How to Improve your Sales Prospecting on LinkedIn in 3 Simple Steps

September 7, 2021/in B2B Marketing and Strategy /by jayden

There are so many social media platforms that you can use to find leads for your business. Data shows that as of July 2021, there are about 4.8 billion social media users worldwide. That’s about 57% of the world’s population which suggests that more than 9 in 10 internet users are actively using social media each month. The use of social media has tremendously grown over the past twelve months with about 520 million new users as of July 2021.

For many decision-makers, digital marketers, or B2B business owners, social media is a great tool to build brand awareness, increase community engagement, and generate leads for higher conversions.

While Facebook is the most popular social media platform, we should not take for granted the many benefits LinkedIn can offer. Whether you are looking for employees to work for your company, or simply trying to expand your professional network, LinkedIn is your social media place to be. But, how many people really use LinkedIn? As a business owner, how would you benefit from it?

LinkedIn User Statistics in 2021

Since LinkedIn was founded in 2002, its members have already passed the half-billion mark with over 722+ million and counting. LinkedIn is the social media platform where Fortune 500 executives and decision-makers like to spend their spare time. This is definitely the kind of market you want to infiltrate if you want to generate leads for your business. These high-ranking professionals are not there to simply browse through wedding photos, answer some Buzzfeed quizzes, or laugh at some memes — they are there actively looking for valuable content that can impact their business, which is very much what B2B marketers love to hear.

Study shows that 97% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for content marketing, as well as for prospecting. Most B2B leads — about 80% come from LinkedIn — compared to only 13% from Twitter and 7% from Facebook. 80% may be considered quite low for some, but if you think about it, the majority of B2B marketers can confidently say that LinkedIn is a great source to generate quality leads.

Source of B2B leads (Social Media) — Data Source: https://neilpatel.com/

When it comes to connecting B2B sellers and buyers, LinkedIn is at the forefront, and one of the most critical sales techniques is to understand how your prospects behave. With 50% of B2B buyers using LinkedIn as the main source for their purchasing decision, sales prospecting on LinkedIn becomes a lot easier and more successful.

So, how are you going to leverage LinkedIn as part of your marketing and sales strategy? How are you going to profile your LinkedIn account to attract prospects that will convert to leads, ultimately generating a higher return on investment?

What is Sales Prospecting

Considered as one of the most important parts of the whole sales process, sales prospecting for some B2B marketers is still considered a big challenge for a lot of salespeople. Sales prospecting is what it sounds like: going through hundreds or even thousands of businesses and individuals to look for quality prospects or leads who are most likely to convert into paying customers. Often likened to mining, sales prospecting like mining for gold takes a lot of time, as well as knowing where to find these prospects.

Gone are the days when sales prospecting only includes cold calling, daily meetings, or networking over a cup of coffee or lunch. In today’s digital world, roughly two-thirds of B2B buyers use online content for their decision-making.

3 Simple Ways for Better Sales Prospecting on LinkedIn

We now know that LinkedIn is a huge market for lead generation and sales prospecting. Here are some ways how you can make your LinkedIn profile stand for prospects to easily find you:

1. Show your prospects what you got and what you can offer

The first step for better sales prospecting is to clearly define the purpose of your business.

What is your unique selling point?
What can you offer?
What can you deliver?
What are your skills?
What sets you apart from your competition?

Think about all those things – what makes you stand out? We are all living in this very lucrative market where competition is fierce. Look back on your previous projects and think about how you were able to help your clients with their respective businesses. Don’t get too overwhelmed, however, and be everything to everybody. Just focus on those prospects to whom you can provide the best solutions — those high-quality prospects who are a perfect fit for your business.

2. Consistency in engagement

Always be connected with your prospects. We all know how crucial networking is when it comes to the success of your sales efforts. More than ever, networking is now absolutely essential if you want to find high-quality prospects and gain access to their buying process.

Most consumers buy from brands they like and trust, which can only be achieved through mutual connections between sellers and buyers. Expanding your network and staying engaged with your LinkedIn connections can help create warm paths to reach prospective buyers and earn referrals for better business opportunities.

3. Reach decision-makers

Go through LinkedIn company pages and identify which of the company’s employees are connected to you on a first-degree level. Finding that person who can help you in that target company, will help create a positive conversation.

