Linkedin for Business Guide in 60 mins 2015

LINKEDIN FOR BUSINESS

“The best LinkedIn guide on the internet – it will seriously help you get

MORE LEADS, SALES & BUSINESS

Need More Help with LinkedIn – Call me Today on 07880 725 564

In 60 minutes or less!”

Dawn Adlam The Bizlinks Social Media Coaching & Training

Thank you for taking the time to read my Free Guide, it means you are actively

looking to make the best use of your precious time by understanding the

power of Social Media. I specialise in Coaching and Training on the Linkedin

platform as it dramatically changed the way I did business once I knew how to

use it effectively. No more cold calling and no more gatekeepers! You never

run out of contacts on Linkedin, it is real time marketing where you are

working “on” your business and not in it.

I have been running regular workshops and coaching sessions for the last 3

years helping Business Owners and Sales Teams to get the results they want

from Linkedin, whatever the type of Business, if you know your target market

then Linkedin can help you.

Having been a BNI member for the last 7 years in Birmingham I really

appreciate the power of Networking online and offline face to face, there is

nothing better in generating new Business opportunities as people buy from

people. The philosophy in BNI is Givers Gain which certainly is true of Linkedin

too – find the people you can help, show how you add value and make the

right approach, a simple but effective process and my mission is to share this

knowledge with as many Business people as possible, knowledge is power!

Using Linkedin regularly as part of your Sales and Marketing strategy will make

a massive difference to your Business so don’t get left behind in the Social

Media Revolution, its here to stay...


“ Social Media is ever evolving and is here to stay so don’t get left behind, if you are not using Linkedin effectively then you can bet your competitors will be!”

How to start using LinkedIn for Business Development (in 60 minutes or less)

LinkedIn does not work for me!

I hear this all the time. The fact is that for most it’s true. The question is why? After all, it has the potential to connect you to the businesses, markets and people that can make the difference in your business.

But it’s also complicated, time-‐consuming and not a little bit intimidating, right?

Not exactly. If you are prepared to invest just one hour in this free guide, I can show you how to get yourself set up on LinkedIn so that you are ready to use it for lead generation and business development.

The guide will give you the means to make quick fixes and practical changes that will set up your LinkedIn account in the way it should be: as a business generating source.

But before we start, let’s look at why LinkedIn is so frustrating for so many people.


Reasons why business & people don’t get results from LinkedIn

! They have a profile that looks like an online CV ! They are trying to sell to new contacts ! They are trying to sell to existing contacts ! No action is taken after connections are made ! Inconsistent activity ! There is no strategy for lead generation

If you recognise any of the above then this guide is the first step towards taking charge of LinkedIn and transforming it into a solid business development tool.

Is LinkedIn really worth the time and effort? Firstly, Let me just deal with this simple question.

LinkedIn Can:

! Help you generate Leads in a whole new way

! End your Cold Calling Days for ever

! Help you Grow Your Business in New Countries & Markets


But don’t I have to sell? A lot of people I work with tell me they struggle with selling. I respond with the following

! Do you have a partner? ! Do you have children? ! Do you have friends?

If you answer yes to one or more of the above then you can sell, and you’re probably very good at it too.

The challenge is not selling. It’s getting enough opportunities to sell, or in other words Lead Generation.

The WHAT, the WHY and the HOW People buy people. Selling starts with building trust and rapport not features and benefits. During this guide I will be talking about the WHY because this is what people buy first. Think about it.

Dave the Accountant

! Does VAT Returns and TAX Planning – the WHAT ! Writes spreadsheets and fills online returns – the HOW ! Has a drive, commitment and above all passion for working with ambitious

business owners and helping them to build a solid financial platform – the WHY

Which one of those three will you buy into first?


The two vital first steps to making LinkedIn work for you

1. Build an engaging LinkedIn Profile 2. Grow your network with key people in your market

The first phase of my LinkedIn coaching is based on these two simple steps. This guide will take you through both of them, for free.

Step 1 – Creating an Engaging LinkedIn Profile that works

The key to building a great LinkedIn profile is to find a solid answer to the following questions

“Who do I want to engage in business and why should they want to talk to me?”

Put yourself in your client’s shoes and work out what your true value is.

Then ask yourself:

“WHY do I do what I do?”

The answers to these questions should form the foundation to your profile.

Start at the top:


Your Photo and Professional Headline

Investing in a professional picture is critical, social pictures or a selfie taken with your mobile phone will just look unprofessional.

The text directly under your name is called your professional headline, you have 120 characters so make every one of them count.

My advice is:

Talk about your value, not what you do.

Add in keywords because LinkedIn search your headline first when returning search results. For example, I want to be found for “LinkedIn Training”.


Creating your summary

Your LinkedIn Summary needs to focus on WHAT drives you and WHY do

choose the profession you are in. Your summary is not the place to list your

services and products because no one will care about that until they buy into

you. It is also a great idea to end your summary with a ilttle personal

information -‐ what you enjoy doing outside of work.

Including your work experience This is straightforward – this can be generic and not about you. It’s about your

business – use the about us statement on your website if you have one and

also add in your Keywords at the bottom of your work experience description

for SEO reasons.

Providing Evidence Clearly define the Top Skills you have developed. Aim for about 12 if you can.

