Getting the most out of LinkedIn

[Fast Bug]

Morning,

I'm a fleet salesman for cars and I kind of think that I'm missing a trick with LinkedIn. In so much that I don't really use it, I have profile and so on, but the only use(?) has been for recruitment people to get hold of me.

Now I don't really wish to we myself all over the show with it, but any tips for trying to pick up additional leads with it? Does anyone other than recruitment people get anything out of it?

[remkingston]

Just start connecting into the sorts of job titles that you would normally cold call / canvas.

It's as simple as that to be honest.

[StevieBee]

I'd also explore groups that are relevant to what you are doing. If none exists, start one. I tend to find there's more trust amongst group members rather than just connections.

[miniman]

It's no different to any other social space, PH included. Interact with people, add value and share knowledge, don't try to flog stuff.

[foliedouce]

As above but if you want to stand out then you need to 'add value'

Once you've connected to a number of relevent people then write a white paper on "Fleet Management Cost Saving Strategies for the Digital age" (obviously you'd need to know what you're talking about or pay someone that does)

Then post that in a group and start a debate, if I you have anything interesting to say then people will contact you.

Also start a relevant group and invite people to join

[andy-xr]

OK, I think I might be going against he grain judging by other replies, but I've been on Linkedin now for must be 6 or 7 years. I have 500+ contacts in my network. I've tried account upgrades, I've tried InMails, I've tried groups.

The only use it has is for people to nod heads in some weird sage way at Branson and a couple of others, declare themselves CEO and Owner (of their own still-to-go-cash-pos business), post ste gifs and generally cock about looking for jobs. Or recruiters punting CVs out to anyone who'll take them

I've never yet had any meaningful contact about a legitimate opportunity that's resulted in any kind of sale. Nothing. It's wasted time and money trying to generate any type of interest from it. It's only use is a possible CRM fillerupper in finding decent level contacts listed as working at the company I'm thinking of approaching, a White Pages basically that I then use as contact data to do something with away from LinkedIn. No-one reads their messages anyway, it's generally some oik trying to re-invent Facebook as their own idea peddling a lot of st

[Fast Bug]

miniman said:

don't try to flog stuff.

Er, but that's my ultimate goal

[miniman]

Fast Bug said:

miniman said:

don't try to flog stuff.

Er, but that's my ultimate goal

I've spent money with many, many people on PH. None of them have tried to flog stuff

[-crookedtail-]

Join as many industry groups as you can and expand your network as much as possible. This will mean when you do promote cars or whatever it reaches as many people, or potentially can as they could share it to even more.

Engage in promoting articles too, industry specific or otherwise as this will allow your connections to see that your not just trying to sell, sell sell. I would recommend no more than a 1/3 of your total posts should be selling! Along with this I would respond to others that are sharing articles too.

[Fast Bug]

Ok let me rephrase that, it is my ultimate goal by extending my network of contacts. I wouldn't be spamming the heck out of LinkedIn with finance offers and all that jazz. I just think I'm missing a trick with it really. I've applied to join some groups and updated my profile so it's not a 'recruiter look at me' as it used to be

[edc]

Is LinkedIn really a place where people go when making car purchasing decisions? I doubt it. If you were selling fleet cars or products or services for fleets then you could use it to network with fleet managers etc but retail sales seems unlikely.

[Matt UK]

edc said:

Is LinkedIn really a place where people go when making car purchasing decisions? I doubt it. If you were selling fleet cars or products or services for fleets then you could use it to network with fleet managers etc but retail sales seems unlikely.

Agreed. I find LinkedIn useful to keep in touch with people I want to in a business context, whom I already know. I've also found LinkedIn useful to get personal reccomendations from your contacts.

Do I accept LinkedIn requests from people I don't know? No. And neither to most other people I know.
I think the only people who accept are those desperate to hit the 500+ and you might have to consider if they are the sort of people you are targetting.

Some of the LinkedIn articles are good, but 95% are just rubbish. When I see I LI contact spamming their contacts with repeat 'articles' (normally about how good their business is) I tend to delete them.

[Fast Bug]

I do corporate fleet so it is in a business context and not a retail context

[technodup]

Matt UK said:

Do I accept LinkedIn requests from people I don't know? No. And neither to most other people I know.

You (and they) are missing a trick then.

Write the profile as a sales letter style rather than a CV and get loads of recommendations to back your claims. If someone you don't know wants to connect ask them why, if it's for the reasons you mention they'll either ignore or bluster pish (in which case you can decline). If however they reference your profile re a problem they would like to solve you have just created a new lead.

Just like any other form of advertising users are quick to blame the medium for their lack of success, whereas if they looked harder at themselves and how they utilised it they might be in a better position to make improvements next time. As ever there is no blanket good/bad medium for increasing sales, it's how you use each which makes the difference.

Or in short, people make money on LinkedIn. The fact so many don't is not the fault of LinkedIn. Do people actually expect to write a standard profile and have business flooding their way? Does that happen in any other walk of sales life?