You may get the contact information directly from the person you spoke with or from online database platforms, such as Data.com. From there, you can use their LinkedIn to get to know them better before giving them a sales call. Start with giving a formal LinkedIn introduction through InMail, and then call them the following day.

You can also find employees through LinkedIn Groups. Engage and connect with them — strike up a conversation if they have posted.

Ready for Better Sales Prospecting on LinkedIn?

They say, prospect smarter, not harder. Shift your mindset and focus on the right people and companies — it is what separates you from those who prospect smarter. Here are some key points you need to keep in mind:

Keep track of existing relationships and leads
Find the right people and companies efficiently
Always prioritize the right prospects, companies, and sales activities

There is also a useful LinkedIn sales prospecting tools that allow you to prospect smarter:

Real-time Sales Update
Lead Recommendations
TeamLink
InMail
CRM Widget

LinkedIn is every salesperson’s most valuable sales prospecting resource. With these tips and core factors in place, you can naturally ensure long-term success.

Top-Sales-Tools-for-Your-Work-From-Home-Setup

Top 5 Sales Tools for Your Work From Home Setup

March 25, 2020/in Growth Hacking /by Katrina Chua

Businesses across the world are adopting flexible remote work options for their employees.

With the beauty of collaborative technology, shifting o a remote environment should be a breeze.

For those working from home, here are some top sales tools to complete your set up.

Video Conferencing

Meetings face-to-face is still possible from home by using the right video conferencing tools such as Zoom.

Sometimes files, especially large ones, don’t work too well over email which is why having a file-sharing tool such as Dropbox is important.

Messaging

It’s important to stay connected with your team and even more with your clients, and Slack is a great tool for it.

CRM

Hubspot is a great CRM tool that helps you achieve top contact and lead management all while also helping you improve your customer list and interaction.

Tasks Management

Staying on top of all your projects and tasks can be overwhelming especially when there’s too many of them, which is why we recommend a good task management tool such as Trello.

Working from home has its share of challenges but with the right tools, it will make everything easier.

Winning High-Value Accounts with Multi-Channel ABM

April 11, 2019/in Lead Generation /by Katrina Chua

Video transcript:

Andrew heads sales at a B2B tech firm.

His team leverages multi-channel ABM (Account-based marketing).

With this approach, Andrew’s ABM program is on a winning streak…

Targeted 6.3x more tier 1 accounts
Booked 17x more meetings
Grew pipeline value by 8x

How?

By connecting with the right stakeholders at the right time with the right touch

Step 1: Identify

Andrew’s team picked their most promising accounts and mapped org charts for each.

Step 2: Expand

They then researched each contact to build detailed profiles.

Step 3: Engage

The team then reached out to contacts via different marketing channels and personalized messaging.

Step 4: Convert

They turned contacts into opportunities using a cadence of touches.

In short, multi-channel ABM sets the stage and opens doors for Andrew.

The 5 F’s of Data Hygiene for Deeper Sales Conversations [VIDEO]

July 12, 2018/in Data Cleaning and Verification, Telemarketing /by Katrina Chua

Data is the new oil.
Without it, your sales engine stops running.

Like oil, data needs to be refined.
Or else, it won’t fuel your sales machine.

The problem is that B2B data has a very short shelf life.

24% to 36% of your CRM data decays each year Tweet this!
25% of sales contacts are invalid at any given time

Poor data causes reps to waste 27.3% of their time,
and ends up costing you 12% of revenues.

The good news is that,
by following a few simple data hygiene best practices,
richer data-driven sales conversations are always within your reach…

#1 Find out what’s wrong

Start with a thorough audit of your CRM
Interview key data handlers and users
Identify what types of errors and potential issues you encounter

#2 Fix what’s broken

Validate data entry errors and typos first
Research and update inaccuracies like phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
Define rules for merging and removing duplicate records

#3 Fill missing values

Use the main company phone number as a placeholder until you obtain a direct line
Infer email addresses from common company-specific email patterns
Populate empty fields with data from publicly-available sources and third-party providers

#4 Fit data together

Follow standard naming conventions for contacts and businesses
Make sure to use consistent abbreviations and punctuations throughout a column
Create formatting rules for categorical fields (e.g., job titles, industries, etc.)

