Jill Konrath

Rachael Lyman is a Membership Account Executive with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Rather than pounding the pavement to bring in new members, she's leveraging LinkedIn as her prime prospecting tool. Check out her strategies for building a highly profitable online network.  ___________________ Just Do It! When I first started, if I saw someone I wanted to be in my network (like an executive), I sent an invitation. It didn’t matter whether or not I’d actually met him or her. Most executives don’t remember anyhow. To my surprise, most accepted. Now I don't ask them to connect. They’re reaching out to me. It’s Not Personal. To make LinkedIn work for me, I needed high-level connections within specific industry clusters. I knew that the more connections I had in common with my prospects, the more likely they’d connect. But I don’t connect with everyone. If I do, ... (more)

[Video] How to Nurture Prospects Without Being a Pest

Keeping in front of your prospects is essential for sales success. It often takes between 10-12 emails or phone calls before you actually connect. And, in most cases, they're not ready to make a change.   So how can you nurture prospects and keep in touch without being a pest? And, better yet, how can you contact prospects in a way that elevates your credibility?   The key is to be a content curator -- a person who sifts through the morass of available information to find resources that your prospects would find value in.   Of course, this means two things for you. First off, yo... (more)

[Video] How to Fight Your Biggest Sales Competitor (It's Not Who You Think)

Who's your biggest sales competitor? It's not who you think. It's the status quo. Doing nothing is the absolute easiest thing for people to do -- even if the process or products they're using now aren't doing a good job. Over the years, I've always lost about 50% of my identified prospects to no decision. Sometimes it truly doesn't make sense to change. I can live with that. But other times it is foolhardy to stay with what they're doing -- yet they still do. Those are the times that drive me crazy. That's why I've learned that our most important job is helping our prospects unde... (more)

[Video] 2 Ways to Use LinkedIn Search to Find Prospect Names

Have you ever been drooling to get into a bigger company, but been unsure of where to even start? If so, here are two ways you can use the LinkedIn search function to find the names of potential prospects. 1. LinkedIn Advanced Search: Start by using the Advanced Search function, which is in the upper right hand corner. Go directly to the Title area and enter in the position you think your decision maker might have. For me, it’s VP of Sales. For you it might be Facilities Manager. Make sure you select “current” right beneath it. Then fill in the company name - again, making sure ... (more)

Does Social Selling Really Work?

If you're new to social selling, you're probably wondering if it's worth doing. After all, it takes time to build your online brand, search for info about prospects, connect with new people and especially, share your insights. Let me give you an example of how different social selling is from our traditional approach. Thomas von Ahn of Viral Solutions recently shared with me that 58% of his company's revenue comes directly from LinkedIn initial contacts. What's he doing? First off, he's got his bases covered with a decent profile. And, he's not one bit like those pushy, self-prom... (more)