Episode Summary

Are you looking to take your LinkedIn outreach skills to the next level? We'll teach you everything you need to know.

On this episode of B2B Power Hour, we break down how to perfect your messaging through dynamic prospecting, how to reverse engineer your sales goals, and our most successful direct outreach strategies for LinkedIn.

The greatest thing you can ever do in sales is find a problem worth solving. Look at the conversations happening on LinkedIn around your prospects’ problems and jump in to offer solutions. Being part of the conversation builds trust and credibility, which is crucial to any social selling strategy.

Think of yourself as a doctor. However, instead of diagnosing an illness, you're identifying the early symptoms of a prospect’s readiness to buy. Knowing the initial signs or triggers helps you understand the best time to start a conversation.

Don't just jump into a prospect's DMs or send an InMail, though. Start by engaging with their posts to offer solutions or create content that helps answer their problems. After three public interactions, take the conversation to their DMs.

You don't have to immediately try and book a meeting. Quantify the impact your solution could have for their company – throw some numbers out into their DMs and ask if it sounds about right. If they'd like to, you can set up a meeting to discuss this further before they bring the conversation internal.

Immediate pitching (AKA pitch slapping) and the connect-and-DM approach raise red flags. B2B sellers have to evolve to build meaningful relationships with buyers.

If you're feeling lost, don't worry. We're here for you with the ultimate guide to successful direct outreach on LinkedIn.

B2B Power Plays

Top takeaways from this week’s conversation

🎯 Use dynamic prospecting to dial in your messaging.

Dynamic prospecting is the process of finding accounts and leads that are actually in need (or potentially in need) of what you have to offer.

Look at trigger events, such as a round of funding or a promotion, and customize your messaging.

Your outreach should get better with each prospecting attempt as you learn when prospects become problem-aware and which triggers push them to the buying phase.

Ultimately, dynamic prospecting helps prospects solve their problems before they become unmanageable.

❓Don't make assumptions — ask questions.

Don't make assumptions about the problems your prospect could be facing. Instead, ask questions that can lead them to their own realization.

You'll look too salesy if you're only solution focused on talking about your product. Asking questions encourages an open dialogue — narrow down three to five questions you can ask to make sure your product or service is the best fit for them and will provide real value.

✨Our favorite direct LinkedIn outreach strategies.

Here are a few of our favorite LinkedIn outreach tactics and tips:

  • Set Google alerts. Create Google alerts for specific questions or problems. You can set it to search LinkedIn specifically.
  • Jump into conversations. Read through comments on posts about the problems your product can help solve and jump into the conversation with solutions.
  • Stick to the rule of threes. After three comments back and forth in public, move the conversation to the prospect's DMs.
  • Have qualifying questions ready. Before attempting to book a meeting, have a set of three to five qualifying questions. The goal of these questions is to ensure you're the right fit for the prospect and can provide value.
  • Work through closed won and closed lost accounts. In your CRM, add any closed won and closed lost accounts to a list. Stay in touch with them, nurturing the relationship. If any triggers happen, such as the contact leaving the company, it's a prime time to reach out.

Episode Highlights

Inflection points from the show

[5:53] The end of anonymous selling: No one is an anonymous seller anymore. You have to use LinkedIn to build trust and credibility because your reputation and your company's name are on the line.

[7:41] Skip the pitch slap: Living in a world where sellers don't do proper research and pitch everyone too quickly makes it difficult to build relationships, as potential buyers expect an immediate sales pitch.

[13:25] Static versus dynamic prospecting: Nicholas breaks down static and dynamic prospecting and explains how dynamic prospecting helps sellers adapt to an ever-changing competitive landscape.

[20:45] Identifying a problem: Finding a problem worth solving is the greatest thing you can ever do in sales. Nick explains how to approach this process.  

[32:59] Quantify the impact: Work with your champion to calculate the impact your solution might have on their company. This doesn't even have to be a meeting — start in the DMs and go from there.

[39:32] Blank connection requests: Morgan's data shows blank connection requests do better than personalized ones unless you already had a conversation with the prospect.

[41:28] Direct outreach strategies: Nicholas and Morgan outline their top direct outreach strategies, including setting up Google alerts, jumping into conversations that are already happening, and the right time to take public conversations private.

[51:56] InMails aren't effective: InMails can look a lot like cold emails. They aren't nearly as impactful as sending a DM to somebody whose content you engaged with, someone you attended an event with, or a prospect for whom you have a unique observation.

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