OTL Newsletter - Attract Buyers (not Recruiters) on LinkedIn

Observation 🧐

I’m building my business and LinkedIn is my primary sales channel. 

There is incredible power on the platform with 1B members, with 63M+ decision-makers. 

This is a tool that I’ve been using for years as a salesperson and only now do I realize I’ve been using it all wrong. 

Problem 1: Your LinkedIn is your resume. It should be your personal sales page.

My LinkedIn profile has always been written for a recruiter or a hiring manager. 

I know I’m not alone. Most sales profiles read the same:

• "Account Executive at TechCo"
• "Exceeded quota for 5 consecutive quarters"
• "Managed portfolio of 50+ enterprise accounts"
• "President's Club Winner 2023"

Sound familiar?

I have sent hundreds of prospecting emails and connection requests over the years. I used it as a prospecting tool, not realizing that 82% of buyers look up vendor’s profiles on LinkedIn before replying. 

I was sending prospects to my resume and missing the opportunity to reinforce my sales message. 

4 Steps you can take to optimize your profile:

1) Customer-Centric Headline (NOT "Sales Representative at X")

Profile Headline Formula: ❌ "Account Executive at TechCo"

✅ "Helping [ideal customer] achieve [specific outcome] through [your solution]"

Example: "Helping Sales Leaders Cut Forecast Variance by 40% | Revenue Intelligence Solutions"

Not: "Senior Enterprise Sales Representative at TechCo"

2) Above-the-Fold Profile Essentials

• Professional photo (increase response rates by 40%)
• Custom Banner image 
• First 2-3 lines of About section must show value proposition

TIP: Canva is an incredible free software you can use to create images of any size. 

3) About Section Formula

• Opening hook (problem statement)
• Who you help & how
• Proof points (metrics/outcomes)
• Clear call to action
• Keywords for searchability

4) Featured Section Must-Haves (this is where you can put links)

• Customer success stories
• Top industry insights
• Speaking engagements
• Thought leadership content

Problem 2: You never post anything of value. 

Before I started my company, the only times I posted in LinkedIn fell into 3 buckets 

1. Repost my employer’s marketing content - “See you at Dreamforce!”
2. Job postings - “Anyone know of someone who wants to join this amazing team? #dreamjob” 
3. Job changes and promotions - Everyone loves an endorphin waterfall from all the comments and likes.  

An IDC study shared that B2B buyers are 5x more likely to engage with a sales professional who provides new insights about their business. 

You don’t know what to post about? Start with:

• Industry or market trend insights
• Customer success story 
• Personal experience/lesson  

Problem 3: You slide into prospect DMs.. and crickets. 

LinkedIn connection requests and DMs should be part of multiple touchpoints over time.

Week 1: Value-First Touch:

- Like/comment meaningfully on a prospect's post 

- Share relevant industry insight on their post 

- NO pitch, NO connection request yet 

Week 2: Connection Touch 

- Send personalized connection request referencing shared insight 

- Include specific observation about their business 

- Still NO pitch 

Week 3: Value-Add Message 

- Share relevant case study/resource 

- Ask thought-provoking question about their business 

- Soft invitation to discuss further

Your Next Steps:

1. Review your profile - does it speak to buyers or recruiters?
2. List 3 insights you can share from recent client conversations
3. Identify 10 target accounts to start engaging with

You might be thinking, “I don’t want anyone in my network to see my posts, it’s so cringe”. There’s no crime starting a new LinkedIn profile, optimized for selling to your target persona.  

Your LinkedIn profile shouldn’t be just a digital resume - it's often your prospect's first impression of you and your company. 

Make it count. 

Thought Starter  🤔

• Only 1% of people on LinkedIn create content
• 78% of salespeople using social media outsell their peers (HubSpot, 2023)
• 74% of buyers prefer working with sales professionals who have an established professional brand (LinkedIn State of Sales, 2023)
• Top performing sales organizations are 42% more likely to have salespeople sharing content on social media (Rain Group's Virtual Selling Skills Study (2023)

Love 🥰

Corporate Natalie is a great follow. Her post this week is right on point 🤣