3 Ways to Engage Buyers with LinkedIn Sales Navigator
LinkedIn has become a go-to resource for many sales representatives. As a result, many companies are turning to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a paid platform that helps sales reps find and engage the right people at the right companies. But often times, sales teams find that they could use some extra guidance on Sales Navigator best practices.
Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. In this post, we’ll share our favorite tips for engaging your buyers through LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Let’s get started.
Option 1: InMails
When sales reps look at their list of leads in Sales Navigator, they’ll notice that they can either message their leads or send an InMail. InMails are private messages that you send to LinkedIn members who are not your first-degree connections (i.e. people to whom are you not connected on LinkedIn).
InMails are one of the perks of a Sales Navigator subscription. But many people use InMail in foolish ways, and as a result, they fail to reap the benefits. Here are some InMail best practices.
1. Use InMail as a Last Resort
Too often, sales reps jump to an InMail right away, when there are better ways of becoming acquainted with a prospect. For instance, reps might want to join the same LinkedIn group as someone, or ask for a referral from a mutual connection.
2. Don’t Blast Product Pitches
If sales reps decide that an InMail is the only way to contact a prospect, they should not open with a product pitch. Doing so would be just as effective as a cold call or a cold email.
Instead, reps should take the time to write a very personalized InMail that is focused on the prospect and not your product. Reps might consider sending a piece of content (not a product brochure) that will resonate with the prospect and add value.
Want more tips? Check out these four templates for LinkedIn connection requests.
Option 2: Comments
Once reps have taken the time to research their prospects, they can start building relationships and adding value for their buyers.
Sales Navigator’s way of creating value is through comments. When a lead posts a new piece of content, that content will appear in the sales rep’s home page, and the rep will receive an email notification. This is an opportunity for a sales rep to jump into a dialogue with the buyer.
But reps need to be strategic. Writing, “Great post!” doesn’t add much value – if any. Instead, they need to be more thoughtful. They might want to choose a quote that resonated with them, or maybe they can ask a follow-up question to get the prospect’s opinion.
Quick Tip
Use the @ mention capability to tag a prospect in a comment. That way, you ensure the prospect will see it.
Option 3: Sharing Content
There’s one small problem with relying on comments to build relationships. Sales reps have to wait for a prospect or customer to post before they can engage. It’s a rather passive approach to building a relationship.
A more proactive alternative is to share content. In fact, reps routinely cite content as one of the best ways to add value for their prospects and customers. By consistently posting articles, reports, infographics, and videos, sales reps establish themselves as trusted resources and help their buyers understand how to solve their business problems.
Gartner has studied social selling in depth, and the firm’s analysts have noted, “Content curation is a great way to start or join conversations. Identifying relevant content, then sharing it when appropriate, provides real value for participants.”
There’s one small problem, though. How will your sellers find content to share? This is not easy to do on LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Check out our ebook on Sales Navigator to learn more tips and tricks.
Posted byMark Bajus