#5 Feed into a data management process

Plan for each stage of the data lifecycle (from collection to removal)
Automate as much as you can, but keep humans in the loop
Farm out a specific task when you don’t have the resources to do it in-house

Keep in mind that data hygiene is a continuous process, not a one-time thing.
Always go back to the 5 F’s:

Find
Fix
Fill
Fit
Feed

5 B2B Email Marketing Goals that Make or Break Results [VIDEO]

May 31, 2018/0 Comments/in Email Marketing /by Katrina Chua

Email remains the Swiss Army knife of B2B Marketing.

It does a lot of things,
and it does them really well.

But email’s performance is only as good as your goals.

Let’s understand the
5 essential B2B email marketing goals,
and learn why you need to focus on each of them.

#1 Connecting with new prospects

Emails are ideal for starting relationships with potential customers.

They enable personalized touches at scale.

That’s why 13% of B2B leads come from this channel.

#2 Nurturing leads and opportunities

Emails play a key role in keeping leads engaged throughout the sales cycle.

They help deliver compelling content at each stage of the sales process.

51% of B2B marketers personalize lead nurturing through email segmentation.

#3 Automating response to specific triggers

Emails provide a personalized way to automatically respond to lead activity.

They make your entire marketing automation process run smoothly.

B2B marketers who implement email automation boost their sales pipeline by 10%.

#4 Promoting exclusive offers

Emails work well at promoting free trials, discounts, and special offers.

They let you match relevant offers with an interested audience, boosting conversions.

In fact, 66% of online purchases resulted from an email.

#5 Closing sales deals and providing post-sale follow-up

Emails can help sales reps close deals and encourage repeat purchase.

By providing reps with an extra layer of touch points, emails shorten the sales process.

Now that you know which goals to focus on, keep in mind that…

a goal without a plan is only a wish.

Track These KPIs and Learn How to Increase Sales Call Volume [VIDEO]

May 17, 2018/in Telemarketing /by Katrina Chua

Telemarketing still pretty much remains a numbers game.

To deliver results, calls need to be made at scale.

Not convinced?

Let’s do the math…

Let’s say your funnel looks like this:

If you want your reps to meet 20 opportunities,
you need to call up over 1,000 prospects.

Keep in mind that’s all based on some pretty decent conversion rates.

If those percentages go down,
you have to call more contacts to hit your targets.

That’s why you need volume to get results.

To manage and improve sales call volume,
keep a close eye on these 4 crucial metrics…

#1 Calls Per Hour

This shows you the average rate an agent/rep places calls.
High calls-per-hour numbers are generally a good sign.
But when this metric is too high, it indicates low-quality conversations.
So, don’t look at this metric by itself.

#2 Average Call Length (Average Talk Time)

This indicates how much time an agent/rep usually spends on each call.
You want to keep average talk times below some threshold.
But very low call lengths can also mean low-quality conversations.
To understand this metric, also look at script complexity and amount of admin work required.

#3 Occupancy Rate

This is the ratio of time spent on calls versus time spent between calls.
It tells you how efficiently agents/reps use their time.
Occupancy rates greater than 1 indicate agents are spending more time calling than not calling.
If it’s below 1, it means something is keeping an agent preoccupied between calls.

#4 Calls Per Record

This shows how many times an agent/rep dials a record, on average.
It tells you how persistently agents pursue each contact.
Keep in mind that it takes up to 18 touches to reach a lead.
So, always be sure this metric is flashing on your dashboard.

To start managing your sales call volume, keep track of:

Calls per hour
Average talk time
Occupancy rate
Calls per record

Marketing and Transactional Emails: How to Leverage Both [VIDEO]

April 24, 2018/in Email Marketing /by Katrina Chua

The inbox is a crowded place.

An office employee gets 121 emails each day.
Half of incoming mails are spam.
Only 38% of emails in the inbox are useful.

How do you make your emails rise above the noise?

First, here’s what’s inside a typical inbox:

It’s clear that to engage recipients,
you need the right mix of marketing and transactional emails.

While these two types of emails serve different uses,
combining both can boost marketing results through:

More ways to connect with prospects and customers
Deeper insight into prospect’s interest and intent
Extra opportunities for conversion

Here’s how to integrate marketing and transactional emails:

#1 Understand the difference

Marketing emails nurture leads, promote offers, and make a sale.
Transactional emails are sent to complete a process
Marketing emails include: cold emails, newsletters, event invites,, promos, etc.
Transactional emails include: welcome emails, order confirmations, account updates, etc.

