Are you using LinkedIn to connect with your off-line contacts online, for sales prospecting, for referrals or for full inbound marketing and lead generation? To help you plan your social selling journey I'veidentified and summarised a succession of steps, highlighting what your LinkedIn profile, approach and activity would ideally look like. The aim is to help you (and your sales team colleagues) to achieve the optimum benefit for your time and efforts. Feel free to print and to share the document, and comment below.

1. LinkedIn Roadmap – the Personal journey to Social Selling
L5 – Influencer Profile
• Expertise & Authority evident
• in profile wording
• in content created
• in behaviour
• in insight given
• in contact journey
• 1000+ contacts
• Group Top Contributor
• Running a group?
• LinkedIN Influencer Member?
• Always on – mobile + assistance
• Creating Content
• Blogging
• Slideshare
• Video
•10 hours + per wk incl. content
L4 – Social Profile
• Generocity evident
• Trigger events highlighted
• Multi-media added to profile
• Testimonials Given & Rec’d
• 500+ contacts
• Groups - 20+ prof + cust sector
• Endorsements hitting 99s
• Check VIEN * 3 x daily - mobile
• Curating Content
• Daily Status Updates
• Links to own / company articles
• Group activity daily
• Contributing
• Initiating
• 60 minutes+ per day
L3 – Engaging Profile
• Custom Headline
• Summary re:
• target audience
• market issues
• customer value
• results/evidence
• Roles show customer value
• Keyword focused profile
• 200-500 contacts
• 10+ Groups
• Endorsements building 50+
• Daily check on VIE *
• Commenting into Home Stream
• Find + Invite people to connect
• 30 -60 minutes / day
L2 – Professional Profile
• Photo
• Custom URL
• Full Contact Details
• Custom Web URLs
• All Roles, with text
• Education
• Skills
• 50-200 contacts
• Weekly check on VIE *
• Invite Customers to connect
• <30 minutes / week
* VIE VIEN – Views, Invites, Emails, Notifications
Bring Offline Online
Build Network
Get Customer Contact
Value focus
Start Conversations
Get more Appointments
Dialogue focus
Develop Relationships
Get more Referrals
Support Offline activity
Occasionally found
Customer Mgmt Focus
Underpin Outbound
Regularly Found
Tactical Lead Gen
Accelerate Outbound
Inbound Inquiries growing
Opportunities by Referral
Minimum benefit
Possibly detrimental
Relying on Offline
Mark Stonham
LinkedIn Trainer
Social Selling Consultant
Barely online
Invisible
Get started
Level 1 – Basic Profile
• Name
• Default Headline
• Skeleton roles
• Minimal/No background
• <50 contacts
• No activity
• Not checking VIE *
• Not inviting people
• No time spent on LinkedIn
Where are you on your
LinkedIn Journey?
Here’s what the next
level looks like.
Community focus
Reinforce Reputation
Get more Website Traffic
Replace Outbound
Inbound Fills the Funnel
Strategic Social Selling
For more LinkedIn Strategies & Tips - Find and Follow Wurlwind on LinkedIn
and at www.wurlwind.co.uk @wurlwind_li #LinkedWinCopyright Wurlwind 2014