Your LinkedIn Social Selling Index: The Fourth Element, Build Relationships

Welcome to my fifth installment in my series about your LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI)!

My last article discussed the second element in your SSI, Engage with Insights.

This article is about the fourth element, Build Relationships.

Let’s do this!

Engage with Insights has four components as taken from the LinkedIn page:

1. Connect with contacts
2. Focus on decision makers
3. Connect internally & leverage TeamLink
4. Nurture relationships over time to keep your services top of mind

Now, lets delve into each of these components.

LinkedIn summarizes connect with contacts as:

A larger network gives you greater leverage in finding new prospects and getting in the door with clients.

Their expert tip is to connect with your network and with prospects after introductions.

You can execute this by:

1. Periodically checking in with them in a meaningful way
2. Engage when they post
3. Stay on top of their company and industry
4. Noting relevant trends

LinkedIn summarizes focus on decision makers as:

Focus on building relationships with senior-level people at your prospects and customers.

Their expert tip is to build multiple connections with decision makers at accounts, don’t just rely on one.

You can execute this by:

1. Use your existing connections to expand into target clients or employers
2. Follow them if you can’t connect
3. If you don’t have a connection in common then work towards it on your own!

LinkedIn summarizes connect internally & leverage TeamLink (Don’t worry if you don’t have Sales Navigator, this can be done with a free account.) as:

Connect internally so your colleagues will be able to provide warm introductions. Senior leaders are more likely to have decision maker connections for you to leverage.

Their expert tip is to use your company’s network to uncover the best ways to get introduced with TeamLink, available in Sales Navigator Team.

You can execute this by:

1. Check to see who else from your company is on LinkedIn and connect with them if you gaven’t already done so
2. Meet with your fellow connections from your company or team and review each other’s connections to look for suitable new connections
3. Develop a team plan to approach new connections either at a prospective client or an industry
4. Coordinate content across your team

LinkedIn summarizes nurture relationships over time to keep your services top of mind as:

After connecting, develop the relationship just as you would have before LinkedIn existed, reaching out periodically at appropriate times and adding value by providing relevant information and solutions to your prospect or client’s business problems.

Their expert tip is to help prospects by sharing their updates or posts they’ve published.

You can execute this by:

1. Meet with or at least speak with by phone or Skype in real time
2. Practice social selling (i.e., giving away your knowledge)
3. Give more than you ask for in return!

Remember, these steps and my prior articles are not one time events.

You have to stay at this continually.

Be disciplined and committed in your approach and you will see results!

That’s it for now!

Please check-out my 8 step approach for developing a social media program to get some more ideas on how to use social media.

Also, never forget to reach out to either ask questions or to ask for help from someone like myself!

In the meantime, thank you for following and reading my blog!

I look forward to any and all comments that you may have. I will reply to any comments made to this blog post as promptly as I can.

And, remember!

I do this for a living and if I can be of any assistance to either you or your organization, please feel free to call on me. Our initial discussion will be of no charge to you.