your
personal brand in your @LinkedIn profile.
@kurtshaver
32

Section II: Enhancing Your LinkedIn Profile
Section II
Enhancing Your LinkedIn Profile
Almost everything is just right at the tip of the finger. One of the great ideas
to think about is on how to be out there in the market, for customers to know
that your business exists, and on how to reach them. Why not create a LinkedIn
profile? This is a great way to making yourself easy to reach and is part of social
selling. As it has been mentioned in the previous section, one of the skills in
LinkedIn Selling is building a profile. Why not take that first step of improving
that skill, and then growing your network, and finding that the prospective
customers will just come into place?
Find more helpful tips on how to enhance your LinkedIn profile to make
yourself easy to reach, more personal, and authentic. This isn't just in creating
a profile, but it is in knowing the importance and the impact of the statement
and the content of your profile to your prospective customers.

34
Fill the Frame with Face so people
recognize you from your @LinkedIn photo.
@kurtshaver

33
Set up a professional @LinkedIn profile so
you create a good first impression online.
@kurtshaver

36
Edit your Profile Zip Code to where your
customers are, not where you sleep. You’ll
show up in more search results.
@kurtshaver

35
Use a current headshot with silhouette
or a simple background for your
@LinkedIn profile photo. @kurtshaver

38
Refresh information on your @LinkedIn
profile as you get better content.
@kurtshaver

37
Enhance your @LinkedIn Profile with
finer points like Volunteer Experience,
Organizations, and Publications.
@kurtshaver

Add finer points like Projects, Interests,
and Awards to round out your @LinkedIn
Profile. @kurtshaver

39

Add some media like docs, images, or video
to dress up your @LinkedIn Summary.
@kurtshaver
40

42
“Interests” is a good way to humanize your
business-centric @LinkedIn Profile.
@kurtshaver
41
@LinkedIn is giving all members the
ability to publish blog-like content, just like
celebrity Influencers.@kurtshaver

Part of #SocialSelling is making yourself
easy to reach. Add full contact information
to your @LinkedIn Profile. @kurtshaver
43

45
Change your @LinkedIn photo or headline
a few times a year to trigger updates to your
network. @kurtshaver
44
#Socialselling apps like @LinkedIn and
@Twitter constantly change their profile
formats. Check often for upgrades.
@kurtshaver

47
Adding Volunteer Experience and Causes
to your @LinkedIn Profile shows your
commitment to your community.
@kurtshaver

46
Write your @LinkedIn profile in 1st person
(“I”) to sound more personal and authentic.
@kurtshaver

Recommendations on @LinkedIn showcase
the type of companies you serve and why
they like working with you. @kurtshaver

48

50
Requesting a Recommendation via
@LinkedIn is a great excuse for
reconnecting with a customer. @kurtshaver

49
While @LinkedIn Endorsements generate
easy 1-click activity, Recommendations are
more valuable for #socialselling.
@kurtshaver

Social Proof is one of the ways to
win over new clients, and @LinkedIn
Recommendations provide it. @kurtshaver

51

Your 120 character @LinkedIn headline
should include a customer-oriented benefit
statement, not just your title. @kurtshaver
52

54
When you receive a Recommendation
on @LinkedIn, you benefit from social
amplification to the Recommender’s
53
Getting a @LinkedIn Recommendation is
much better than having the customer send
it to you in a letter or email. @kurtshaver

Section III
Growing Your LinkedIn Network
One of the skills that you need to enhance in #SocialSelling is on how to grow
your network. With the help of your LinkedIn profile, how then would you
expand your network? This isn’t just about the quantity of network that you
need to create, but what’s important is the quality of it. You should know how
to determine your criteria and not just keep on accepting LinkedIn invitations.
Your aim is to create a strong network and not a loose contact.

Section III: Growing Your LinkedIn Network
Some people call @LinkedIn the “Rolodex of
the 21st Century.” Honk if you ever owned a
Rolodex. @kurtshaver
55

Determine your own criteria for accepting
@LinkedIn invitations. Is it tight or loose?
@kurtshaver

56

Examine your business Spheres of Influence
to discover who to invite to your @LinkedIn

57

59
Grab that stack of business cards scattered
on your desk, and invite who you want into
your @LinkedIn network. @kurtshaver

58
You want a strong @LinkedIn network. That
means Quality and Quantity. @kurtshaver

Personalize your message when you send a
@LinkedIn connection invitation. Mention
why you want to connect. @kurtshaver

60

62
It takes 25 seconds to customize a
@LinkedIn invitation and avoid looking like
everyone else’s invitation. @kurtshaver

61
Review “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” on
@LinkedIn for possible connections. Send
an invitation if warranted. @kurtshaver

Growing your #SocialSelling network
is similar to a radio station building its
audience. @kurtshaver

63

65
Review @LinkedIn’s “Who’s Viewed My
Profile,” and invite people who fit your
Connection criteria. @kurtshaver

64
Repurposing content and distributing it via
different social channels can help grow your

67
Building a large @LinkedIn network
increases the chances that you’ll have
someone who can introduce you to a
prospect. @kurtshaver
66
#LinkedInSelling makes keeping in touch
with your connections easy. Use it to stay
top of mind. @kurtshaver