If you need some inspiration find a LinkedIn member with a similar back

ground to you and look at what they have listed.

LinkedIn also allows you to add in your own Skills. I recommend you also add in

some soft skills, like Business networking or communication. This will allow

members who have not directly experienced your services to give you an

endorsement. The more you have here the better.

LinkedIn Recommendations are powerful and can also be displayed on

websites, sales copy and other marketing material. When requesting one from

a connection, write a personal message and ask for 3 things that back up the

value you have outline in your Headline and Summary.


An example of how to create your basic profile


Step 2 -‐ Building a powerful LinkedIn network of contacts

Connections lead to opportunities.

It’s that simple – The key is to build your LinkedIn network strategically around

your target markets and make full use of your Members, Advocates and Raving

fans.

The most effective way to grow your LinkedIn network -‐ at least initially -‐ is to

find and connect with your Members, Advocates, Raving Fans, Clients,

Associates, Partners and other people you are currently working with.

The next step should be to reconnect with the people you used to know

including past Clients, and Colleagues. A great place to start would be the

drawer full of business cards you have.

Another great place to find old contacts is your email inbox. Turn it upside

down and scan your inbox right from the start – you will find and remember

people and opportunities you had forgotten about completely .

It is very important that you personalise each invite you send especially if you

have only met them briefly and/or a while ago, as shown in the example

below.


Great phrases to use with your invitation message ! I’d like to invite you to join my network – much more personal

! I would like the opportunity to reconnect with you – great for old contacts


Always Be Building Always look to increase your LinkedIn contacts whenever you can for example

attending network events, inbound phone calls or meetings.

Get into the habit of meeting someone new and then connecting with them on

LinkedIn. Try to connect with at least one new person a day.

Other great ways to grow your network ! LinkedIn Groups – once joined you can message the members within the

Group

! Your existing network – introductions from your Advocates and Raving fans


Managing your growing LinkedIn network LinkedIn provide several great features to help you effectively manage your

fast growing network. Below is where LinkedIn provides you with information

and several ways you can manage your network.

The first section displays certain events for your contacts such as birthdays,

new jobs, and work anniversaries – there is a nice option where you can send a

personal note which is great for building and maintaining rapport with your

contacts.


Segmentation The next section in the “keep in touch page” allows you to segment your

network into sub groups based on:

! Company name

! Location

! Job title

! Source

The example below filters out contacts in Southampton

Once you have your segmented network you can then send group messages to

the contacts you select.


Your own segmentation

Tagging is a great feature provided by LinkedIn that allows you to create your own groups based on your parameters.

Tagging Key Features

! Up to 200 groups ! Private to you only ! Group messaging permitted ! Contacts can be in multiple groups

Please note: customised tagging is covered in more detail during my coaching sessions.


Relationship

On all of your connections you will notice at the top the Relationship feature, this allows you to make notes on each contact, set reminders, state how you met and apply tags.


Are you a one in ten? In terms of successful engagement, if you get your positioning right you should

be looking at a one in ten conversion from acceptance to appointment. One of

the key areas I focus on when coaching my clients is to create an engagement

strategy and process that will produce real results.

If you follow this process you WILL find your prospect far more open to what

you have to say.

The next step:

I hope you enjoyed this free guide. Knowing how to set up your profile and then your network is crucial to your LinkedIn success.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Once your profile is set up and you have started to make inroads to building a powerful network you then need to start using LinkedIn to market yourself.

What you need to make LinkedIn a success:

1. A solid strategy | profile 2. A great LinkedIn network 3. An effective LinkedIn engagement plan


Take a look at some of my LinkedIn testimonials


To view all of my 168 Personal Recommendations please do view my LinkedIn profile

What my coaching sessions can offer you:

• The next steps towards mastering LinkedIn for business • Quick and practical strategies for building leads that create business • Techniques for building your network even more, so it becomes a 24

hour inbound marketing tool • How to develop relationships on LinkedIn that keep creating new

opportunities • The confidence to create a selling strategy on LinkedIn that will become

a source of new leads

This is what works for me. You have also received some incredible (and free) advice on how to start building a powerful profile and a network that will bring in new opportunities.

It’s now about taking that next step to making LinkedIn your main business development tool. I use LinkedIn more than anything else.

" That means no more cold-‐calling.

" No expensive ad campaigns.

I want to extend to you the opportunity to take control of this amazing lead-‐generation resource. I want you to step beyond creating a profile and starting a network and into new business, new revenue and an exciting future.

If you want to take charge of your business future, get in touch.


About Dawn Adlam Having trained 100’s of Business Owners and Sales Teams over the last 3 years

I have the knowledge to share to help others make the best use of the amazing B2B Platform that is Linkedin. Workshops are interactive and engaging from beginners through to more advanced users. Individual Open Workshops or In House Corporate Workshops. Personal Remote Coaching Progammes to suit you over a 3 month period to maximise your time and investment and help you generate real results and new opportunities,

Find out more about me Please do connect with me on LinkedIn LinkedIn Profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnadlam

LinkedIn Remote Coaching – Client Feedback

LinkedIn Workshops – Client Feedback

LinkedIn for Sales Teams – Client feedback

View my Speaker Bio

Email: [email protected] M: 07880 725 564

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide and please do feel free to contact me for help and support with LinkedIn, Sales & Lead Generation.