For sales professionals. Today, you are no longer solely a sales rep, but an identifiable trusted adviser and subject matter expert. Yes, the fact remains that sales has always been, and will always be, “social.” The best sales professionals know that success is based on the knack for building key relationships. They're keen networkers and connectors. But the social-mobile-digital shift is challenging the effectiveness of traditional sales tactics. Why? Because buyer behavior has changed. Today's buyers are characterized by connectivity and empowerment. They take to Google search and information gathered from social networks, first and foremost, before directly connecting with a sales rep. On average, 70% of the decision-making process is already complete by the time your prospect first hears from you. This LinkedIn for Social Selling presentation: • Makes the case for social selling and soft sell strategies in order to harness today's changing buyer process. • Guides sales teams on how to build out a LinkedIn profile specifically for buyer-centric personal branding. • Instructs sales on how to use LinkedIn for research and intel for prospecting, lead nurturing and competitive analysis. • Provides key tips for using LinkedIn for real relationship building through the various forms of social engagements, from InMail, LinkedIn Group participation and influencer interactions, to social posts and content curation with likes, shares and comments. Questions or comments? Ping me on Twitter at @XochiAdame

1. Social Selling I:
LinkedIn-Powered Sales Success: Personal
Branding, Intel and Relationship Building

2. AGENDA
• Why Social Selling ?
• What is Social Selling?
• Step 1: Personal Branding on LinkedIn
• The Why and What of Social Selling
• Step 2: LinkedIn for Prospect Intel
• 3: LinkedIn Engagement
• StepBuyer-centric Personal Branding
• LinkedIn for Research & Intel
• Relationship Building with LinkedIn
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3. Why Social Selling?
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4. Enterprise technology buyers
will find nearly 70% of the
content they need on their
own, with only 15% sent by
marketing and only 15%
delivered by sales.
77% of B2B buyers conduct
product review research before
ever contacting a salesperson.
Buyers look at an average of
over 10 digital resources before
ever making a purchase.
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7. Social Selling Defined:
• What is social selling?
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8. Buyer-Centric Personal Branding on LinkedIn
• Image of today’s sales executive, shows man and
woman with these labels:

Industry Thought leader

Corporate Spokesperson

Subject Matter Expert
Trusted Advisor
Leading Expert
Top Blogger
Thought Leader
Industry Influencer
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9. 1. Profile Picture
• 93% had a picture of some kind.
Professional headshot
at proper resolution and
size.
•
•
•
•
•
JPG, GIF or PNG
4MB max
Square 1:1 shape
200x200 to 500x500
4000 pixels max
Just like the first 7-10 seconds in
face-to-face impressions, first
encounters via your digital self
produce immediate, largely
subconscious, judgments.
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10. 1. Profile Picture
• 93% had a picture of some kind.
Search-optimized
headline.
• Defaults to current job title.
• 140 character max.
• Headlines are indexed for
internal and external
search.
• Powerful Google page
rank.
• Use buyer persona for
keyword optimization.
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11. 1. Profile Picture
• 93% had a picture of some kind.
Thorough contact info.
•
•
•
•
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Email
Phone number
Twitter
Blog and website
Vanity URL using full
name.
Important contact info should
also be added to your
summary and additional details
sections.
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12. Summary
•
Not an online cover letter.
•
Write in first person.
•
Write for buyer persona
audience.
•
Include key contact info.
•
Keyword rich SEO.
•
2K character max.
•
Alt Code symbols.
•
Ask colleagues to
proofread.
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13. 5. Endorsements
• Quid pro quo.
• Movable module.
Recommendations
& Endorsements
•
Client recommendations
trump co-workers.
•
Quid pro quo.
•
Endorsements boost LI
search results.
•
Goal: 1 recommendation
per job title, 10 total is a
sweet spot.
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14. “LinkedIn is the best tool we
have for business development”
— Anna Bratton, top sales exec
Prospecting
Lead Nurturing
Competitive Intel
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at Salesforce.com

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16. Prospect Intel
Step 2: Analyzing company and personal profiles
.
What can you glean from
knowing:
•
•
•
•
•
2nd & 3rd party connections
Groups
Companies followed
Personal interests
Connections
Joining key groups that your prospects already participate in can
offer valuable access to conversations. *Default settings will also
give you access to free InMail to co-Group members.
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17. • Any LinkedIn member can be saved as a contact by
going to their profile page and clicking the Relationship
tab next to Contact Info.
• Your notes, reminders and tags are private to you.
• Tags can be categorized by buyer persona, job title, or
even a conference call name and date.
• Pull up saved contacts by going to your “contacts”
under “Network,” then sort by desired filter.
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18. Prospect Intel
• Salesforce Integration
• Jerad Demo
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19. Engagement
Relationship building & nurturing
Mutual Groups
Soft Sell
Social posts
Introductions
InMail
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Content sharing

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21. Follow and engage key influencers on
LinkedIn Pulse
• Relationships with influencers lends credibility
and influence to your own personal brand.
• Influencers are power connectors with vast
networks and connections.
Participate in key LinkedIn Groups
• Conference, professional association and niche
industry groups are hotbeds of insightful
conversations and industry prospects.
• Participation increases visibility in target
audiences outside your personal network.
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22. • Engagement ranges from InMail and
Connection invites to posts, comments, likes
and shares.
• Start by listening. Prospects’ conversations
often provide insights into problems and
areas of interest.
• Engaging with your group and network
audiences builds trust, influence and visibility.
• Demonstrate value by sharing helpful content
to your networks-at-large, and also to
individual prospects when appropriate.
• Be ever-conscious of tact, you don’t want to
come across as pushy or creepy.
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23. • “Like” or “share” stories from LinkedIn
Company Pages, Connections and Groups.
• Contribute thoughtful comments or expertise
to conversations happening in key LinkedIn
Groups.
• Follow and engage with LinkedIn Pulse
Influencers relevant to your industry.
• Secret sauce: leverage online with offline
engagement to initiate and sustain long-term
relationships.
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24. 1. B2B buying behavior has changed.
2. Get ahead by getting active in the first 70% of today’s path
to purchase (B2B buyer journey).
3. Design your digital persona according to your ideal buyer.
4. Harness LinkedIn for prospect and competitor investigation
and analysis.
5. Successful LinkedIn relationships start with listening.
6. Harness the power of industry influencers and groups.
7. Master the Soft Sell by providing value long before
mentioning your product or launching your “pitch.”
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25. ?
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Troubleshooting? Email: xadame@cds-global.com Twitter: @xochiadame
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Grab the deck: SlideShare, CDS Global Blog, xochiada.me
•
Stay tuned for future Social Selling resources
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