Take Advantage Of LinkedIn During the Virus Part 2

In the previous post we went over why you need to be using LinkedIn. With the Coronavirus keeping salespeople from meeting prospects in person, any resource you have at your disposal should be utilized, and LinkedIn is a great one. Especially if you're going to be working from home for a while.

There are some great ways to maximize your time and efforts on LinkedIn and I thought it would be great to go over a few things to help you get your message to prospects and influencers in your network. Here is a short list to get you started.

• Have a professional looking profile picture. As I stated in the last post, this is super important. If you can't afford a professional headshot by a real photographer, no worries. You can get away with a photo in business casual. I've seen some pictures from recent college graduates with a golf shirt and khakis that were very good. On the other hand, the worst thing you can do is leave the default avatar as your picture. I refuse to accept connection requests from people who do not have a picture.
• Post stuff. I enjoy posting articles that are industry specific as well as general business information. If you are in sales, your clients can come from any industry, so just because you are a realtor, that doesn't mean everyone wants to read about the latest real estate trends. A news article on the local economy can be good too. By posting often (once a day), you keep your name and brand top of mind.
• Join groups. If you don't have a lot of connections this is a great way to find some. And the groups aren't just industry specific. As an insurance agent, I am a member of several of LinkedIn's insurance groups, but I'm also in a group for my college's alumni and local networkers in my area. 
• Click on the profiles of people you would like to connect with. If someone takes a look at your profile, which you want by the way, LinkedIn notifies you. With this logic, wouldn't you want certain people to know that you're interested in them? And if they see that you're checking them out, they may send you a connection request. 

When trying to network on LinkedIn, remember that it's a professional networking site and not Facebook or Twitter. No one really cares about your political views or wants to see pictures of your kids on vacation. The users of LinkedIn are looking for business prospects, job opportunities and general networking. Another key point is that LinkedIn doesn't want you to randomly send out connection request to anyone and everyone. Start off with people you actually know and expand from there. As I mentioned before, the groups feature is a great way to find new people to meet and network with.

Keep plugging away and you'll find that your time on the site was well worth it. And if you have any other suggestions to share put them in the comments section. 



Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.