#2 Know what rules apply

Marketing emails must comply with applicable laws like the CAN-SPAM Act, CASL, GDPR, etc.
Transactional emails are mostly exempt from these legal standards.
For example, marketing emails require a valid postal address, but transactional emails don’t’.

#3 Separate them properly

Gmail suggests sending emails separately by purpose for better deliverability.
Use different sending IP addresses for each type.
Avoid using the same domain for marketing and transactional emails.

#4 Let the two types complement each other

Transactional emails typically fetch better engagement rates. Use them to:

Ask recipients to sign up for your newsletter and other marketing emails
Get referrals and recommendations
Carry out surveys and gather feedback
Point recipients to relevant resources like whitepapers, guides, webinars, etc.

Now, it’s time to improve your email results.
Leverage both marketing and transactional emails into your mix.

Try out our new
Data Preview Tool ↪
for a breakdown of our record list by country!

4 Sales Call Rapport-Building Techniques That AI Can’t Yet Do [VIDEO]

April 12, 2018/in Telemarketing /by Katrina Chua

By 2050, machines will take over half of all jobs.

… and telemarketers will be the first ones to go.

An Oxford study says

there’s a 99% chance
AI will replace human telemarketers soon.

But until AI learns how to build genuine rapport,

sales calls will remain a person-to-person interaction.

That’s because there are four building blocks of rapport

that only we humans can do for now.

#1 Listening and Empathy

Talking about oneself releases feel-good chemicals in the brain.

It’s even more rewarding with a person who’s really listening.

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

Start with an open-ended question;

let them share a bit about themselves.

#2 Being Authentic

People do business with people they like.

No matter how well AI mimics human speech,

there’s nothing like the real thing.

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

Let the conversation flow naturally and show genuine interest,

but don’t overdo it.

#3 Finding Common Ground

AI knows more about your prospects than you do.

But only people can connect and find common ground in a conversation.

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

Bring up interesting tidbits that prospects can relate to.

Build on these points at different moments in the call.

#4 Creating Shared Experiences

The secret to building rapport is creating shared experiences.

Whether it’s defining the prospect’s problem or identifying a solution,

working together brings people closer.

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

Turn sales calls into collaborative brainstorming sessions.

Use “we”, “our”, and “us” in the conversation.

Rapport is a two-way connection between people.

It’s going to stay that way unless machines master these four skills.

How to Handle Early Sales Objections, According to Science [VIDEO]

March 14, 2018/in Telemarketing /by Katrina Chua

Objection: “Just send me some info…”

How to Respond:

“Sure, I want to make sure I send the right info. Tell me more about…”

Why it Works:

This uses the ‘Context Effect’ in psychology.
The context surrounding an event affects how it’s perceived.

Objection: “We already work with your competitor.”

How to Respond:

“That’s great. What results are you getting?”

Why it Works:

This response reverses the direction of change.
It’s the best way to overcome status quo bias.

Objection: “Call me back in 6 months…”

How to Respond:

“What are your company’s other priorities right now?”

Why it Works:

Prioritizing activities is better than time management.
Best-selling author Rory Vaden shows this approach defeats procrastination.

Objection: “We don’t have any budget right now.”

How to Respond:

“That’s okay. I’m not calling to sell you anything today.
But if I could ask you about…”

Why it Works:

This response shows empathy.
Harvard neuroscience research finds that trust depends on empathy.

Try these tactics out for yourself
…and take the conversation to the next level.

5 Email Opening Tips to Conquer Shorter Attention Spans [VIDEO]

February 27, 2018/in Email Marketing /by Katrina Chua

Attention spans are getting shorter.
One study claims it’s shorter than a goldfish’s.

But this doesn’t mean people now have fishlike intelligence.
We simply got smarter at spending our attention.

That’s the key to getting your emails opened and read.
You have to show they’re worth people’s attention
… and you only have 8 seconds to do this.

Follow these proven tips to make each crucial second count.

#1 Figure out the best sending schedule

Send times affect email engagement rates.

Research shows mid-morning on weekdays work best.

Tweak your send times based on your own campaign and audience.

