For B2B, It’s All About Linkedin
By Steve Fretzin, CEO of Sales Results

When the ball dropped on 2010, many people made resolutions to make this a year of financial success. Whether this means brokering new business relationships, increasing your current client base, or even reaching a new demographic of clientele, your resolution will no doubt require you to network more efficiently.

However, networking has changed a great deal in the last few years. Meeting up and “doing lunch” is still a beloved practice, but it has taken a back seat to other forms of communication, such as online social networking. Through online social networking, you can reach hundreds, if not thousands, of potential contacts and clients, all with the click of a mouse.

Indeed, thanks to online social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, networking has never been easier or more efficient. However, choosing between these 3 valuable sites can be complicated — but no one wants to waste valuable time and energy trying to navigate all three.

For home business owners, LinkedIn is generally the best bet. Here’s why:

•    It brings the separation gap from 6° to 2°. LinkedIn not only allows you to connect with people you know, but it shows you the degree of separation between you and others you are not yet connected to. This allows you to discover who your connections are connected with, and many times they’re just the people you need to know!

•    It allows you to reach the white collar crowd. When you’re using social networking to build your home business, LinkedIn is the best tool because it is used by so many white collar workers. This helps you not only reach a large audience, but your target audience.

•    You can easily find people you know through school and work. Because the profile includes an extensive area to profile your school and work experience, it’s a great way to re-connect with people you’ve lost touch with along the way and someone you went to college with could now be your ideal business partner!

•    You can use it to get quality introductions. LinkedIn has a very unique tool that allows you to ask people you are connected with to connect you with people they know in a professional way.  A quality introduction like this is a great way to get your foot in the door and gives you more credibility than a cold call would.

    If you are new to LinkedIn and aren’t sure where to start, consider the following pointers:

Make a Game Plan

Understand what you are looking to accomplish before beginning — Many people jump into using social media without a plan.  If you are looking for more sales, be sure to create a large but focused network within the LinkedIn site. Going in blind is never a good idea.

Learn the Layout

Take an hour to go through the LinkedIn tutorials or attend a seminar — In less than two hours, you should be able to find a tutorial or explanation of LinkedIn to be sure you save valuable time down the road.  You don’t want to realize too late that the way you are using LinkedIn is just a waste of your time.

Know The Tricks    

There are three keys to being effective on LinkedIn. First, create a complete and sophisticated profile. Second, have a strategy for building your network. Larger networks provide more contacts, but they may not get you in the door as well as a tighter group. Third, use the advanced search tool to target the industries or companies that will get you the best results in less time.

In today’s information era, the Internet is a crucial part of every business’s success plan. If you don’t utilize the Internet and online social networks, you are missing out on free, easy ways to expand your client base in as little as 30 minutes. HBM  

Sales Results is an elite provider of sales coaching and business networking all about results. Their clients know that effective coaching is the best investment they can make in their careers, and Sales Results strives to maximize that ROI (return on investment). They work with entrepreneurs, sales teams, and business professionals who aspire to the highest standards and practices of business development in their chosen industries. They offer sales instruction and support as well as networking events and development workshops. Their experienced and supremely dedicated sales coaches lead by example. All boast impressive track records in sales, management, and business development and inject a great deal of humanity into the sales coaching process. For more information, please visit www.salesresultsinc.com.

Previously published in the April 2010 issue of HOME BUSINESS® Magazine, an international publication for the growing and dynamic home-based market. Available on newsstands, in bookstores and chain stores, and via subscriptions ($19.00 for 1 year, six issues). Visit www.homebusinessmag.com

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