Episode 355: 12 Days of LinkedIn

Intro

Welcome to the Making Sales Social podcast, featuring the top voices in sales, marketing, and business. Join Brynne Tillman, Stan Robinson, Junior, and me, Bob Woods, as we each bring you the best tips and strategies. Our guests are teaching their clients so you can leverage them for your own virtual and social selling. Enjoy the show. It’s time for Making Sales Social Live coming to you from the social sales link and virtual studios.

0:00:45 – (Bob Woods): I’m Bob Woods and I’m joined, as always, by Brynne Tillman and Stan Robinson Jr. How are y’all doing this festive holiday season?

0:00:56 – (Brynne Tillman): I’m doing great. And I’m looking forward to talking about the 12 days of LinkedIn.

0:01:02 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): LinkedIn. Yes, indeed.

0:01:04 – (Bob Woods): Yeah, absolutely. So we’re gonna unwrap this gift of LinkedIn mastery for you, the 12 days of LinkedIn, which is an action plan to help you both expand and improve everything you do on LinkedIn to start more sales conversations without being salesy. Our 12 Days of LinkedIn plan is also available as an ebook and you can get to [email protected] 12 days. So the 12-day part is all one word. Just 12 days. And the number 12 as well.

0:01:37 – (Bob Woods): SocialSalesLink.com 12 days. So, because we have 12 of these suckers, we’re gonna get right into things with Bryn taking on numero uno.

0:01:48 – (Brynne Tillman): Oh, fabulous. So our first one is to update your headline. So take a look at your headline. Is it capturing what will captivate your audience? Is it talking about who you help so they know that you work with them? Is it talking about how you help them, the value that you bring, and even a little bit of what you do? The job of your headline is to create enough key curiosity to get them to want to keep reading your profile.

0:02:19 – (Brynne Tillman): So if it is just simply your job title and your company, you’re missing the boat.

0:02:25 – (Bob Woods): Wow, that was great. That was succinct too. So I like that. So, number two, craft a compelling about section for your LinkedIn profile. So with this, I need you to make a change in your mind. My mindset changed about this. Your LinkedIn’s About section is not about you, it’s about them, your audience of prospects. You need to bring value to your profile page’s visitors. Now, how do you do that? In the About section, you start with the challenge that they’re facing. And you know what challenges they’re facing because you talk to them all the time so that part’s easy.

0:03:01 – (Bob Woods): Then give them insights about their Challenges, things that they’re not considering because they’re so locked in with their current thinking. That’s not helping out your audience of prospects because you need to get them thinking differently about their current situation and also for them to kind of open up their minds to potential alternatives. That’s what that section is all about. Finally, make it easy for them to get in touch with you. Provide a calendar, scheduling link if you have one, or at the very least your email and even a phone number, so you know if you’re comfortable with providing that publicly.

0:03:39 – (Bob Woods): So make your about section about them, not you. You will reap the benefits from it. And with that, Stan, let’s go to you for numero tres.

0:03:52 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): Wow. Numero tres. Number three is to use a professional profile picture. Now by that, we don’t mean that you have to pay to have a professional headshot done, but we do mean that it should look professional. Sometimes people say, well, what should I wear? Whatever you wear when you’re in front of clients or at work is fine. The key thing though is to make sure it is relatively current, such that if someone connects with you on LinkedIn and they later meet you in person, the two match.

0:04:34 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): It’s a scary thing to connect with someone on LinkedIn and then meet them at a networking event and you just, don’t recognize them because the person in the photo doesn’t match. So just make sure that the person and the photo match. Try to use a background that brings out whatever you’re wearing or your complexion. No crop photos of weddings, please. Only you are in the photo. And I don’t suggest you take a selfie because it’s very obvious.

0:05:08 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): Just have someone else use your phone to take a photo and that’s it.

0:05:15 – (Bob Woods): Very good. So Bryn is going to pick up with number four. I’m going to stop with the Spanish now. Number four, yeah, I’m all, I’m all.

0:05:22 – (Brynne Tillman): For the Spanish but my favorite part of Christmas is my son-in-law is Italian so he does seven fish dinners. So if you know Italian, I’m good with that. I know I love it. Okay, so jumping into number four, I believe is sharing valuable content. I hope I remember that correctly.

0:05:39 – (Bob Woods): Yes, yes.

0:05:42 – (Brynne Tillman): This is so important, right? This is our thought leadership, our subject matter expert opportunity, right? How do we share value with our prospects? Now this is where it’s so important. What’s value? Value is in the eyes of the consumer. Just because you want them to know about it doesn’t mean they care. So we have to understand what is it that we have to offer as far as insights tips and strategies that get our prospects curious, learning something new and thinking differently about their current situation.

