How to Do Cold Outreach on LinkedIn

How to Approach and Connect with Buyers on LinkedIn

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Should you do cold outreach on LinkedIn like many sellers do nowadays? Or should you warm up your prospects first? I think you know the answer to that one.

The number of LinkedIn members worldwide is now over 756 million and continues to grow. Today, more and more users are actively engaging with their network by sharing business-focused content that address the specific concerns of the target audience.

But it’s amazing how many users still don’t know the proper way to connect with buyers on LinkedIn. They start their outreach message with sales pitches or try to schedule a meeting BEFORE providing value. What they fail to understand is that networking on LinkedIn is just like networking in real life.

In this video, I share how you can teach your sales reps to properly do a LinkedIn outreach strategy to their target buyers. Watch the video below or read the rest of the article to find out the first steps you must take to effectively leverage social selling on the biggest B2B networking platform in the world.

Learn from @LinkedInExpert the two things you need to do when approaching your target #buyer on the biggest B2B networking platform in the world: LinkedIn. #SocialSelling #SalesProspecting #B2BSalesClick To Tweet

Two Key Elements of a Cold Outreach on LinkedIn

B2B buyers are performing more independent research before connecting with sellers. In fact, according to HubSpot, 74% of consumers connect with a sales rep during the consideration stage, after performing research and creating a shortlist. That places added emphasis on building a personal brand.

When prospects perform their research on LinkedIn, searching for professionals who can solve their business challenges, do the profiles of your sales team appear? When buyers visit their profiles, do they find buyer-centric messaging that addresses their pain points? Are your sellers actively sharing content and engaging on posts to develop their thought leadership?

These are all elements of presenting sellers as trusted resources to prospects. These steps also increase credibility by showing that sellers understand the specific pain points facing your prospects and that they can solve them.

If their profiles read like a resume or worse, is empty, your prospects will move on to the next person to find someone who addresses their concerns. Below are two elements to properly make a LinkedIn connection with buyers.

#1: Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile with Buyer-Centric Messaging

When networking on LinkedIn, your goal is to start a business conversation. Whether you need an LLC service consulting or law advice, you can easily reach out to various companies on LinkedIn. As a B2B sales leader or executive, that could be an investment opportunity, a partnership, or helping a sales rep push an opportunity further down the pipeline. Whatever your end goal is, there’s a step between approaching them and having that business conversation. They’re going to view your LinkedIn profile.

You need to create a strong brand on LinkedIn to gain the prospect’s trust. So the first thing you should do is upload an appropriate LinkedIn photo and optimize your profile with buyer-centric messaging that shows how you help solve your buyer’s business challenges.

When a potential customer, other executives, or potential investors see an empty or unprofessional profile, they think twice about the opportunity. This is also important for your sales team, as B2B decision-makers view a seller’s LinkedIn profile before deciding whether to have a conversation with them.

If their profile reads like a resume and contains you-centric messaging not buyer-centric messaging, it can come across that the seller is only focused on themselves and not on building a long-term relationship with the buyer.

#2: Become a Trusted Resource

When networking at tradeshows or events, you dress professionally and don’t approach people with a sales pitch. Instead, you shake hands and try to understand their needs and pain points. Similarly, when your sellers connect with buyers on LinkedIn, they should focus on building a relationship first. Additionally, their profile is similar to the clothes they would wear to a business meeting. If their profile reads like a resume, then it’s the same as attending a tradeshow or meeting in flip flops and gym shorts.

Some of the key elements of a LinkedIn profile include the LinkedIn headline, About section, and Current Experience. Each of these should show who you help and how you help them solve their business challenges.

You also want to guide your sellers on how to upload content that helps prospects in their buyer’s journey. Videos, blogs, decks, whitepapers, and case studies are all examples of content that can be added to a profile and used as resources for buyers. Through this content, sellers distinguish themselves as knowledgeable reps focused on building a relationship.

.@LinkedInExpert says that you need to have the best possible #LinkedIn profile for your #buyers. In order to do that, you must turn your profile into a #content resource with buyer-centric messaging. #DigitalSelling #B2BNetworkingClick To Tweet

Network on LinkedIn to Earn High-Quality Leads

More than likely, your buyers are on LinkedIn searching for solutions to their business challenges. Use this opportunity to guide sellers on how to approach them as a trusted resource by optimizing their LinkedIn profiles with buyer-centric messaging to develop trust and build relationships. More than doing cold outreach on LinkedIn, they should be building their personal brands.

Plus, check how our LinkedIn training program teaches B2B sales professionals how to create more sales conversations with qualified buyers

Are prospects finding your sellers on LinkedIn? Read the Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn Profiles for Sales Professionals to learn how to transform their profiles to be found, earn trust, and create more sales opportunities. Plus, check how a text expander can help your entire sales team and save them a lot of time!

 

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