LinkedIn Etiquette: The "Do's" and "Don'ts" Every Sales Pro Should Know

LinkedIn Etiquette: The "Do's" and "Don'ts" Every Sales Pro Should Know

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Brittany Laurent

Brittany Laurent Brittany Laurent

("This article is the second in my series "Leveraging LinkedIn for Sales Success")

In the first article of this series, I shared what it takes to create a compelling sales profile on LinkedIn (if you missed it, read it here.) With that foundation set, it's time to take on the next important topic - usage & etiquette. In this post, I'll share conduct best practices for leveraging LinkedIn as part of your social selling efforts. I've boiled things down to two key "do's" & "don'ts" that will help you get the most out of the platform.

Let's begin with the "do's".

#1. Do: Build your network

Why it matters

As a sales or customer management professional, the network you develop is one of your most valuable assets. When built well, your network - both in the physical world and online - can become an ongoing source of access & opportunity. LinkedIn research shows that 73% of B2B buyers prefer sales professionals who have been referred by someone they know, and 87% of B2B buyers said they would have a favorable impression of a salesperson who was introduced to them through someone in their professional network. Given this reality, cultivating a strong network on LinkedIn (and Twitter!) is critical, but you have to focus on building with intention.

How to do it (well)

Your goal while adding people on LinkedIn should not be to simply accumulate as many connections as possible. Rather, your focus should be on building an actionable network - one that consists of people you're familiar with and can leverage. (Don't forget, LinkedIn is a two-way street. Just as you will ask things of your network from time-to-time, they will ask things of you.) Approaching things from this perspective, it's critical to be thoughtful about who's in your connections.

As a general best practice when deciding whether or not to add someone on LinkedIn, ask yourself, "Have I had some sort of meaningful interaction with this person?"

If so, go for it - this means people from current/previous employers, industry organizations and associations, existing clients, your personal network, University, etc. are all fair game. If not, you may want to analyze further. Do you, for example, share any strong commonalities or ties that serve as a foundation for building a professional relationship? If the likelihood of future interaction is limited or nonexistent, consider holding off.  

With better discernment around who's in your network, LinkedIn becomes easier to tap into (and a more enjoyable community to participate in).

All this said, there are exceptions to any rule.

I'm not completely opposed to reaching out to someone you've never met, but there is a right way to go about it. Focus on finding a way to "warm things up" (e.g., through a shared commonality). Whenever possible, leverage a mutual connection in your network who is willing and able to make an introduction. On the occasion you want to add someone you've never met, be sure to include a personal message sharing a compelling reason why the two of you should connect.

This message, by the way, should NEVER take the form of a cold sales pitch outlining the many benefits of your products/solutions/company.

They don't care.

That InMail is never compelling.

Don't be that guy/gal.

 

#2. Do: Join the conversation

Why it matters

LinkedIn is not a spectator sport. Building your brand as a professional thought leader is becoming table stakes, and more important than ever before.

You've probably heard the stats - an incredible 98% of B2B buyers do at least some online research, and 57% or more of the buyer's journey is now completed digitally before engaging a salesperson. What you may not know is that there is a link between sales performance and LinkedIn engagement. LinkedIn discovered that sales reps who exceed quota engage with their prospects on LinkedIn 39% more than their counterparts. The reality is this: just as you, a sales professional, research and select who you want to work with, customers today are doing the same. If customers and prospects are doing research & forming initial opinions, it's essential you "show up" with an established presence.

A quick side bar in case you're not totally convinced... If building one's brand is recognized as "important" now, it's going to become "critical" in the future when Millennials constitute a majority of the workforce (particularly as they advance into more senior roles). As decision makers, Millennials buy differently. According to recent research done by Forrester, Millennials don't want to be "sold to". Instead, they seek to discover and build authentic human connections (often digitally). Additionally, Forrester found Millennials put more focus on obtaining validation and "social proof" from peer groups/third parties, regularly relying on referrals from others and information from established online experts. Given the stock Millennials put into digital resources and relationships (and the skill with which they leverage both), if you aren't "showing up" on integral communities like LinkedIn, you're going to lose.

How to do it (well)

To build your brand and establish yourself as a credible thought leader on LinkedIn, it's all about regular interaction and engagement. (Fun fact: a full 25% of your LinkedIn SSI score is dedicated to how well you do this.)

Here are three easy places to begin:

1.) Keep track of your connections' updates/content by regularly monitoring your feed. 