0:06:27 – (Brynne Tillman): When we can do that, that content is valuable to them and it will lead them back to our solution.

0:06:35 – (Bob Woods): Very good. Very nice. So I’m going to pick it up with number five. Engage with others’ content. So engaging with other people’s content, in other words, the stuff that they’re sharing is. Is not typing out great posts and clicking comments. Just stop that crap. I mean it. Just stop. And. And Stan knows that. Last week I went on a little bit of a terror and a rant about that. I think I’m going to keep that up this time because I’m so sick of seeing it and I’m sure that you are too.

0:07:06 – (Bob Woods): Instead, offer your value. Read the post and any associated content with it, whether it’s something that’s attached to it or it goes out to an article or something, whatever, and then add your V to it. But add your voice to it in a way that people will see you as a valuable contributor to the conversation, which in turn will boost you in the eyes of those who are reading the original post and the comments.

0:07:33 – (Bob Woods): Do this with your prospects, your clients, your networking partners, and especially do it with the influencers in your industry, niche space, whatever. This way you’re getting value. You’re getting your value in front of as many people as you can, but you’re doing it in a way that other people can genuinely benefit from the value that you’re providing. And also, you’re not contributing in a spammy way.

0:08:02 – (Bob Woods): Nobody likes to see that stuff. You probably don’t even like typing it. So provide value. And one other thing, be sure you’re following and ringing the bell of all of your potential buyers and influences via their profiles. By doing this, you’ll be alerted to your notification when these people post, rather than waiting for them to maybe pop up on your feed. Depending on how the dreaded LinkedIn algorithm is feeling that day.

0:08:30 – (Bob Woods): When, when you do that when they do pop up comment and like, it’s that simple. Plus when you do comment, you’ll help your posts with that darned algorithm. I guarantee you a great post comment isn’t helping you at all, especially with the algorithm.

0:08:51 – (Brynne Tillman): So with that, clarify a post that says the great post, a great comment, or something.

0:09:01 – (Bob Woods): That’s funny. Yeah, exactly.

0:09:03 – (Brynne Tillman): Y. I’m like, yeah, yeah, we heard.

0:09:06 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): We heard the same thing.

0:09:07 – (Bob Woods): All right. That’s what happens when I go on a rant. Sometimes things just don’t come out, you know, but I mean, that’s just like a real, a real nails-on-blackboard moment for my type of thing. So, Stan.

0:09:20 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): Yep. So the next one is to share quick videos. And the nice thing is with the LinkedIn mobile app, you can take a quick video of yourself, like a day in the life moment. Something significant has happened. Now this is one of the times when you can share something occasionally that’s personal. So people get to know you as a person because they like to know the person behind the LinkedIn profile. Now, don’t make that your staple. Don’t do that, you know, five times a week, but once in a while, it’s.

0:09:57 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): It is a great way for people to get to know you. So on the mobile app, you can pop up, share a post, just click on the video, and make sure the camera is turned the right way. I have challenges with that sometimes. No one wants to see my desktop. But, but. And shoot a quick. Now make it quick, especially if it’s a personal video. It doesn’t need to run for five minutes, but up to 30 to 60 seconds. A little bit about you, what’s happening in your life, what’s happening in your business, and then introduce it with a post and share it.

0:10:34 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): And of course, as Bob mentioned, when people do engage, please engage with them with a substantive comment. Not a great comment.

0:10:47 – (Brynne Tillman): Yes, I love that. Can I just add? So I think that’s all amazing. If our listeners. If you guys are looking for really great examples, go follow Alex B. Sheridan. Bob interviewed him on our podcast on the interview side twice. Go look up our archived podcast. Go listen to that. He’s a genius when it comes to this. So I just wanted to share that.

0:11:18 – (Bob Woods): Very good, very good. Yeah, yeah. I was going through the list. I’m like, wait a second, where do we go? Yep, you’re number seven. Day seven.

0:11:27 – (Brynne Tillman): Day seven. This is about growing your network authentically. So what does that mean? It means connect and pitch is a bait and switch. Do not cold call on LinkedIn. Treat the people on LinkedIn. Treat the person on the other side of the message the same way you would on the other side of the table. They’re human beings. It is so important that we are not out there just connecting with everyone. Be purposeful, and connect with everyone you talk with.

0:11:59 – (Brynne Tillman): Connect with all the people in your life, whether it’s personal, or professional, go through all of your old clients, and connect with them. We want to build a network of substance, let’s say it that way. Substantial network. But that’s purposeful, right? It’s not just collecting business cards and sticking rubber bands around them and putting them in the corner of your desk like we used to do. Right. And so you want to build an authentic network.

