As sales headhunters, we know LinkedIn is more than just a social platform to connect with your professional contacts. It’s used to connect with professionals in your industry, for recruiting, and to find career opportunities.

The platform is also an effective tool to generate leads, especially for sales professionals. Today, sales professionals cannot afford to sit back and rely on leads from the marketing department. Top sales reps understand the importance of taking action to keep the sales funnel full.

LinkedIn Sales Solutions explains:

“We all recognize that in every industry and every company, there are invariably peaks and valleys in the landscape of lead generation. If we are completely reliant on marketing to provide them, those valleys can leave us high and dry.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going. The best way to overcome these inevitable lulls is to take matters into our own hands. Today’s most effective salespeople are mastering the art of self-sufficient lead generation, employing a proactive approach to ensure they are never left in the lurch.”

LinkedIn is an effective resource for sales professionals to be proactive and get more sales leads. Here Toronto sales recruiters outline some top strategies to get more qualified leads and keep your sales funnel plentiful:

1. Create a Strong Professional Brand

Having a strong and omnipresent professional brand is important. The power is in the hands of the customers today. They know they have options and they do their homework. For sales professionals, this means customers are going to compare their sales solution options and they are going to check you out.

If you are an active participant in your industry, are active online, and have a strong presence, it helps to create trust. Customers will be more likely to respond to your inquiries and more people will be willing to reach out to you.

A poor or non-existent professional brand could get you disqualified from being an option for customers before you even knew you had a chance.

2. Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an effective lead generation tool that is available on the LinkedIn platform. It allows you to target buyers, get access to key insights and analytics and helps you with outreach.

The program supports all aspects of the sales process and helps you take advantage of your connections. You have access to advanced leads and company searches, can get lead recommendations, you can integrate it with your CRM, track sales leads and accounts in real time and much more.

3. Always Be Adding Connections to Your Network

Building trusted relationships is a key success factor for building a strong sales funnel. LinkedIn can help you quickly and effectively add to your professional network. Every lead, contact, and colleague you speak with is a potential LinkedIn connection.

Spending a few minutes per day exploring potential connections and the list of “People You May Know” can help you expand your network and meet potential leads.

But the real value in your list of connections is your shared contacts. If you find a potential prospect that you want to connect with, look for connections in common. If you have connection in common with a potential lead, ask that connection to make an introduction. LinkedIn can help you quickly turn a cold lead into a warm one.

4. Recommend Others

Receiving recommendations is a great way to build your professional brand. Your leads will look for testimonials and other trust factors when deciding if they want to do business with you. But writing recommendations for others on LinkedIn can also help you get more sales leads.

Writing recommendations for colleagues, customers, and other professionals will help you build those relationships. It also shows others you take a proactive and collaborative approach to doing business. Plus, the people you recommended will be more likely to offer a recommendation in return. They will also be more likely to send referrals your way as a thank you for the recommendation.

5. Join LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups allow you to be active and engaged with others who share similar interests. You can use groups to not only identify potential leads but also build your professional brand, expand your network and learn more about your customer base. Find the groups where your customers and prospects spend time and become part of those communities on LinkedIn.

6. Produce Great Content

Sales success is about much more than just focusing on selling. You need to be a source of information, advice and become a trusted adviser for your customers. LinkedIn is an effective platform to help you share great content and be a source of information for your industry. Share interesting articles and news on your feed, create insightful posts using LinkedIn Pulse, use your profile to offer great advice, and use In Mails to share important information with your contacts.

Producing great content helps you build credibility, foster relationships, and become a destination for customers and prospects when they need information, insights, and advice.

More Tips From Toronto sales recruiters to Generate Sales Leads

There is always room for improvement in sales. Whether you are looking to generate more leads, improve your sales strategy, or are looking for insightful sales information, these blogs are packed with tips and advice. Check them out:

5 Ways to Leverage Social Media to Make More Sales

4 Ways to Use Social Media as a Sales Tool

5 LinkedIn Hacks to Get You More Sales Leads

3 Ways Your Sales Team Can Use Content Marketing to Drive Up Sales

An Insider’s Guide to Making a Sales Pitch

3 Ideas Salespeople Can Steal from Social Media

SalesForce Search is a Toronto sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.