People are putting things out there to be read! Like, comment and share when appropriate - this is one of the best & easiest ways to build rapport & keep your network warm.

  • Tip: You can quickly and easily view all of a person's recent activity just by visiting their profile. Once there, you can see articles they've published, updates they've shared and posts/articles they've liked & commented on.
2.) Join a few relevant groups and contribute to their discussions. 

Community members frequently post questions and discussion topics looking for insight and best practices from others. This is a great opportunity for you to provide value through insight and build your professional brand.

3.) Post and share useful information with your network. 

This can include original content you've published on LinkedIn, or content you've curated from elsewhere (e.g., articles, news, studies, etc.). Focus especially on posting things your customers and potential prospects may benefit from. Establishing your presence in this way helps to position you as a credible thought leader and valuable resource.

  • Tip: Great content can be found on Twitter, SlideShare and by following influencers, topics and organizations on LinkedIn.

That's all for the "do's"! Now for the "don'ts"...

#1. Don't: Miss out on opportunities

Why it matters

Somewhere along the line, sales professionals developed a hesitancy to see and be seen on LinkedIn... but this is critical to success!

Every time I'm training in the classroom and hear someone, well-intended, express genuine concern that looking at someone's profile before a meeting could be seen as "stalking", or admit they view profiles "anonymously", a part of me dies.

These things, among others, provide fantastic opportunities for people in sales!

How to do it (well)

To start, put the notion of LinkedIn "stalking" to bed. View people's profiles visibly (and shamelessly)! LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform, and its members have created profiles and published content to share with others. Taking initiative to view someone's profile prior to having a discussion with them demonstrates that you value doing your homework and respect their time. It's an initial step in developing trust and credibility, and will differentiate you from all the other sales professionals not doing it. A far cry from "stalking", this sort of preparation is fast becoming an expectation.

One of the most-missed opportunities is also one of LinkedIn's greatest tools - the "Who's Viewed Your Profile" feature. Regardless of whether you have a free or paid LinkedIn account, regularly monitor who is visiting your page. When people outside your LinkedIn network view your profile or send you a connection request, consider it an opportunity to reach out and start a conversation.

  • Tip: If you're not sure what to say, leverage insight from some of LinkedIn's best. Elite users focused on developing best practices have studied this exact situation, and after testing a number of different messages, identified one particular response that tends to out-perform others & evoke the best responses. It reads something like this:

"Hi <Name>. Thank you for recently visiting my profile. Is there anything I can help you with today? I welcome the opportunity to connect."

 Great outcomes can be driven from taking one minute to send this simple message - I encourage you to try it!

#2. Don't: Put LinkedIn on the backburner

Why it matters

As a busy professional juggling numerous responsibilities each day, it's easy to let LinkedIn fall lower on your priority list when things get hectic. Although understandable, try to fight that temptation! Consistency, dedication and responsiveness are key, and can be developed into habit with less effort than you may think.

Things like your regularity and speed-of-response truly matter, too - because LinkedIn is so easily-accessible, expectations on response times and post engagement tend to be high. While some time frames are seemingly tight, don't let them intimidate you. Managing your LinkedIn can take as few as 5-10 minutes a day, and those minutes will be well-spent.

How to do it (well)

1.) Accepting requests & responding to InMail: 

When you receive a connection request, good etiquette would be to approve within 1-2 days at most. This window is even tighter when you receive an InMail from someone expressing interest in doing business together - for these conversations, people typically expect a response same-day.

  • Tip: To help you stay on top of things, consider adjusting your LinkedIn communication preferences to automatically trigger an email and smartphone notification every time someone has sent you an InMail or connection request.
2.) Adding new connections: 

When you're the one hoping to add someone to your LinkedIn network - say, for example, you just had a great research meeting with a new contact - it's important to strike while the iron is hot. Send a personalized connection request while you're still fresh in their mind. Letting too much time pass can lower your odds of acceptance.

3.) Checking the feed & sharing content: 

Especially early-on in your LinkedIn journey, developing a presence, building connections & engaging in discussion can seem a little overwhelming. Begin by creating a simple, straightforward plan to help you create muscle-memory. I suggest starting with the goal of checking your LinkedIn once a day and posting content a few times per week. (Leveraging Pulse, LinkedIn's mobile app and things like Pocket can make this easy for even the busiest sales rep!)

With that, you're armed with the basics around LinkedIn etiquette. I hope you've enjoyed these "Do's" and "Don'ts"!
Are there any critical LinkedIn best practices you live by? I welcome you to share them with me on LinkedIn!

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