How to create the best sales profile on Linkedin (Part 2)

In the first part of the article, we discussed the basic information about optimization for the sales profile on Linkedin. Now let’s get down to business.

Below are 4 of 9 simple steps to creating the best sales profile on LinkedIn.

The last 5 steps can be found in part 3 of the article.

Step 1: Select the appropriate photo for your sales profile

Who are you? What’s your personal brand? Are you a button-down, traditional professional, or a more laid-back business approach?

However you describe yourself, you need a profile picture that represents you both as a person and as a personal brand. In order for this to work, there are a few things you should do, and some you definitely shouldn’t.

If you are a very serious person, go ahead and take a serious photo. If you’re a little more relaxed, you can probably go for a cheerful photo or a fairly creative photo that captures your unique style.

What to avoid when choosing a photo:

DO NOT USE PHOTOS WITH MULTIPLE PERSONS: Users want to know who you are. If it is hard to figure it out, they are less likely to put effort into making a connection.

DON’T THINK of your LinkedIn profile photo as an Instagram selfie: LinkedIn remains a professional setup. Take care of professionalism.

DO NOT hold on to alcohol: Unless you’re in the business of selling alcohol, it’s generally not a good idea to show off your alcohol enthusiasm on LinkedIn. In fact, it might be a good idea to omit food or drinks altogether from your profile picture.

If you can’t find a photo that fits, consider booking a professional photoshoot or asking a friend to take some photos at your next meeting. Just remember what you are taking photos for and make sure you communicate it clearly.

Step 2: Create your own background photo

After your profile picture, the cover photo is the second thing users see on your LinkedIn sales profile. Most of the time, people leave their photo for the cover by default or choose a random photo of pencils or a forest.

Don’t waste this sales space!

This is the most valuable property for a LinkedIn sales profile to keep potential customers informed about your business.

Talk to your marketing department. They may have already designed background photos for your colleagues. If you don’t have a cover photo designed by the marketing team, here are some tips for designing a cover photo:

1. Adapt it to LinkedIn:

When creating a LinkedIn cover photo, keep in mind the details unique to Linkedin, such as the round photo in the lower-left corner, the image size, and the appearance on both mobile and desktop devices.

You can use free tools that have templates tailored to the requirements of Linkedin.

2. Keep them relevant and up-to-date:

Has your company just published a white paper or e-book? Ask your marketing team to create custom background photos that draw attention to your company’s valuable content while also having a clear call to action.

3. Be direct and concise:

Don’t throw a million words or oversaturated graphics on the background photo. Think about the best way to get your message across so that a potential customer is interested in your business and offer.

Step 3: The best LinkedIn headlines for sales

A good LinkedIn headline should capture the interest of other users quickly. See how it looks on examples.

1. Use your company’s tagline

Chances are your marketing team has put a lot of effort into developing a tagline that you never use. Think about using it as a header. This way, you and your prospects can get used to the wording in the product offering before they even enter the sales funnel.

2. Don’t think about yourself

While your prospects may buy from you, they don’t necessarily come to your LinkedIn because they care specifically about you. They want to know what you can do for them. Therefore, instead of the title, try to include your passions, skills and even the product description in the headline.

3. Create a short story

If you feel deep down in your heart that it’s important to tell the world what you are doing, turn it into a story. For example, a customer service manager might say, „I build relationships with people by understanding their needs and connecting them to the right products.”

Focus your story on the results you give your prospects, not your individual function.

4. Don’t brag

We all know you’re the best salesperson, but your prospect doesn’t care. Don’t brag about being a super salesperson, and certainly don’t use sales jargon.

Now that you’ve created a compelling headline let’s move on to the LinkedIn recap.

Step 4: Summary on Linkedin

If you want to stand out among the million sellers on Linkedin, you need to focus on the summary.

The summary is a central part of your LinkedIn profile and one of the most important. It can convey a lot of key information about you, and your potential customers can find out what your business can do for them.

It is very important to do this part correctly.

1. Write them in a way that represents you well

Selling is about building real human relationships. If your LinkedIn summary sounds like it was written by a robot, that’s what your prospects will get.

Don’t be afraid to be true to yourself or make your biography personal. Being authentic with others will go a long way to making the right contacts.

2. Think about a potential customer problem that you can solve

That’s all your potential client cares about. Demonstrate that you know what the problem is by focusing on how you can help them cope with the problems that affect them the most.

3. Share the opinion of former clients

Do you have references from former clients? Use the evidence of your success in your Linkedin summary. Just remember to ask the author of the reference if you can use his words and personal information.

4. Share the facts and figures

If you can include real sales statistics that show how you helped customers, and maybe even add a case study, it will show prospects that you want to add measurable value to their business.

5. Add keywords

Some people include keywords based on the best skills listed at the bottom of their LinkedIn summary. I also suggest adding keywords that your potential customers are likely to search for so that your sales profile appears in LinkedIn search results. Check out the tags on your company blog if you need a quick way to figure it out.

6. Don’t be afraid to brag about your company (not yourself):

If you haven’t already, the end of the debriefing is the perfect place to talk about how much you value your business, your team, and the results they’re achieving for your customers.

7. Include your contact details:

Make sure you add at least your email address and company website to the contact information section of your introduction. You must be easily accessible!