Episode 471: 8 Miracles of LinkedIn: A Nod to Hanukkah, the Miracle of Lights

Brynne Tillman (00:53)
Stan, hello everyone, and welcome to Eight LinkedIn Miracles.

Stan Robinson Jr. (01:00)
Yes, looking forward to it. I’m going to let you run with it for the most part, inspired by Hanukkah, which I understand just started.

Brynne Tillman (01:15)
It did. It started last night. As silly as this is, I don’t have it up, so I’m going to have you read it while I talk about it. Let me take a moment to talk about Hanukkah and what it represents.

While it is considered a minor Jewish holiday, it is really a holiday of freedom and joy. It represents escaping tyranny and having the freedom to live your life the way you choose. I think it’s important to appreciate the freedoms we have, and celebrating Hanukkah is one way to do that.

Stan Robinson Jr. (02:04)
I couldn’t agree more. At Social Sales Link, we always talk about the importance of relationships and how primary they are. One of the things about Hanukkah, like certain holidays, is that it gives you a chance to rekindle and renew family relationships—and sometimes create new relationships as well.

Brynne Tillman (02:37)
Absolutely. I wanted to quickly share my Hanukkah gift because I’m using it right now. I got the new Plaud. Are you familiar with this?

It’s a recording device that allows me to turn it on while I’m talking, and it records to AI on my phone so I can use the content later. I don’t have to go searching for transcripts.

One thing I do need to be careful about is making sure people know they’re being recorded. Right now, we’re already recording, so I didn’t feel the need to mention it at the top of the hour. But if there’s no recording indicator or note taker in the room, I make sure to say it.

It’s very simple—you hold it down for three seconds to start, hold it again to stop, and I can use it all day long. Isn’t that cool?

Stan Robinson Jr. (03:36)
Wow. These devices are fascinating. I know OpenAI is working on a new device that’s not a phone and not glasses, but I hadn’t seen this one.

Brynne Tillman (03:52)
It also comes with a magnet. For those just listening, I made a necklace for it because I make jewelry on the side—why not?

But it does come with a magnet, so you can clip it to a lapel or anywhere you want. It’s so easy. I’m already loving it.

Stan Robinson Jr. (04:20)
Good deal. Good deal.

The first miracle we talk about—and as always, we do have an ebook that goes along with this—is the miracle of visibility, as it relates to the eight miracles of LinkedIn inspired by Hanukkah.

Brynne Tillman (04:44)
Absolutely. Visibility is so important, especially at a time when AI allows anyone to put out content. It’s getting loud out there, so standing out matters. LinkedIn is a place where we can do that.

Kate Payne talks a lot about how PR isn’t just about press releases anymore—PR is visibility. I’ll be speaking with her on a panel with Lauren Bailey soon, so I won’t go too deep into her topic.

When it comes to LinkedIn, visibility means staying top of mind. Posting alone doesn’t equal visibility. Visibility happens when you engage with others so that when you post, people care and pay attention.

It’s also important that visibility is for the right reasons. You could gain visibility by sharing jokes or unrelated cartoons, and you might get a lot of attention. But on LinkedIn, we want visibility that leads to business opportunities or business conversations.

Notice I didn’t say “leading with.” Visibility should be relevant, valuable, and intentional. That doesn’t come from posting alone—it comes from engaging and commenting as well.

Stan Robinson Jr. (06:54)
Exactly. Your visibility needs to align with how you position yourself as a resource and the value you bring. There’s a place for entertainment, but it should be a small part of how people see you.

Brynne Tillman (07:18)
And your entertainment should be something you’d be comfortable talking about in an office environment.

Stan Robinson Jr. (07:25)
Very true.

The second miracle is the miracle of timing. You mentioned consistency, and one of the great things about LinkedIn is that potential buyers are usually not ready to purchase when you first connect with them.

But when they see you consistently over time, you’re more likely to be top of mind when they are ready. Posting consistently supports that. Any thoughts?

Brynne Tillman (08:15)
I love that. I’m going to reference my friend David Newman, who talks about creating content that shares insights people care about before they even know they need your services.

You want to engage them early—before they’re actively looking for a solution. When I worked with him, I had to think deeply about what happens right before people need us.

For example:

• They just bought Sales Navigator licenses
• They just completed sales training
• They just hired a new sales leader

Those are early signals. It’s not about LinkedIn yet—it’s about what they’re experiencing before they realize LinkedIn is part of the solution.

So you might create content like “What to do in the first 90 days of your Sales Navigator license” and give that away. Timing is about their timing, not yours.

Stan Robinson Jr. (09:55)
Exactly. Many salespeople focus on their own timing—closing the quarter, hitting quota—but buyers don’t care about that. That’s very true.

Next is the miracle of connection.

Brynne Tillman (10:22)
You go first.

Stan Robinson Jr. (10:24)
This is closely related to relationships. LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world, with over a billion users.

The opportunity to make new connections is enormous. Someone might visit your profile because another person mentioned you. Someone may see your content, or you may see theirs.

You never know what can come from a simple LinkedIn connection—someone you might never have met otherwise. That’s one of the most exciting things about the platform. It truly expands your world.

Brynne Tillman (11:18)
I don’t think that’s trite at all. It may be a common phrase, but it’s underleveraged. LinkedIn expands your world and your network.

Connections matter because you can build your network strategically through your existing relationships. LinkedIn shows first- and second-degree connections, so I can identify people I want to meet and ask, “Hey Stan, can you introduce me?”

That allows me to grow my network with credibility and trust. Before anyone takes your call, they’re going to check your profile and your content. They’re vetting you.

LinkedIn allows that vetting to happen in advance, and it lets you leverage social proximity to start conversations with the right people.

Stan Robinson Jr. (12:50)
Yes—and it’s funny, we’re actually about to get to proximity.

Brynne Tillman (12:54)
I always jump ahead.

Stan Robinson Jr. (13:00)
It all fits together.

We did have a question asking where the technology was purchased. We’re using Restream—assuming that’s what they’re referring to if they’re watching live.

Brynne Tillman (13:24)
We can’t see your name because you’re in private mode. If you want to tell us who you are and share your LinkedIn profile, we’d be happy to connect afterward.

Stan Robinson Jr. (13:34)
Great.

Number four is the miracle of generosity. In this context, generosity means sharing value without expecting anything in return.

On LinkedIn, that usually shows up through relevant, helpful content. It can also show up through introductions. LinkedIn makes introductions easy because people can immediately view each other’s profiles and learn about one another before starting the conversation.

Brynne Tillman (14:26)
You covered that perfectly. Let’s move to the next one.

Stan Robinson Jr. (14:31)
Good deal. The next miracle is proximity.

Brynne Tillman (14:38)
I’ll recap. LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools because you can map out your social proximity—who you know that knows who you want to know.

But let’s also think in reverse. Who do you know that your network wants to know? That brings us back to generosity. Bringing it all together—generosity and social proximity—we want to make sure we’re not only asking for referrals, but giving them as well.

Stan Robinson Jr. (15:12)
Yes, exactly. LinkedIn makes it so easy to do that.

Brynne Tillman (15:19)
Can I share a side tip on this?

Stan Robinson Jr.
Sure.

Brynne Tillman (15:19)
This is something we’ve been teaching a lot lately—how to search for your ideal client profile on LinkedIn. It’s not perfect, but it’s based on the filters available in free LinkedIn.

You go to the search bar, which is now more AI-driven, and you can type something like, “I’m looking for owners and CEOs of SaaS companies.” It will give you a list, and then you can apply filters such as first-degree connections and location.

If you click “first degree,” you’ll see a list of people you’re already connected to who meet that criteria. The beautiful thing is that the URL is universal. You can copy that URL and send it to someone, and when they open it, they’ll see their list of people they know that you want to meet.

I’ll pause here to invite you—every third Thursday at 1:00 PM Eastern, we host open office hours at socialsaleslink.com/events. Join us as a guest, and we’ll help you build this. It’s incredibly powerful for leveraging social proximity, and we’ll also teach you how to show your networking partners how to do it.

Stan Robinson Jr. (17:01)
That’s such a powerful tip. It often takes people a minute to wrap their heads around the idea that they can share a URL and, when someone opens it, they see who you want to meet that they’re directly connected to.

Brynne Tillman (17:18)
Exactly. Sometimes you really need to see it, which is tough on a podcast. So come join us at socialsaleslink.com/events, every third Thursday at 1:00 PM Eastern. You’re invited to our coaching session.

Stan Robinson Jr. (17:36)
Awesome.

Number six is the miracle of conversation, which is exactly what we’ve been doing all along. Was it Covey who talked about listening?

