LinkedIn. The professional network filled with recruiters and salespeople looking to connect with as many contacts as possible. During the most recently reported quarter, the social network had 450 million members. So why aren’t you using LinkedIn to get more leads in place of cold calling?

Well, first you need to get over the failure of social selling.

2015 taught us that social selling doesn’t work. You can’t complete sales over social media. Why? Because the process of exchanging money in business is an act that requires trust. Trust that platforms such as LinkedIn don’t inspire in the same way as a face-to-face meeting.

But, social selling didn’t fail in one regard. It DID help connect more salespeople with the right prospects. Successful salespeople used the social platform to engage and build good-quality relationships with the right leads, improving their pipeline in the long-run.

Next, consider the dual ability of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is both a platform for sales and marketing, don’t make the mistake of thinking it is just for one or the other.

Marketing can use it as an inbound lead driving technique with automated social media updates. By providing useful content that establishes the company as an expert, they can drive more inbound traffic to your pipeline.

Sales can use LinkedIn for two purposes, too. First, to connect with more prospects for their pipeline. Second,  to build their own profile for leads to get a better grasp of who they are doing business with.

This double-edged sword allows you to work together to drive more leads than cold calling does.

So, what are the actual steps to using LinkedIn to its full effect? Let’s break it down for you.

  1. Optimise your personal and company profiles.
  2. Join groups that are relevant to your business. Contribute to them often with the useful content marketing conjures up.
  3. When connecting with leads, make sure you make any InMail or comment a personal message to humanise your online profile.
  4. Take the actual sale offline! When they are sales-ready, make contact via email or phone to set up the meeting you need.

Finally, remember who your target audience is

Yes, there are 450 million LinkedIn members, but how many of those members are your target audience? Generation X might be more comfortable with the cold calling approach but Generation Y and Z certainly aren’t, having grown up with the rise of technology and social media.

You need to profile your top targets and get in contact with them the right way. If they are more comfortable emailing you on LinkedIn, that’s how you start your sales relationship off on the right foot. If they have LinkedIn but a bare profile, contacting them via their direct email or phone number might be better.

It’s about utilising LinkedIn the right way.

Why not pass this information on to sales to help build an over performing team?