LinkedIn Sales Prospecting Hack 101

– The Connection Request

The two biggest LinkedIn sales prospecting mistakes I see sales reps make when sending a connection request to a prospect on LinkedIn are:

1) False Sincerity (is that an oxymoron? I digress) Starting with a compliment like:

“I noticed that you have a stunning…”
“I discovered your profile. Amazing!”
“I loved your industry-related content and wondered if we could discuss…”
“We don’t yet know one another, but I understand that you are a successful professional.”

These are just some of the ignored messages in my LinkedIn inbox.

A better strategy?

A better sales prospecting strategy would be upfront and lead with the WIIFT message. This is the same process that works on cold calls as well. See the example below.

The Second Biggest LinkedIn Sales Prospecting Mistake

2) The second biggest LinkedIn sales prospecting mistake I see is asking for too much too soon. Namely, to set up a call or appointment. We’ve all made this mistake. It’s time we stop.

You will go farther by taking smaller action steps.

Below is an example of a winning LinkedIn sales prospecting outreach script.

Copy it and make it your own and let me know the results.

SALESBUZZ LINKEDIN CONNECTION REQUEST

Connection Request

{firstname}, I’m working with other Sales Leaders in the [__________] industry (I improve their outbound results), and your LinkedIn profile matches theirs. So, hopefully, we can connect!

2ND MESSAGE AFTER THE CONNECTION IS ACCEPTED

Nice to meet you {firstname}! Sales leaders use our animated videos to improve their teams’ outbound skills. If I share some examples with you, is that OK?

NOTE: This is a SOFT ask and requires nothing on our prospect’s part other than to say yes or no. If it’s a yes, it’s a low-risk commitment from their standpoint.

3RD MESSAGE IF THERE IS NO RESPONSE

I just wanted to gauge interest in my note above, {firstname}. With our pre-built short, animated sales training videos, outbound sales teams have set 25% more appointments in the first 30 days, and close rates increased by 24%.

Would it be OK to send you a sample?

(OPTIONAL) 4th Message

Could your sales team use a confidence boost?

I SAY OPTIONAL because this is a gut call. Sometimes I move on. I’d rather start on step one with a NEW prospect rather than continue down the path of a prospect that isn’t showing interest.

I hope this helps.

– Michael Pedone

Michael Pedone is the CEO/FOUNDER of SalesBuzz.com – On-demand sales training courses that teach B2B phone sales techniques that work.