1047. LinkedIn: The Key to Forging Relationships

“I was in a sales position in a new territory for my company. I was trying my hardest, making close to 80 cold calls every morning, but that wasn’t really working. I had been Googling the people I had been cold calling, wanting to see who they are. I realized those people would also want to know me if they were going to work with me. They were most likely Googling me, too, and the only thing they were finding was my out-of-date LinkedIn profile. That’s when I had an epiphany: Your LinkedIn profile isn’t your resume. It’s your digital introduction, the first impression you make. And people want to be moved; they want to be impressed. You have the control on LinkedIn to actually tell them your story and really let them understand who you are and why you do what you do. When I optimized my profile, I started using storytelling and I started to use LinkedIn as another way of getting past the gatekeeper and forging relationships. There are certain touch points that you need to have with a person before they’re willing to purchase anything from you. I began using LinkedIn for those touch points, as a way of connecting and messaging. LinkedIn turned out to be quite useful in my success at growing my territory.”

Donna Serdula pioneered the concept of LinkedIn profile optimization, realizing that the LinkedIn profile was so much more than just an online resume. A job change in 2006 led her back to LinkedIn as Donna looked for tools to help her build a sales territory. In 2009, she walked away from her successful sales career and founded Vision Board Media and LinkedIn-Makeover.com. Donna and her team of over 40 writers have helped thousands of executives, entrepreneurs, business leaders worldwide create professionally branded LinkedIn profiles. She is the author of the book “LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Dummies,” published by Wiley.