Have you ever wondered how freelancers are using LinkedIn to find and land clients? Is LinkedIn truly a valuable prospecting tool? Does it live up the hype? Are there practical ways of using it to drum up business?
The notes that follow are a very basic, unedited summary of the show. There’s a lot more detail in the audio version. You can listen to the show using the audio player below. Or you can subscribe in iTunes or on Stitcher to get this show delivered straight to the Podcasts app on your smart phone, tablet or iPod.
About This Show
The High-Income Business Writing podcast is a production of B2B Biz Launcher. It’s designed for business writer and copywriters who want to propel their writing business to the six-figure level (or the part-time equivalent).
To learn more about leveraging LinkedIn (LI) to grow your writing business — I interview Jill Konrath for this episode of The High Income Business Writing podcast.
Jill is the author of two bestselling sales books and is a popular speaker who helps sellers crack into new accounts, speed up sales cycles and win more business. She has conducted extensive research on how top professionals use LI to build a professional platform.
In this episode, Jill explains how to turn LI from a dull career/job finding site to a powerful business-building tool.
LinkedIn Is an Overlooked Goldmine
LinkedIn is an overlooked goldmine for people who have to sell.
- Position them professionally
- Target Companies to go after
- Establish relationships with people
- Circumvent traditional roots
People view it as a job board for posting resumes. If they aren’t looking for a job, LI is viewed as useless. Most haven’t begun to leverage all the productive uses of LinkedIn.
Jill’s research compared how top performers; self-employed, freelance writers included, are successfully using LinkedIn for prospecting and to sell their services.
Overview of the survey
Jill conducted an online survey of 3,000+ consultants, entrepreneurs – people who have to sell to make a living. The group was made up of consultants (20%), and many others were entrepreneurs.
The results showed that only 5% were really using it to the full extent and 55% were not using it all. We defined that 5% as Top Sellers. They are the ones who:
- are getting lots of business via LinkedIn
- and having a really good year
Survey Results
Top sellers leveraged LinkedIn by:
- In-depth and complete personal profile from headline to the summary (sell sheet) – Highlighted their business value by
- Writing from a customer perspective
- Included specifics about type of work they did and clients they worked with
- Included case studies/samples of work to showcase their work
and uploaded examples
- Expand their reach within an organization by research by
- Using contacts and their contacts to piggyback
connections - Connect with multiple people within same division
- Call contacts to recontact
- Send personal email to make new connections
- Belong to more Groups – 50.7% of top performers belong to 30 or more groups vs. 11.5% of everyone else
- Entry to groups allows you to email within the group
- Following allows you to see what others are doing
- Allows you to join discussions and be seen without being connected
- Use comments to build a relationship with someone you don’t know
by sharing ideas
Groups are a great way to build relationships over the long-term. Approaching others in the group (you don’t even know) with ideas is an authentic way to show potential buyers of writing services what you know without making a sales pitch.
By being involved, having ideas and offering suggestions/sharing information, you can become a valued, respected connection. Even if you feel you have nothing to offer. Read industry publications and mention what you read when appropriate.
Even if you’re just starting, no one is a clean slate. We all have previous experience; leverage that experience. Share what worked in the past.
Time Investment
In your study, you found that a large percent of top sellers are spending 6+ hours per week on LinkedIn.
The time you spend on LI will vary. Freelancers don’t necessarily need a lot of projects at one-time, but prospecting should be consistent. There are things you can do on a regular basis, so you only spend 15 minutes a day on LinkedIn.
We all have different levels of needs; from someone just starting to the seasoned freelancer. Let’s start with – I have no work right now. Take time to think about:
- How will my background and experience set me apart from others?
- What companies are in similar industries to your background?
These two items will help get you started and give you a higher chance of being seen as credible once you start connecting.
Then the advanced search allows you to sort using keywords, location, titles, industries, relationship level, etc. Now you can create a list of companies and people that might need your services.
Further, a great feature is the ability to save your searches. Once you save a search, you will receive update notifications keeping you aware of movement in and out of your search group – now you’re building your database.
You can check out groups without becoming a member. Monitor activity to decide if it is right for you. This kind of research allows you to create your strategy before you contact anyone.
Join a group and you can do advanced searches to learn more about the members. Now, you can start to leverage your initial connections to expand your reach. Doing this type of in-depth research can even eliminate the dreaded cold call.
Consider these connection points when looking for other’s on LinkedIn
- People you know
- Common Interests
- Alumni groups
- Past Employers
The Current Need for Content Writers
Based on the clients that Jill works with, she has really good insight into the need for good content and content writers. She is seeing a desperate need for content writers.
It is hard to initiate contact, so having good content gives salespeople touch points and helps them establish credibility with their contacts.
Secondarily, Marketing departments are always looking for different ways to create content. They are repurposing white papers into content and turning them into podcasts, etc.
Most companies don’t have the internal resources to handle everything they need, so they are outsourcing. They are looking for someone who can jump right in and get up to speed quickly – this is where your background can come into play and make you really valuable.
There is a disconnect out there between the need and the people who can actually write content and do it well. Good writers are hard to find. Styles of content have changed since the days of hype with adverbs and adjectives. Hype doesn’t sell. People are looking for real stories and case studies.
Companies are starving for good content writers.
Items mentioned in this podcast include:
- Jill’s eBook: LinkedIn Sales Secrets Revealed on www.jillkonrath.com under Free Resources -> Sales Guides
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Till next time,
-Ed
