Over the last 2 weeks I participated in the Sales Stimulus Package series from Jill Konrath. My favorite session by far was "Using LinkedIn for More Sales" delivered by Patrick O'Malley (energetic is an understatement for this guy!).
Sure, I use LinkedIn all the time, don't we all? Well, Patrick took my understanding to another level.
The highlight for me was the importance of creating a "Power" public profile and how this can help you increase sales.
Just to be clear, your Public Profile is what people who aren't logged into LinkedIn see when they Google you and LinkedIn comes up. Here's mine for example: Click for larger view.
As you can see, my public profile shows:
- Current position
- Summary
- Experience
- Websites
Now, you probably use LinkedIn to do research and gain some personal information before you make a sales call.
Patrick argues that we should also be using LinkedIn to sell our strengths and to sell our companies.
He continues that profiles must have:
- A professional headline
- A status that is updated on a regular basis
- A summary that tells people what you do
- Links to your website (SEO bonus!)
How powerful is your public profile? Take a moment to Google yourself (you can use this search phrase): Linkedin yourfirstname yourlastname
Take a look at the results. What do people learn about you & your company when they do research on you?
The key takeaway here is that every customer facing person at your company, starting with you, should have a "Power" public profile. It will help to sell your value, the value of your organization and ultimately help you to sell more.
If you are looking for tips on using LinkedIn more effectively, I recommend you visit Patrick O'Malley's blog.
So how are you marketing you on LinkedIn?