69
Build your network with suggestions from
@LinkedIn’s “People You May Know”
feature. @kurtshaver

68
Customize @LinkedIn invitations with
context, rapport, your value statement, and
a call to action. @kurtshaver

Use @LinkedIn Contacts to congratulate
your Connections on promotions, moves,
birthdays, and news mentions. @kurtshaver

70

One benefit of #LinkedInSelling is seeing
who your Connections are connected to.
@kurtshaver
71

73
Enhance your reputation for expertise
on your @LinkedIn profile and get
appointments with decision makers.
@kurtshaver
72
With over 300M members, @LinkedIn is
one of the best B2B contact databases, and
the user-generated data is fresh.
@kurtshaver

75
Ask for @LinkedIn Recommendations from
customers, partners, and supervisors, in that
order. @kurtshaver

74
Showcase your expertise on @LinkedIn via
your Recommendations and endorsements.
@kurtshaver

Good @LinkedIn Recommendations, like
any testimonials, are often obtained by
coaxing the comment from a customer.
@kurtshaver

76

Give a prospect a strong reason for wanting
to connect, such as “We spoke at the
conference...”, etc. @kurtshaver
77

A @LinkedIn Recommendation is a great
way for you to earn trust and credibility.
@kurtshaver

78

Section IV
Finding Prospects
Another skill to enhance in #SocialSelling is on how to find prospects. It has
been proven that LinkedIn is the best avenue to find prospects because of
their incredible database. As you read on, you’ll be able to find the answers
to questions like: What is one of the benefits of social selling? How to find
prospects? You can find other tips that will be of big help to you in finding
prospects.

Section IV: Finding Prospects
Understanding the mindset of a prospect is
one of the biggest benefits of #SocialSelling.
@kurtshaver

79

Sharing success stories is a good way to
attract prospects. @kurtshaver
80

To find prospects, write down the
characteristics of your top customers.
@kurtshaver

81

83
Join the maximum of 50 @LinkedIn Groups
to find prospects and attract buyers.
@kurtshaver

82
Smart salespeople realize that @LinkedIn
is an incredible database for finding
prospects. @kurtshaver

85
Endorsements are an easy 1-click way to
strengthen relationships. It’s an opportunity
you can’t miss. @kurtshaver
84
@LinkedIn is many people’s top destination
for business news. It’s a good place to
appear. @kurtshaver

Use the @LinkedIn advanced search
feature to find people who match your ideal
customer criteria. @kurtshaver
86

Use the Connection Strength feature of
@LinkedIn to determine the best person to
introduce you to a prospect. @kurtshaver

87

For business news related to your interest
and expertise, @LinkedIn may be your best
destination. @kurtshaver
88

90
Tap into the power of LinkedIn’s “Get
Introduced” feature to find the best referral
source. @kurtshaver
89
Search @LinkedIn Groups for relevant
keywords to find where your prospects are.
@kurtshaver

92
Search within a Group to find members who
fit your ideal customer profile. @kurtshaver

91
Check out the “Interests” section of a
prospect’s @LinkedIn profile to discover
rapport-building information. @kurtshaver

94
Inbound marketing to attract prospects
works with @LinkedIn Updates, Comments,
and Group Discussions. @kurtshaver
93
To position yourself as a thought leader,
post valuable content to @LinkedIn,
@Twitter, and other social channels.
@kurtshaver

Section V
Engaging Your Network
Being out in the open and letting your existence be known is one of the best
strategies to expand your network. Your expanded network will be worthless
if you don’t establish a personal and authentic connection with your network.
LinkedIn Selling is a means of communication channel. Be out there and let
your presence be felt from the network that you have built through LinkedIn
connections. So start a conversation, make comments on their posts, show your
thoughtfulness, and a lot more tips to learn from this section.

Section V: Engaging Your Network
Use #LinkedInSelling as a communication
channel, like the telephone or email, to
engage in a conversation. @kurtshaver

95

An easy way to start #LinkedInSelling
and engage your network is by making
comments or liking their posts. @kurtshaver
96

Each day, send a note to your @LinkedIn
connections who have been promoted,
changed jobs, or are celebrating a birthday.
@kurtshaver

97

99
The views you get on @LinkedIn depends
on your privacy settings. The more private
you are, the less views you’ll get.
@kurtshaver

98
#SocialSelling rewards transparency and
authenticity. Sharing information about
yourself may take some getting used to.
@kurtshaver

The best and simplest way to nurture your
network and connections is to keep in touch
with them. @kurtshaver

100

102
Find content from your company’s
marketing department, your own Web
browsing, or create your own. @kurtshaver

101
#Inboundmarketing is the term used to
describe sharing content online in order to
attract customers. @kurtshaver

Today’s savvy buyers want to know that you
are an expert that they can trust.
@kurtshaver

103

Buyers want to work with sellers who know
their business. #SocialSelling intelligence
will help you gain that knowledge.
@kurtshaver
104

