Your Online Dating Profile For Business – How Do You Scrub Up?

Your Online Dating Profile For Business – How Do You Scrub Up?

LinkedIn is the online dating profile for your business. It’s the first place people go to learn about you professionally, and it’s where you can make or break your first impression. But how do you use LinkedIn effectively? How do you go from being just another profile to a social selling leader? Let’s dive in.

The Art of Social Selling

Social selling is not about pitching your products or services; it’s about creating meaningful conversations that eventually lead to sales. LinkedIn offers a Social Selling Index (SSI) that measures how effectively you’re engaging on the platform. Before you make any changes to your profile, check your SSI score. It’s a good starting point.

Exercise – Get Your Profile Looking Hot!

1. Banner Image: Make sure it’s consistent across your team and aligns with your website. 2. Headline: Speak directly to what people are searching for. 3. Contact Information: Make it easy for people to reach you. 4. Summary: Address pain points, showcase your unique value, and use keywords for SEO. 5. Experience: List relevant roles and use keywords. 6. Skills and Endorsements: Think of them as meta tags that teach LinkedIn what you want to be recognised for.

The Numbers

In Australia alone, there are 12 million  LinkedIn users. Social selling leaders create 45% more opportunities than their peers. They achieve this through effective LinkedIn training and by actively engaging with their network.

Exercise  What have you done?

1. Projects: List them in the Accomplishments section. 2. Certifications, Honours, and Awards: Showcase your achievements. 3. Organisations: Highlight memberships that demonstrate experience, success, or relevance.

Joining The Dots

Once your profile is set, it’s time to build your network. Connect with people who could potentially need your services now or in the future. Don’t be afraid to connect with competitors; there’s enough work to go around.

How To Make A Connection

1. Initial Outreach: Use mutual connections for introductions or send a personalized connection request. 2. Engagement: Comment on their posts and share their content. 3. The Coffee Meeting: After a few weeks of engagement, invite them for a coffee to discuss potential business opportunities.

We All Love The Jam – But Don’t Forget The Bread And Butter!

Showcase both your high-end projects and your bread-and-butter work. This ensures you don’t alienate potential clients who might think you’re out of their price range.

Exercise – The Final Bits And Pieces

1. Staff Training: Make sure your team knows how to use LinkedIn effectively. 2. Policy Document: Outline acceptable and unacceptable uses of LinkedIn for your team.

Key Takeaways

– Social selling is about creating conversations, not hard selling. – A well-crafted LinkedIn profile can serve as a powerful tool for social selling. – Slow and steady wins the race. Build trust before you try to close a deal. By following these LinkedIn training tips and understanding the art of social selling, you’re not just setting up a profile; you’re setting up a powerful tool for your business. So, how do you scrub up?