4 Ways LinkedIn Can Replace Cold Calling

For decades, sales professionals and business owners have been playing the numbers game when making cold calls. They have picked up the phone, called hundreds of people, and depending on their skill set converted a percentage of their conversations into leads, and those leads into sales.

Now enter the age of social media and the Internet. The prospecting world has changed. Customers are doing more research and are not as responsive to cold calls as they were in the past.

In fact, studies show that in 2007 it took only 3.68 call attempts to reach a prospect and in 2015 it takes 8 attempts. In addition, 2% of cold calls result in an appointment and in large deals, there are typically 7 decision-makers involved in the process. Seems like a costly and time-consuming way to acquire new business.

Businesses who are successful in their lead generation efforts are adopting Internet marketing strategies and leveraging the social media. They are focusing on inbound marketing and utilizing other platforms to generate leads for their business. Since a majority of LinkedIn users are professionals and 49% of them are key decision makers, it makes sense to turn to LinkedIn first for new lead prospecting.

So could LinkedIn be the platform to replace cold calling? We think so. Not only is LinkedIn the go-to platform for professionals, the site has also ramped up their platform to support lead generation activities that fit sales professionals, business owners, and marketing managers.

What if you could use LinkedIn for your inbound lead generation? And forget cold calling altogether? Below are the top LinkedIn tools that can help you do exactly that:

1. Advanced Search

The advanced search tool is the best way to find names of potential prospects in companies that you are targeting. For years, companies have been paying thousands of dollars a month to have inside access to contact information, that now you can access for the cost of your LinkedIn membership.

The Advanced Search tool is very simple to use. You can find prospects by using:

• Keywords
• Company names
• Job titles
• Location
• Industry

And other factors depending upon your subscription. Simply type in the information you are seeking, press submit and LinkedIn will generate a comprehensive list of profiles you can start connecting too.

2. Direct Messaging

Instead of email, direct messaging your contacts gives you a greater chance of your message being read and responded to. Clients and customers receive tons of email per day, but only a few LinkedIn messages.

It is very easy to stand out from the crowd using this feature. Next time you are tempted to send a prospecting email, try direct messaging through LinkedIn instead. Please note, this feature is only available if you are a connection of theirs.

3. LinkedIn Publishing Feature

Another great way to attract potential clients and customers is to provide engaging and educational content. LinkedIn has designed their entire platform to support the sharing of value-added resources that can benefit the end-user.

With newly integrated analytic features, you can now view every person who has shared or commented on your article. What better way to capture a warm lead than reach to out to someone who has just received value from the information you posted?

4. Who’s Viewed Your Profile

And finally, if you have a premium subscription, you can view every single person who has viewed your profile! What better way to identify potential prospects than seeing who has checked out your profile?

Once you have looked at their profile, if they seem like a good contact, write a simple message to strike up a business conversation on the phone or a coffee in person. You never know, it may book you some solid business!

Adopting new practices

The way we do business has changed. Customers are more educated on the services they need, there are more influencing and making decisions than ever before, and cold calling is becoming less and less effective.

Somewhat dead in our opinion!!! To survive in today’s marketplace it’s essential for you to adopt new practices and embrace the new world of social media.

Using LinkedIn tools such as Advanced Search, Direct Messaging, the LinkedIn Publishing Feature, and Who’s Viewed your Profile tool, you could turn your approach from a “push” sales method to an inbound selling approach.

This way, you can say goodbye to Cold Calling and say hello to LinkedIn as a way to warm up your leads into valuable, offline conversations. However, when doing something like for the first time it can obviously be a little daunting, wondering whether what you’ve done is correct or going to get the result you’re aiming for.

To take the guess work out of it, you’re best off outsourcing it to people who have years of experience to ensure you maximise your efforts and also don’t burn opportunities. Remember your first impression can often be your last.