7 Steps to Minimize Technical Sales Prospecting Dead Ends on LinkedIn
If you’re in technical sales and want to start using social media, forget Twitter and put Instagram and Facebook on the back burner. The social platform that works best for B2B sales is LinkedIn, hands down. You’ll need to invest the time and effort into making this social platform work for you, but it’s worth it. If you’re using LinkedIn only every few weeks for your technical sales prospecting, it might seem like it’s not worth the effort. However, consistency is a big part of seeing positive results. Here are steps you can take to minimize technical sales prospecting dead ends. Remember to follow these weekly in order to see results:
1) Build your network
Currently, LinkedIn allows users to send 50 to 100 connection invitations per week. It sets this limit in order to control spamming and maintain a high quality in terms of connections. Whatever the cap is, you should reach it every week to get maximum results. More importantly, be strategic about how you’re allocating those connection requests. In technical sales, you can invite a large number of people to be part of your network and you should make the most of this opportunity. You can alternate the target industry, job functions, and job titles to make your network more diverse and reach as many prospects as possible.
2) Like and share your company’s page content every day
If someone in your company has already gone through the trouble of creating content, all that you need to do is like and share that content so it can reach a wider audience. Send it to someone who might find value from the post or article. At the very least, if you can’t share, you should like the post on your company’s page. Keep in mind that LinkedIn values shares more than likes, so take note of this when you are engaging with your company’s page.
3) Engage with your network for 30 minutes a day
In technical sales, the most important thing you should do is build relationships. Most people you’re trying to connect with probably don’t get much engagement on their posts. Engage consistently and start building a relationship with them. Make sure to write a short comment or hit the like button on their posts. They’ll most likely get an instant notification and check out your profile to see where you work and what your background is. The more this happens, the more you build that critical rapport with your prospects and the more valuable those connections become.
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4) Send one piece of content your company has created to 75 people a day
Don’t worry too much about what to write. There’s no need to send a lengthy personalized message. Make it short and sweet with just the right amount of information to introduce yourself and what you are offering. For example, you can write something like: “We just wrote these two articles on technical sales and I think you might get some value out of them. Please let me know what you think.” Then, include the direct link to the content. Copy, paste, and repeat this seventy-five times per day. It should only take about 30 seconds to 1 minute per person and this will be seventy five minutes well-spent.
5) Ask your connections if they need what you’re selling
Do steps 1-4 for about three to four weeks after you first connect with someone. Then, move on to step 5, which involves finding out if they have any need for what you’re offering. Ask if they are available for a quick 15-20 minute chat. You can write something like: “Hey, I just want to know if you can spend 20 minutes on a chat to see if you need my company’s product, which I think might help you reach your targets. If you think you might have a need, are you open to a call?” Keep it brief and you’ll be pleasantly surprised that many of them will get back to you with a positive response.
6) Organize and record your data and contacts
Most people in technical sales are already using a CRM, and if you are, great! You can actually export that information. You can also export your connection information from LinkedIn. Create spreadsheets from this information to organize and keep track of your contacts. Add columns that specifies the action you’ve taken with that contact, such as “sent the article” and “sent a warm message”, then indicate the status with a “yes” or “no.” Then you can filter all your contacts using these indicators. It’s important to record all your actions to see what’s working, keep track your performance, and easily view who replied and who didn’t. Technical sales engineers can also present this data to management or use it for their own personal KPIs.
7) Be consistent
The most important thing to remember is to be consistent. Technical sales requires patience and perseverance. Don’t try this for a week, then stop for two weeks, then start again from step one. Try all these steps for 30 days straight and we’re sure that you’ll see results. You’ll be keeping your sales pipeline full while building relationships with future prospects. Consistency and persistence will make a real difference and soon, you’ll be on your way to closing your first (or next) deal through LinkedIn.
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