0:12:29 – (Brynne Tillman): On average, people only know 10% of their connections. I would love to see some of our listeners, let’s up that percentage. Stop connecting with people blindly. And if someone connects with you and you go, oh, this is someone I’d love to have a conversation with, accept and then start a conversation, get to know them, find out about their needs, their wants. Right. Network with them. So, that’s my number seven, My day seven.

0:13:01 – (Bob Woods): Very good. So before we get to number eight, day eight, I want to repeat the URL real quick for you to download the ebook. It’s at socialsaleslink.com for 12 days. Socialsaleslink.com 12 days. And the 12 days is the number and then days with no dashes or anything weird like that. So now with day eight, we are going to talk a little bit about joining LinkedIn live streams, which is what we are doing right now if you’re listening to us on LinkedIn Live right now.

0:13:35 – (Bob Woods): So this is a great way to expand your network, joining LinkedIn live streams because you’ll essentially be joining, guess what? A networking event. Think of LinkedIn Live as an online version of networking events. You can meet other attendees in the comments, you can engage with the comments that they’re making, and you can also share your insights during the event itself. You’ll already have an engaged audience with you in the comments section, so you know they’re going to be more receptive to your ideas and the value that you’re providing through your participation in the event.

0:14:10 – (Bob Woods): And then after the event, follow those people you either met virtually during the event or even those who you would like to meet. Then, you know, you can send them a connection request mentioning the event and hopefully build the relationship from there. This is what that’s all about. And hopefully, as the relationship builds and it makes sense, you can get that sales conversation started without being salesy.

0:14:35 – (Bob Woods): So, Stan, let’s get to number 10, I believe. Right?

0:14:40 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): Number nine, I think number nine.

0:14:42 – (Brynne Tillman): At least I hope I’m ready with 10.

0:14:45 – (Bob Woods): Here we go.

0:14:46 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): All right, number nine is collaborating with others. And Bob was just talking about LinkedIn lives. You can collaborate with others to put on a LinkedIn Live. And when we say collaborate with others, there are lots of ways you can do that. You could co-write articles or posts. You could collaborate on projects, you can collaborate on webinars, and events. One of the keys as far as collaborating is selecting someone who serves the same audience as you but is not a direct competitor.

0:15:19 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): When you can find someone like that, a bonus is if they have a large network or a large following. Perfect opportunity for you to collaborate, work on something together, and add value to each other and each other’s audience. Again, when you serve the same audience, it is perfect because your audiences will never totally overlap. There may be a tiny bit of overlap, but by and large, you’re going to be reaching an entirely new audience when you collaborate with others.

0:15:56 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): Any other thoughts on that one before we move on to number 10?

0:16:01 – (Brynne Tillman): Yeah, I mean, I love that. I love that you talked about collaboration around content. I just want to emphasize that I think that’s huge. Part of what we do is we have our podcast with interviews, so we’re. We’re collaborating there. But consider you being guests on podcasts. You don’t have to have a podcast to do that. You could be a guest. So I’m just going to throw out in 2025, consider all the podcasts, maybe some that you’re already listening to, that are reaching a similar audience.

0:16:40 – (Brynne Tillman): To the people that you want to do business with and potentially swap. Maybe you. Even if you don’t have a podcast, you can do a live. You can interview them and put out a blog post. You could. There’s a lot that you could do for you being a guest on their podcast. So I love collaboration. All right, should I just move in?

0:17:05 – (Bob Woods): 10 now, Bob, move into 10.

0:17:08 – (Brynne Tillman): 10. Okay. I feel like the. I’m like the Muppets. The count.

0:17:17 – (Bob Woods): Okay. But anyhow, recommendations.

0:17:19 – (Brynne Tillman): Okay, Recommendations. This are two ways. So we definitely want to ask for recommendations from our clients. We want to ask for recommendations from, you know, people that we’ve served well. It’s social proof. It helps others to see the great job we’ve been able to do for other people like them. But I also want you to consider giving recommendations out not just to your vendors, but also your clients, the ones that have been great to work with.

0:17:51 – (Brynne Tillman): So you want to make sure that you’re taking advantage of recommendations, both asking and giving.

0:17:59 – (Bob Woods): Yeah, that’s great stuff. So number 11 is going to spin out of that from recommendations to referrals. So provide referrals generously. I can’t talk today. Provide referrals generously. This means providing referrals to everyone. Your clients, your prospects, your vendors. Heck, friends and family. Doesn’t matter. Be that. Go to a person for connection and value and be seen as the person who knows everyone, by everyone who knows you.

0:18:36 – (Bob Woods): When you’re seen as a connector of people, your value to every single person in your network and quite frankly, everybody you know goes way up. Believe me, I’ve seen that happen with people who are like that. I like to think that I’m like that. So I know that this can work, for you. And the other thing is you have to do it proactively. You should always be thinking, hey, here’s an opportunity to connect person X with person Y. Because I can see a real benefit for both of you to connect.

