The way our B2B clients are buying is changing at the speed of light. The key driver of that change is the internet. In fact, Google and CEB have documented that clients are 57% through their buying process when they BEGIN to interact with a sales representative.

Sales superstars and a few elite sales organizations  are tracking change while adapting and thriving. Others will unfortunately be left behind, much like the typewriter and stage coach.

Social and internet selling have emerged and will continue to grow rapidly. One important reason is the internet tool called LinkedIn. Why? LinkedIn is an important vehicle for earning, documenting and leveraging trust. It represents your personal brand--so important in today's world of selling!

In this newsletter, why don't we learn from LinkedIn's Best Practices? The Top Ten: 

NUMBER 1: No Selfies!

Your profile photo is VERY, very important.

As they say, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

I am still horrified by the greeting of a selfie on somebody's LinkedIn page. LinkedIn is NOT Facebook! No pictures with your pets, no amateur photos that have been cropped, no sunglasses, no tee shirts, no cigars and no baseball caps! Nothing other than a professional photo is acceptable. Do you think that anyone can be a sales superstar? Can just anyone be a great photographer? No! Trust the experts and fork over a few bucks for a professional photograph. Pros know the importance of a great smile and how to arrange body angles and lighting to optimize your mug. I don't necessarily mean that you need a dark business suit with a tie for men and pearls for women. Maybe your industry is a bit more casual. No problem. Maybe less formal attire is appropriate. Just be sure that you have a professional presentation and that your photo conveys a an appropriate image.

NUMBER 2: Turn Your Title Into Your Personal Tag Line

Click "edit" and "optimize your title" under your name at the top of your profile. Instead of Regional Sales Manager, change it to something more in line with your personal tag line. Mine reads:  "Helping to drive more sales, at higher margins, in less time with greater forecasting accuracy."

NUMBER 3: Customize Your LinkedIn Link

Click "edit" in your profile and customize your LinkedIn Link. Rather than www.linkedin.com/pub/dan-adams/2/507/570. It should be something like: www.linkedin.com/danieladams   

NUMBER 4: Change Your Background Summary

Your profile picture and your background summary are the two most important components of your profile. They are the two things that potential clients will see first. LinkedIn is not a resume or CV; it is much more. Your background summary should be a place where you tell viewers why you do what you do, not a summary of what you did. Most profiles of average reps use this section for summaries like this: "Sales professional with 14 years of experience in the widget market.  Exceeded quota by 20%."  To that I say, "Bla, Bla, Bla." Put me to sleep. Wake me up when you are done blabbering about your accomplishments.

Instead, tell me why you wake up each morning and have a passion for doing what you are doing. Tell me a story. Tell me when you fell in love with helping customers. Tell me how you felt when you helped a client solve or avoid a major problem/challenge. Tell me what you like best about sales.  

NUMBER 5: Share/Provide Relevant News

Many companies have very strict policies on the usage of social media sites. Be sure to understand your company's policies so as not to run into a "special assignment" situation. Here are some keys to powerful posts:

• Credible Source -- make sure your source is reliable.
• One per week -- don't over-do it. Less is more.
• Comment -- posting for the sake of posting is not enough. What I care about is your short but strong editorial comment on the article.

NUMBER 6: Adjust Your Privacy Control Settings

After logging in, click on your picture in the upper right corner. You will see a window called "Account Settings." Select "Privacy & Settings." Be sure to sure to review and adjust each of these settings, paying particular attention to:

• Your activity broadcast. Do you really want people to get a notification each time you change your profile picture?
• Select who can see your activity feed.
• Select what others see when you have viewed their profile. For example, do you want to travel in "stealth mode," or do you want others to know when you have reviewed their profile?
• Select who can see your network. Your network is extremely valuable to you and to others (including your competition). Exactly who do you want to have access to this valuable resource?

NUMBER 7: Build Your Network

Be sure to build your network. Consider sending a Network Invitation Request to each of your new business contacts after you have a productive face-to- face meeting. Do not use the mobile LinkedIn app for this request as the mobile app does not give you to ability to customize your request. The generic request  says something like, "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn." Consider something more customized, such as, "Jim: I really enjoyed our exchange of ideas today. I am looking forward to following up with you next week to discuss creative solutions to the challenges you presented."

NUMBER 8: Leveraging Your Network

A sales amateur will abuse her network with repeated requests to connect herself to potential sales leads. This is a fast way to lose friends and abuse your valuable network. A better way is to simply reference your mutual connection in your In-mail note. Save your personal introduction request for an annual "gotta-have" connection.

NUMBER 9: LinkedIn Groups

Joining and participating in LinkedIn groups can be a fast way to gain trust in your industry, in addition to staying on top of news and trends.  

I recommend joining three different types of groups.  The first is for your personal improvement. The Trust Triangle Selling group is a perfect example of this. The second type of group would be specific to your industry, such as those who are procurement professionals or executives in the oil and gas industry. A third type of group would be a hybrid. You may have groups like Capital Medical Equipment Sales and Marketing and Healthcare Sales. Both groups cater to sales and marketing pros who serve the Healthcare market sector (Note: I manage each of the groups above.)

NUMBER 10: Final Check

After you make all of the changes I have recommended, please review your profile and ask, "If I were an important, influential potential client, what would I think about this person? Is she professional? Does she have a passion for helping me? Does she have a track record for helping others like me? Will she work hard to advocate for me and my business? Does she know me and my business? Is she authentic? Is she credible? Is she trustworthy?"

The internet-based social selling tools of the sales superstar are changing daily. The sales pro must continue to refine and update her LinkedIn account along with all of her other tools/skills set to keep up with our current environment.