Don’t Make These Mistakes Selling in Linkedin

Sales automation tools targeting online platforms like LinkedIn is the modern method of cold calling new business. The amount of solicitations decision makers receives on the platform is mountainous. My inbox adds add around five pitches for engineering firms and service providers every day, compounded by automated follow-up inquiries for any solicitations left unanswered.

It you’re one of the many sales reps responsible for business development, I get it; you need to drive new leads and close opportunities.  But mass spam pitching will not produce meaningful results, especially in light of all the noise on the platform; Improve your message better by focussing 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 for your intended target.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 ❌

👎 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:  Merely stating that your company has access to a pool of available resources is like trying selling snow in Alaska.

👎 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀: Providing a list of resume profiles doesn’t establish credibility. It fails to showcase actual results or benefits.

👎 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀: If you’re a development firm, rifling off a list of technology and hoping you’ll get a hit with someone that needs that tech is a very very long shot.

👎 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗺𝘀𝘆 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴:  My immediate disqualifier is obvious use of templated reach-out messaging. 𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 ✅

👍 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀: Highlighting one or two case studies where your firm achieved success helps qualify your offering, aligning with your target customer.

👍 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀: Sharing quotes from satisfied (hopefully notable) clients adds credibility. Real voices speaking positively about your firm is incredibly persuasive.

👍 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: Simply stating what sets your company apart from the competition is crucial. Unique selling points  make your offering more attractive.

👍 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲: Include a one-pager PDF that potential customers can save off for later reference, highlighting every strength, accomplishments, differentiator that can help you stand out in a crowd.

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𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 “𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭” 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥𝙨, 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳.