STOP MAKING THESE SALES MISTAKES ON LINKEDIN
For many, like myself, LinkedIn has become increasingly important for making connections, new clients, and ultimately, new business, sales, and revenue.
But if you’re also like I was, you see LinkedIn for the extraordinary tool it is, but often wonder “how on earth do I bring in the results everyone brags about?”
Through stalking thought leader’s platforms, to having endless chats with my marketing team, I realised there were plenty of mistakes I was making on LinkedIn (cough cough… still make sometimes).
We’re living in an age where sales and business in general has made a huge shift to the digital space… we can’t avoid it.
I’ve realised how vital it is for not only myself, but my team to use LinkedIn for their benefit, and avoiding these mistakes is something we’re all continually navigating to maximise business.
YOUR LINKEDIN IS WELL… BORING
Let’s just get the awkward one out the way.
Having a LinkedIn profile that looks like a job board, or a bunch of sales pitches with no personality, no flair won’t get you anywhere. Proving yourself to be trustworthy, approachable, and well – human, still matters even if people are seeing you through a screen.
The proper term for this is a personal brand, which just means your professional reputation, what you represent, and what you stand for.
Whether it’s showing a bit of personality in your posts, talking about your passions and interests, or posting photos of you in casual settings – potential clients and buyers want to be able to connect and relate to you on a personal level.
In fact, 92% of people trust recommendations from individuals (even if they don’t know them) over companies (Nielson). People connect with people, and people by from people.
You need to set yourself apart from the rest, and having an impersonal and faceless LinkedIn profile won’t do that.
YOU’RE BEING TOO PERSONAL
Now before you delete all your business-related posts and schedule 10 pictures of your dog - there is a limit with how personal you should be on LinkedIn.
It’s still a professional platform, used to build connections and attract new business, so all your “personal” posts should be used to enhance those things, not overtake them.
You’ve probably seen the term “this isn’t Facebook” before on LinkedIn, and although sometimes those comments can be harsh – always have in the back of your mind that everything you do contributes to your reputation.
If you grew up in the digital age, you might remember teachers or parents telling you to ask yourself, “would you be comfortable with your employer seeing your profile?”, the same applies as an adult.
Would you feel comfortable with a potential client seeing, or even bringing up, a certain post on your LinkedIn. It’s possible to keep professional, whilst being personal.
YOUR PAGE IS LACKING INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Just like I mentioned at the beginning, if your profile is full of sales pitches, it’s time for a revamp.
Simply selling isn’t building a trust with your followers, because they can’t tell if you actually know your stuff, and know your target market.
A lot of what you know may be things you sort of brush to the side and not give much thought, but you never know how many people will see that as incredibly valuable and impressive.
Take me as an example, I’ve been in sales since 2008. There’s skills and mentalities I’ve picked up over the years that in time becomes second nature. I share advice to candidates and to my team, but I tend to not see it as ‘ground-breaking’ enough to write a post on LinkedIn about it.
But that mindset is one that assumes everyone is at the same level, and has the same take on things as you do. Sharing your expertise, your take on the market, or even advice for those in your industry opens up conversations with the right people and makes your services/ products more reputable.
YOU’RE BUILDING CONNECTIONS BUT NOT BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Before the days of social media, emails, and well – the internet, what was it like to build connections? You’d:
Go to networking events
Arrange business lunches
Do casual activities with potential clients, like a game of golf (my favourite)
You’d build meaningful relationships, stay in touch, and meet in person.
LinkedIn is often seen as a numbers game. How many connections you have, how many likes you get on your posts, but what about how many people you’ve actually converted to buyers or even just people you know on a personal level?
Unless you use LinkedIn intentionally, it can be easy to create an unapproachable profile where connections are there for show but not for business.
Interacting with your connection’s posts, creating posts that they’ll want to interact with, and having your eyes open for an opportunity to start organic conversation. You never know what could come from it!
YOU LACK CONSISTENCY
Your last post was 2 months ago and before that it was 2 years ago? Don’t expect growth on LinkedIn if you’re not willing to water it.
But I get it, you’re busy and sometimes LinkedIn is the last thing on your mind. But if you do want to see LinkedIn get results, it needs to move forward on your priority list.
No one’s saying you need to be the next Steve Bartlett, post 5x a day, and have the coolest, most innovative posts on the app, but make an effort to post, think of ideas, and take inspiration from other profiles.
- Written by Tim Macmillan
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