106
Before posting content, listen first to
ascertain what type of info your network is
interested in. @kurtshaver
105
Engaging with prospects early in the sales
cycle is one of the biggest benefits of
#SocialSelling. @kurtshaver

How well you demonstrate expertise in
your field differentiates you from your
competition. @kurtshaver
107

109
A company’s sales team can be a high-trust
content distribution channel. @kurtshaver
108
Repurpose content from your marketing
team and company blog into @LinkedIn
posts. @kurtshaver

111
Make a regular schedule for reviewing your
content sharing metrics. @kurtshaver

110
Share three pieces of content that are not
promotional for every one self-promotional
piece you post. @kurtshaver

Review @LinkedIn’s “Who’s Viewed Your
Updates” each week to track Views, Likes,
and Comments. @kurtshaver

112

When you share content, you increase your
visibility. If it is good content, you increase
your credibility, too. @kurtshaver
113

Section VI: More Tips to Successful Social Selling
Section VI
More Tips to Successful Social Selling
I believe that you still want to learn more on what social selling is. This
section has been created for more tips to learn. You will be equipped with
additional tips on how to establish a common methodology and a set of tools
for successful social selling. Since being visible to your LinkedIn connections
is of great importance, so it’s also best to start it out right value them and keep
on creating a solid network for your social selling.

115
Use the search feature in the @LinkedIn
Group members tab to find ideal prospects
by title, then send them a message.
@kurtshaver

114
Review some @LinkedIn group discussions,
and comment on a few. Focus on providing
value versus pitching. @kurtshaver

Join @LinkedIn Groups of college alumni
associations, past employer alumni groups,
and professional associations. @kurtshaver

116

Manage the frequency of @LinkedIn
Group digest emails in Settings to avoid an
overcrowded Inbox. @kurtshaver
117

119
Be a content curator: Review articles from
industry websites, and share one that would
be of interest to your Connections.
@kurtshaver
118
Review your @LinkedIn Connections
updates on the Home Page. Comment on a
few based on your expertise. @kurtshaver

121
Pick an ideal prospect, and look at the
“People Also Viewed” section to find others
like them. @kurtshaver

120
If one of your Connections joins a
competitor, or is always posting worthless
content, you can disconnect from them.
@kurtshaver

Back up your @LinkedIn Connections by
going to the Contacts tab and clicking on
Export Connections. @kurtshaver

122

124
Fine-tune your @LinkedIn Privacy and
Operational preferences in the Settings
section. @kurtshaver

123
In Settings, add another email to your
@LinkedIn account, then select the primary
one to where you want emails sent.
@kurtshaver

Set @LinkedIn advanced search to find
ideal prospects, then Save to get leads
automatically sent to your Inbox.
@kurtshaver

125

Experiment with Boolean operators in
advanced search: “OR” to increase the
number of results; “AND” to reduce it.
@kurtshaver
126

128
Review competitors’ @LinkedIn profiles for
competitive intelligence on what companies
they are following. @kurtshaver
127
Review competitors’ @LinkedIn profiles for
competitive intelligence on what Groups
they are in. Join those groups. @kurtshaver

Find your target companies and follow
them to stay up-to-date on trigger events
that should prompt a dialogue. @kurtshaver
129

131
Many companies fail in #SocialSelling
because they have not established a
common methodology and a set of tools.
@kurtshaver
130
#LinkedInSelling in the enterprise has to
start with strategy. @kurtshaver

Encourage content sharing by your team by
rewarding the person with the most Views,
Likes, and Comments to an Update.
@kurtshaver
132

134
The social connectivity aspect on
@LinkedIn leads to the all-important
personal introductions and referrals.
@kurtshaver
133
You can search within a Connection’s
Connections to find a big shot who is well-
connected within your target market.
@kurtshaver

136
Technology salespeople benefit
tremendously from a strong @LinkedIn
network and using the advanced people
search. @kurtshaver

135
Top three industries for #LinkedInSelling:
information technology, business services,
and marketing advertising. @kurtshaver

Marketing and advertising salespeople
benefit from the content sharing benefits of
#SocialSelling. @kurtshaver

137

139
You can adjust what type of information
shows up on your @LinkedIn Home Page
via the Settings area. @kurtshaver

138
Accelerate your success by building long-
term relationships using @LinkedIn, “the
Rolodex of the 21st Century.” @kurtshaver

Content repurposing example: Blog to
@LinkedIn, Update to Publishing
to Company Page to Twitter to RSS
syndication. @kurtshaver

140

Kurt Shaver is America’s social selling expert. He teaches salespeople how to
use social applications like LinkedIn to increase their income. Before launching
The Sales Foundry in 2008, Kurt had twenty-one years of successful sales and
management experience at Fortune 500 and Silicon Valley start-ups. He has
trained thousands of people on how to win more business with LinkedIn. In
2013, InsideView named him as one of the “Top 25 Sales Influencers.” Kurt is a
regular contributor to popular sales blogs, including Top Sales World, Business 2
Community, and Sales Gravy. He’s also the creator of the Social Selling Boot Camp
and host of Social Selling Superstars, the #1 social selling podcast on iTunes.
About the Author

Books in the Aha Amplifier™ are social media
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