Virtual Selling: Close More Deals With LinkedIn

Selling has changed. The virtual landscape has opened many more doors and created opportunities that every business should be keen to leverage. So, before you get excited about “going back to normal”, think about how you can become an empowered salesperson in a world that’s now open to virtual selling.

Did you know that 76% of buyers feel ready to have a social media conversation? People have become accustomed to digital interactions and expect businesses to approach them this way, so don’t shy away from this essential tool in your sales strategy. Closing more deals on LinkedIn should be a priority, regardless of what industry you’re in. 

If you’ve tried using LinkedIn for sales purposes and didn’t quite get it right, or this is entirely new territory for you, we’d like to help you with some helpful pointers that will help you up your virtual selling game on LinkedIn.

1. Build a complete profile

Your LinkedIn profile is like your business card, your resume, and the social proof that you’re a real person with real experience in your industry. If you approach people with an incomplete profile, it will be difficult for the prospect to establish whether you’re a credible person, and they may question the legitimacy of the interaction. 

If you’re a B2B, your buyers are likely to thoroughly check you out – an IDC report shows that 75% of B2B buyers and 84% of C-level executives use social media when making the call on a purchasing decision. B2C buyers will also do some social media investigating as they’d like to know who they’re buying from.

Your LinkedIn profile should emphasise your position as a professional and encourage buyers and prospects to trust you.

The Ultimate LinkedIn Profile Checklist

• Have a professional headshot as your profile picture and a relevant image in your banner.  
• Complete your job and education history. 
• Write a strong biography in the “About” section – be a storyteller and not an egoist. 
• Share your credentials and certifications. 
• Include endrsements from colleagues – and be sure to give endorsements back. 
• Write an engaging headline – avoid tired buzzwords.

2. Be active – post regularly

To show that you’re an active participant in your industry and online community, you should post regularly. Share your thoughts and insights, comment on posts related to industry topics and show engagement. The added benefit is that it boosts your visibility on the LinkedIn platform. 

By showing that you’re interested and invested, you’re building a strong image for yourself as a thought leader and as someone that prospects can trust. You’re showing that you haven’t just appeared out of the woodwork but that you are, in fact, invested and authentic.

A few tips on how to boost your LinkedIn activity include:

1. Share industry news or interesting articles you’ve recently read. 
2. Leave comments on other people’s posts – offer insights or ask questions. 
3. Write thoughtful and engaging posts that spark conversations. Long form content is fantastic for establishing yourself as an expert.
4. Use video to teach and share your insights. 

The important thing to remember here is that your content should always be high quality. While you should post frequently, also focus on being a good listener (post what’s relevant and useful to your contacts and prospects). If you’re writing something, make sure it’s written well. If you’re filming a video, speak clearly and with confidence. 

3. Use what you already have – tap into your network

Your network of contacts may hold a tonne of opportunity for you. Look where you share connections with prospects of interests and see if you can set up an introduction. You’ll find the door is much easier to open if someone refers you or vouches for your credibility and experience. So, before you send the email or make a call, check if you share a connection. 

Also, don’t be afraid to put posts out that ask your network specific questions. It’s a great way to gauge interest in a campaign or encourage some professional banter around a topic of interest. You never know when this may put you back on someone’s map and remind them about your services. It’s an organic way to keep in touch and amplify the reach of your profile. 

4. Think beyond the transaction when reaching out

We’ve all received the generic LinkedIn messages from salespeople who haven’t done their homework and who are, quite frankly, playing a numbers game. “How many people can I hit up with this message until someone bites?”

This is totally the wrong approach. It screams: I don’t see you as a peson, I only care about the transaction. If this is your sales methodology in 2022, then your days are likely numbered.

Instead, you should spend some time looking into your prospect to ensure that your interaction offes something of direct value to them. Share relevant content and personalise your outreach –– basically, don’t come across as a spammer!

Conclusion

When you apply everything we’ve discussed in this article, you should start seeing a lot more engagement on the LinkedIn platform, and closing deals will become much easier.

Remember that LinkedIn and virtual selling are tools in your overall strategy, so it’s important to have everything else in your buyer’s journey covered and that you have high quality content prepared in order to keep educating your prospects.

To improve your sales strategy from start to finish, we recommend you sign up for our highly acclaimed Sales Enablement Service.