Like life, patience is a virtue in any sales strategy, not just LinkedIn. Anyone who has failed on LinkedIn has the same template, joins LinkedIn, sends thousands of connection requests, and sends generic marketing messages to all your networks. This formula never works because your prospects receive tons of such messages every day.
Other than being ignored, some LinkedIn users block and report such marketers; thus, you can see how harmful such actions can be to your brand.
Understand that a sale is a process, and each step of the process leads you closer to converting a prospect to a client. Rushing the process and cutting corners is the easiest way to turn off an opportunity and the best way to receive a backlash.
Businesses have been relying on professional sales consultants or specific agencies to train inside sales teams to B2B sales.
If you’re not ready to invest in professional to train you team, take a look in this guide on how to approach your sales prospects to increase your chances of closing a deal.
Your first objective is to connect with the prospect; thus, LinkedIn is your first touchpoint. After connecting, follow this simple strategy to nature the network.
1) Send a thank you message
After your request to connect is accepted, send a “thank you for connecting” message. Keep it genuine and straightforward, nothing much about you or your brand. That’s a great way to start building a relationship with a potential client and a professional network that lasts.
2) Follow up after the thank you message
Some prospects reply to the message, but most prospects ignore such a message. If you get a response from your potential client, move the conversation forward by complimenting something about their profile. If your message is ignored, wait for three days before messaging the prospect.
3) Send a giveaway
After three days, send the prospect a link to a credible resource, which can be a book, an article, a video, or a publication that you feel is relevant to their business.
The publication should not be from your business but from some credible external source.
4) Wait for three days to answer
If the prospect responds with a thank you, acknowledge the gratitude with simple terms. Wait for three days before contacting the prospect.
5) Invite to a group or to follow your page
After three days, send a link to the prospect to join your LinkedIn group or Facebook group. If you are the admin of your page, you can invite them to follow your page.
6) If the prospects accept, send a thank you
If the prospect accepts your invitation to join your Facebook group or LinkedIn page, send a thank you message from your page or Facebook group.
Remember, the aim is to move the prospect to the subsequent sales funnel, and once the prospect has transferred to a higher funnel, don’t recede to a previous channel.
For instance, after accepting your request to join your network, don’t go back to messaging the prospect. Instead, engage them on your page.
7) Continue engaging
Wait for three days before contacting the prospect, but continue engaging them on the LinkedIn page even as you wait.
8) Invite to a zoom meeting
Invite the prospect to a Zoom meeting or webinar. Ensure the call is a resourceful meeting and can improve the prospects’ operations. For instance, if you are a digital marketer, organize a zoom meeting to teach the latest trends in search engine optimization and how they can utilize such resources to improve their business.
9) Continue engagement
After the zoom meeting, wait for three days as you continue engaging the prospect.
10) Invite prospect for a meeting
After three days, invite the prospect to a meeting to review how you can customize the webinar’s content and the strategies discussed to their business.
Bottom Line
If you were the prospect and a marketer followed these steps, would you be interested in their products? The steps might seem complex and lengthy, but the return on investment from patience can be rewarding.
Remember, people do business with people they know and trust; thus, your aim at every step of the process is to continue earning your prospects’ trust, which moves you closer to closing a deal.