#2 Spend extra effort crafting your subject line

47% of recipients open emails based on subject lines alone.

Good subject lines use recipients’ curiosity and self-interest.

Come up with 2 to 3 subject line ideas and test each one.

#3 Avoid starting with “Hi, my name is…”

Opening lines affect whether your emails get read.

Your email won’t be worth reading if it starts off by talking about you.

Hook your prospects by making the opening about them.

#4 Show that you really did your homework

Personalized emails fetch 29% more opens and 41% higher CTRs than generic emails.

But deeper personalization improves conversion by up to 360%.

Open by mentioning a recent trigger event or a shared background.

#5 Pay attention to layout and formatting

Recipients spend only 5 seconds scanning an email.

In one glance, your prospect should know what the message is about.

Break the body into smaller chunks and make key items stand out.

But as attention spans continue to dwindle,
this is the best way to email prospects:

Seek respect, not attention.
It lasts longer.
–Z. Abdelnour

How to Make Sure Your Cold Emails Make it to the Inbox [VIDEO]

February 16, 2018/in Email Marketing /by Katrina Chua

1 in 5 commercial emails sent never reaches the inbox.

6% end up in the spam folder
14% are blocked by ISPs entirely.

For cold emails, inbox placement becomes even more challenging.

That’s because…

You don’t have a relationship with your recipient yet.
You’re sending unsolicited messages.

But this doesn’t mean cold emails are spam.

That’s why they belong to the inbox, not the junk folder.

Follow these steps to make sure things stay that way…

A Visual Guide to Email Marketing Analytics [INFOGRAPHIC]

40 B2B Sales Email Templates for Every Situation [Free PDF]

Step 1: Scrub your list thoroughly

Your cold outreach’s success depends on the quality of your list.

Use list cleaning tools and services to remove bad addresses
Run a double opt-in campaign, especially when using a third-party list

Step 2: Check your copy for spam triggers

Your email’s content and design can set off spam alerts in dozens of ways.

Limit your use of known spam words
Maintain a 60-40 text-to-image ratio
Link exclusively to reputable domains

Step 3: Segment and personalize your campaign

In the eyes of ISPs, there’s a fine line between non-personalized bulk emails and spam.

Add some prospect-specific snippets to your email templates
Segment your list and customize the message for each group

Step 4: Let ISPs know you’re someone they can trust

Sender authentication tools and services can help you improve deliverability.

Setup SPF, DKIM, and DMARC anti-spoofing
Sign up for sender and email certification audits

Step 5: Watch how you use your sending IP

Once your sending IP and domain get blacklisted, your emails no longer reach recipients.

Send emails in small batches each day and gradually increase the volume
Use a dedicated IP for your sending server
Keep hard bounces below 5% and spam reports below 0.1%

Remember, cold emails are not spam unless you make them that way.

4 Ways to Get Past Gatekeepers and Reach Prospects Every Time [VIDEO]

February 13, 2018/in Telemarketing /by callbox

On average, seasoned reps get past gatekeepers only 13% of the time.
For newcomers, that number goes down to 1%.

With the 4 proven sales call best practices in this video,
you’ll be able to reach prospects every time you dial.

But first, let’s understand what gatekeepers really do.

When gatekeepers screen out calls,
they’re really just doing two things:

Keeping the wrong person away from the boss
Letting the right person reach the boss

Clearly, you want to find yourself in the second scenario.

Here are 4 ways to make this happen…

#1 Get yourself referred

The top 2 reasons why executives meet with sales reps are:

Referrals from people in their companies
Referrals from trusted external sources

So, leverage your network and ask for an introduction.

#2 Connect with the prospect before calling

Avoid gatekeepers by making prospects expect your call

Send a short intro email
Ask for industry-specific advice via LinkedIn or Twitter

The point is to build a relationship well before dialing.

#3 Mention something you learned about the prospect

Show gatekeepers you’re someone who knows about the prospect

Point out a recent award, published post, or announcement by the decision-maker
Explain how your call relates to the prospect’s role

The idea is to avoid sounding like you just called out of nowhere.

#4 Stay in charge but be diplomatic

Keep in mind that the person who asks the questions controls the call

Always redirect with a question
Resist the itch to pitch

Gatekeepers don’t have the authority to approve your offer, so stay firmly in control.

Now, try these 4 ideas out on your next sales call.