CONVERSATION
STARTERS
Ideas for finding and converting strangers to extraordinary clients and partners
Conversations Starters is written and edited for B2B consultants and coaches who want to build more and better business relationships, achieve visible thought leadership roles and serve more of the clients you deserve.
There are no hacks or gaming of the system here.. If you want sound ideas and advice about how to look good, sound good and fill your sales pipeline, you’ve come to the right place. Welcome!
How and Why to Pilot a LinkedIn Social Selling Program
Is “social selling” just one more way to distract your sales team, taking you even further away from reaching quota while consultants make a big dent in your sales budget? Or could it actually make your sales people more effective, better at reaching hard-to-get-to prospects, able to find more sales opportunities, ultimately making their numbers?
LinkedIn Social Selling Index – What It Is and How Sales Management Can Use It
There are not-so-subtle signs that social selling in general and LinkedIn specifically need to be incorporated into your sales team’s sales process.
How to Increase Available Selling Time with LinkedIn
According to CSO Insights’ Sales Optimization Study, B2B sales people typically spend a startling 59% of their time NOT selling.
How to Use Sales Navigator to Protect and Grow Your Existing Accounts
Mention the phrase “social selling” in complex B2B sales situations, and the mind goes straight to prospecting and new account acquisition. The pressure is on for new customers/logos.
How to Create a Social Media Planning Calendar for LinkedIn Groups
As a B2B social media strategist, LinkedIn is my social channel of choice because it’s the one place where buyers and sellers can connect one-on-one with the intention of getting into business together.
LinkedIn Squashes Group Postings from 3rd Party Apps – and What to Do About It
I won’t say I told you so, but apparently I’m not the only one annoyed by marketers misusing LinkedIn groups as a newsfeed for their blog articles and self-serving announcements.
Social Selling: 6 Data-Backed Reasons for B2B Sales Leaders to Love It
“Social selling” may be the latest buzzword worthy of a place on the BS bingo game board, but it’s a serious concept that affects every B2B sales rep, sales manager and sales executive on the planet.
The True Value of LinkedIn Company Pages
For our first three years of running lead generation programs for B2B companies on LinkedIn (we started in 2011), I advised clients - and anyone else who asked - to think of company pages as a defensive play.
Why Invest in Sales Navigator
Sales managers often ask us if they need to spring for a paid account to effectively use LinkedIn. Until last July, my answer was “maybe” – it really depended on how active you would be as a user.
How LinkedIn Solves 4 New Account Sales Challenges
The classic sales Catch 22: quotas are shooting up while the B2B buying process is getting more complex, and more people are involved in the buying decision.
Why B2B Companies Must Pay More Attention to LinkedIn
B2B sales and marketing is going social. No shock there. But there is an interesting conflict. Multiple studies (Forrester, ComScore, etc) have shown us IT buyers prefer LinkedIn 2X more than any other major social network when it comes to reading content
Why Your LinkedIn Profile May be Driving Prospects Away
By now you’ve undoubtedly read an article or twelve about the significance of a great LinkedIn profile along with an equal number of “how to do it” articles. But this article is different because I take a different view of profiles.
4 Keys to Making LinkedIn Your Best Prospecting Tool - and Why You Should Care
The word is out. IT and other B2B buyers are on LinkedIn, actively seeking help in solving business problems and ready to connect with vendors who do it right.
CMOs: Why You Should Be Leading the Charge on LinkedIn and How to Do It
With all manner of statistics and survey results pointing directly to LinkedIn as the hottest B2B marketing channel since the last one, you’d think CMOs would be taking advantage of it. At least I did. But a surprising number seem to be missing the boat.
Why Aren’t B2B Marketers Running Better Lead Generation Programs on LinkedIn?
According to a recent CMO.com survey, lead generation ranks as the top objective for B2B companies’ digital marketing programs, with 41% of respondents choosing it as their top goal.
LinkedIn is Not a Brand Engagement Tool
Social media is often evaluated in terms of brand engagement, which – according to Wikipedia – is “the process of forming an emotional or rational attachment between a person and a brand”.
The B2B Marketing Content Creation Dilemma – Will Content Curation Work for You?
93% of B2B companies now use content marketing, and their biggest challenge is producing the enough of the right kind of content. Is content curation – the art of finding, selecting, and sharing relevant content from other sources – a valuable tool for filling the content gap?
How to Avoid the 12 Critical Mistakes Tech Companies are Making on LinkedIn.
In spite of how much LinkedIn can help grow your technology business, its power remains relatively unknown! Out of the all the business-to-business companies represented on LinkedIn, only a few are using it to its full lead and sales generating potential.
The New IT Buying Committee – How to Engage them on LinkedIn
An interview with LinkedIn's Mike Weir. Most tech marketers know the IT buying process has changed – dramatically – in recent years, but did you know the entire IT buying committee is using LinkedIn to educate themselves before they’ll talk to your sales people? And 55% of them want to connect with vendors!
Your LinkedIn Dream Team - Roles that Maximize Success
From the outside, implementing a LinkedIn program may seem fairly easy. And, indeed, if all you want are vanity metrics (followers, shares, likes), then you can probably get away with one individual doing the work.