Connecting With Customers | Agency Sales Magazine

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A perfect complement to Terry Brock’s words of wisdom on the importance of using social media appeared in one of MANA’s very popular MANA/SalesWise teleforums last fall. Speaking on the topic of “Connecting With Customers in the Digital Age,” Rhonda Sher, a successful author, speaker, entrepreneur and LinkedIn trainer, emphasized how important LinkedIn can be for an agency’s marketing efforts.

According to Sher, “One of the keys to successfully navigate in the digital age is to have a strong LinkedIn presence. Keep in mind that every second two new professionals join LinkedIn.” That’s why it’s so important to keep several of the tips in mind that she offered during the teleforum “if you want to reach your ideal client.” Among the advice she offered is the following:

Profile — “The first thing someone sees about you on LinkedIn is your profile. Too often the profile you have doesn’t properly show who you are. It’s a little bit like going to a party that you’re not properly dressed for.” Things to include are who you are, what you do, and how can people reach you.
Head Shot — “Make sure you have a professional head shot — not a full body photograph.” To make her point, Sher related the story of one woman who made use of a photograph from her college graduation. “She sent out tons of invitations to join her on LinkedIn and was surprised at how few responses she received.”
Education/Skills/Endorsements — In addition to your formal education, you want to list your skills and what you know about the industries you serve. In addition, it’s important to include recommendations and endorsements from people you’ve worked with. “The way to get those endorsements is simply to give them to others and then to ask for them. All these steps help you develop your digital footprint.”
Prospecting — LinkedIn has both a free and paid version that can prove valuable for prospecting for new clients. “As a rep you know the companies you want to work with. Using LinkedIn can help you conduct prospecting using personnel title, geography, company name, size and territory, etc.”