Your cold calling days are done
Learn how to leverage social media—ella’s way
Few things are more deflating than the instant rejection made possible by every salesperson’s least favorite activity: the cold call.
I’ve got good news: there’s a great alternative to cold calling that may also yield better results. (Hint: you’re using it right now!)
Social media—LinkedIn in particular—is a great tool for boosting sales. Here’s how to leverage platforms you’re already using to develop rapport with potential clients, give your brand some visibility, and grow your pipeline.
Put your best profile forward.
Step one: any social media platform you want to use to your advantage as a salesperson will need a professional facelift. I’m not just talking about using an up-to-date headshot—you’ll need to take into consideration every detail from your cover photo to your headline to the points you emphasize in your bio. In other words, if you’re trying to use LinkedIn to grow your pipeline, everything about your persona on this platform needs to reflect your business’s brand—and position you as an expert resource for anyone who’s interested in what you’re selling.
Include your social profiles in your email signatures.
Once you’ve spruced up your profile, you’re ready to start reaching out. That’s right—you can’t just sit back, do nothing, and let the inbound leads come to you. If you already have a great system for email outreach in place, you’re halfway there! But there’s one thing you can do to make that outreach even better: include your social profiles in your email signatures. Messages that link to social accounts have a 9.8% higher average response rate than messages without those links—and that gets a bump to 11.5% when you include your LinkedIn profile specifically.
Like, comment, and connect.
Your social media accounts won’t do much for you if they exist in a vacuum. Dedicate time each day to interact with your prospects on these channels. Contacts you haven’t reached out to are more likely to click on your profile (gaining exposure for your brand)—and for those, you’re already in sales conversations with, you’ll stay top of mind.
Personalization is a crucial part of modern sales interactions, and no channel is more personal than social media. If used correctly, your presence and activity on LinkedIn and other platforms can be a big benefit to you as a salesperson. Make sure your profiles are in tip-top shape, update your email signatures to link to your LinkedIn, invest time in interacting with prospects on your social platforms—and watch your pipeline grow.