Brynne Tillman (17:59)
I think you’re referring to the idea that if you listen 80% of the time, people consider you a great conversationalist.

Stan Robinson Jr. (18:10)
Yes—and listening to learn, rather than listening just to figure out how you’re going to respond.

Brynne Tillman (18:18)
That’s a great line. Let’s clarify it—say it again.

Stan Robinson Jr. (18:24)
Listening to learn, as opposed to listening to plan your response.

Brynne Tillman (18:33)
I love that—listening to learn, not listening to respond.

I’ve been working with some college students lately, helping them prepare for job interviews. One of their biggest challenges is that they’ve practiced their answers so much that they miss what’s actually being asked.

That mindset applies everywhere—interviews, client conversations, and networking conversations.

Stan Robinson Jr. (19:22)
Exactly. We always talk about authentic engagement and meaningful conversations.

Number seven is the miracle of influence. We’ve touched on this through visibility and consistency, but one key takeaway is that thought leadership isn’t about volume—it’s about clarity and intention.

Brynne Tillman (20:05)
Absolutely. One of the great things about LinkedIn is that it levels the playing field. You can become a micro-influencer, but it won’t come from thought leadership alone—it comes from engagement.

Influence is two-way. It’s not just about posting what you want people to know; it’s about sharing what they want to consume and engaging on their content as well.

Some of my best connections came from engaging with other influencers in the sales training space. We had a long-term client because I met her through engaging on Mark Hunter’s content. That engagement turned into a real conversation, then a free coaching invite, and eventually a long-term relationship.

It’s not just about being an influencer—it’s about engaging with other influencers. One caution: don’t poach your competitors. For example, I’ll engage with Daniel Disney’s content to elevate his voice, but never with the intention of prospecting from his audience. That feels icky.

Instead, look for parallel influencers—people like Jeb Blount or Mark Hunter, who attract a similar audience but don’t compete directly. You can engage, share their podcasts, and even use LinkedIn search to identify followers you’re already connected to.

For example, you might share a Meredith Elliott Powell podcast episode with the 27 people you’re already connected to who follow her. It’s about elevating her insights and starting meaningful conversations.

Stan Robinson Jr. (23:10)
That’s incredibly powerful.

Number eight is the miracle of momentum. Everything we’ve discussed builds toward this. Small actions done consistently create momentum over time. It’s not about posting ten times one week and disappearing—it’s about steady, consistent effort.

Brynne Tillman (23:51)
I love that. There’s a flywheel effect here.

Sometimes you need to slow down your outreach to speed up your outcomes. There is a volume play right now, and I’ve been experimenting with how to use AI while keeping your authentic voice.

FAQs are a great example. If you’re using a note taker—whether it’s Plaud, Copilot, Zoom transcripts, or tools like Sybill.ai—you can capture real client questions. From a single 30-minute call, you might get three or four FAQs that translate into valuable content.

You can anonymize them—“A manufacturing client asked…” or “A SaaS company with a 30-person sales team asked…”—and turn those into posts. I’ve done more of this on Substack recently, but you can schedule these on LinkedIn as well. That’s how you get relevant volume without losing quality.

David Gonzalez shared a great comment: daily interaction helps get your name out there. Nothing huge—just steady engagement. Some of those interactions gained over 30,000 impressions. That’s incredible.

You can now even see how many impressions your comments receive, which is really powerful feedback. David, thank you for sharing that.

Stan Robinson Jr. (26:46)
Yes, we covered all eight. This has been great. It’s amazing how many aspects of LinkedIn tie back to relationships.

Brynne Tillman (27:09)
Whether you celebrate Hanukkah or not, we wish you all the miracles of LinkedIn.

Stan Robinson Jr. (27:16)
And beyond.

Brynne Tillman (27:19)
Alright, let’s try this.

Don’t forget to like, engage, and review our podcast. Join us at socialsaleslink.com/events every third Thursday at 1:00 PM Eastern.

And one more thing—brynne.ai is live. You can try it free for seven days. It’s powered by Fuel.io, and through my link, you’ll get access to incredible voices like Meredith Elliott Powell, Merrick Rosenberg, Chris Beall, and more—including meditation content.

It’s like Brynne-powered ChatGPT, pulling from our training and coaching.

Alright, Stan—when you’re out and about, don’t forget to make your—

Stan Robinson Jr. (28:44)
Sales social.

Brynne Tillman (28:47)
We did it. Bye, my friends. Bye-bye.

Outro
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