0:19:07 – (Bob Woods): You know, even added to your schedule to actively connect people, take, take out 15 minutes every day or maybe once a week to like just think of people who might benefit from, from having a conversation with one another. It doesn’t even have to be sales too. It could be just you’re providing, a networking connection for someone to network with someone else doesn’t matter. It can be a game changer for them and it is for you.

0:19:37 – (Bob Woods): So with that Stan, we are at the final bay, the final Number and.

0:19:43 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): Day 12 leverage social proximity. So now what does that mean? Well, LinkedIn and Sales Navigator, by the way, show you who the people that you’re connected with are in turn connected with. So what you’ll see is referred to as your second-degree connections and you can search your connections connections. So for example, I can type in Bob Woods and see who Bob Woods is connected to and further filter that search using LinkedIn or those of you who are using Sales Navigator using those additional filters. So I could search for who Bob Woods knows that has CEO, owner, and president in their title in New Jersey as one example.

0:20:37 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): And of course, you can do the same thing and that’s why we bring it up. If you’re a Sales Navigator user, you can actually segment these by person into lists. So one of the most productive things that you can do that Bryn talks about all the time is put together lists of okay if I’m gonna meet with Bob, who Bob is connected to, and ask if Bob would be willing to take some time just to sit down and briefly review people that he knows that I would love to have a conversation with.

0:21:13 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): And that is one of the most powerful aspects of LinkedIn is it shows you who your network is in turn connected to. Any other thoughts on that, Brent or Bob? Just wrap up.

0:21:28 – (Bob Woods): Yeah, I mean just the whole idea behind LinkedIn being that most powerful resource for doing exactly, not only this type of thing, what you talked about specifically, but just everything in general. I mean there are other networks that come close to it. But LinkedIn is the only one that provides all this stuff. And because we’re all on LinkedIn for business, everybody’s already in that business mindset. So it’s just, a good thing. Because people expect to do business on LinkedIn. They don’t necessarily expect to do business on Instagram or probably definitely not X slash Twitter or whatever. So I think all of that was, was, was a very good point, especially when it comes to LinkedIn.

0:22:09 – (Brynne Tillman): Wonderful. And we did have, and I apologize, I see we do have some people that are having audio issues, but me saying this isn’t going to help because they can’t hear me. But in Replay, if you guys are having any kind of audio issues, I know that Restream has been completely kind of re-revamped. So I’ll put it in chat and hopefully, you guys will be able to see this in, in replay.

0:22:37 – (Bob Woods): Yeah. That’s, that’s, that’s interesting. I’m.

0:22:40 – (Brynne Tillman): We do have like 11 people on, 13 people on, and two on YouTube. So hopefully if you guys can, you can see it here. Oh, that’s good. You just can’t see the attendee list. Oh, wow, that’s interesting. So that’s, that must be a LinkedIn change. So for those of you that are listening on, on the podcast, we’ve got these conversations going and it looks like the way that the event is set up is a little bit different and that’s unfortunate to happen. But hopefully, our Christmas present will be that this will get fixed.

0:23:19 – (Bob Woods): Yeah. So as Bern alluded to, by following everything we’ve discussed, as well as downloading that [email protected] 12 days, you’re closer to starting 2025 with the LinkedIn Action Plan to start more sales conversations without being salesy, which of course is what we are all about. So with that, thank you for joining us for this episode of Making Sales Social Live. If you’re with us live on LinkedIn or YouTube right now, we do this every week, so keep an eye out for those live sessions.

0:23:51 – (Bob Woods): If you’re listening to us recorded on our podcast and you haven’t subscribed already, go ahead and do that so that you’ll know when our new shows drop and you can access all of our previous shows. More info on our podcast is available at one of the simplest addresses you can think of. Socialsaleslink.com podcast we do two shows weekly. We do this one and as we’ve talked about a couple of times already are making a sales social interview series where we talk with leaders and experts in sales, marketing, business, and a lot more areas. But every single conversation is one that we hope that you will get a lot of value from.

0:24:31 – (Brynne Tillman): So I’m going to add in just for a moment that this is now sponsored by Ask SSL AI, our new personalized AI platform. Take a look. Ask SSL AI. If you want to personal one-on-one demo, you can schedule with Bob or myself at. I think I think there’s a scheduled demo there somewhere. If not, reach out to us on LinkedIn and we’ll get it to you.

0:25:04 – (Bob Woods): Yeah. That’s probably the easiest way to do it. So with that, when you are out and about this week, every week going into 2025, throughout 25, 2025, whenever, make sure that your sales are social. Excellent, excellent stuff. Thanks for joining us. Great day.

0:25:27 – (Stan Robinson Jr.): Bye bye.

Outro:

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