Jeffrey Gitomer June 5, 2013

Hello Mr. Gitomer, I read your article on LinkedIn in the Daily HeraldBusiness Ledger here in the Chicago Suburbs. I am a fan. You make greatpoints and observations that many people miss. I’m in the process ofretooling my profile. I can’t help but to ask if you have ever made asale through LinkedIn? Thanks, Kyle

The simple answer is YES. But it ain’t that simple.

I have a business brand, a personal brand, and a social brand. All ofwhich are interconnected. All of which are mature. All of which providevalue messages. All of which create attraction. All of which generateleads. All of which make sales.

MY MARKETING MANTRA IS THE COREOF MY SOCIAL EFFORT: I put myself in front of people that can say “yes”to me and I deliver value first.

Long before social media, or as I prefer to refer to it business social media, my marketing mantra was the hallmark of my sales success. As a writerand speaker in the early ’90s, I built my brand in print media andcreated attraction through value messaging. Still do.

It was hard to create attraction (leads and sales) if you weren’t in print.

The HUGE difference (and your advantage) is that now there are a variety of additional media and social media outlets available. Most of them arefree. And you can become attractive on all of them, if you choose theright path.

The value messaging path.

The path that will attract the all-important CLICK.

CLICK means someone wants to see more.

Especially if they’re looking to buy or connect.

CLICK AROUND: There are very few “one source” sales anymore. Too many options available. People, you included, click around before they connect,interact, and especially buy.

The omnipresence of mother Google,combined with the advent of business social media, has created new andbetter ways to search, find, connect, attract, and interact. And onesocial media outlet proves, promotes, and reinforces the other tosomeone that clicks around.

Everyone clicks around.

People searching do not just search one source. They keep searching until they find comfort enough to click, and click again in the same spot. And myvalue messages promote multiple clicks.

ONE CLICK MEANS NOTHING.One click means you get a “look.” Two or more clicks on the same page or site gets a deeper look and maybe a connection. Especially in socialmedia.

If I’m looking for someone or something, I click ALL their social media. Don’t you?

NOTE: Your customers, your prospects, and your potential connections are clicking you. And you can’t stop them.

NUMBERS MATTER: The number of followers and connections you have can be thedifference between click and no click. Your prospect is seeking somecomfort and assurance that you are safe to connect with or do businesswith.

COMMENTS, RATINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND ENDORSEMENTS MATTER MORE THAN NUMBERS: Especially in the business world. If you have 500business connections on LinkedIn, it pales in comparison to who hasrecommended and endorsed you. Recommendations and endorsements areproof. So are positive ratings and comments. And many businesses liveand die by them.

RULE OF THE MORE THE MORE: The more aprospective customer clicks on you and your stuff, the easier it is forthem to make a buying decision in your favor. They are more likely toclick if your site is easy to navigate, your information is easy tounderstand, there is clear value to the possible purchaser, and youoffer social and video proof that others have purchased from you andlove it.

FINAL POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: Building and growing your“attraction platform” is not just about what you say, post, or do; it’sall about what OTHERS think of what you say, post, and do combined withwhat actions THEY take as a result of it.

Do they post afavorable a comment? Do they re-tweet to their followers? Do they sharewith their connections? Do they “like” you or what you do? Will theysubscribe? And (of course) will they buy?

Those are the actions I seek to achieve in those who click on me.

Am I perfect at it? Heck no.

Do I work on making it better every day? Heck yes!

“OK, SO DID YOU MAKE A LINKEDIN SALE?”  No, I made hundreds of them. I havemore than 15,000 connections on LinkedIn, and EVERY DAY I post a valuemessage.

Here’s what happens: People comment, people share thepost with THEIR connections, people email me, and people call ouroffice. EVERY DAY. And whether they want a twenty-dollar book or afifty-thousand-dollar training program, the cost of that lead (and thatsale) was ZERO.

Understand it was a value message that createdthe attraction and the sale(s), not an ad or a self-promoting message.Yes, I send out an occasional sales offer, but it’s less that 10% of the time. No one is gonna re-post an ad.

Next week you’ll see thedetail of what my social game plan is, how one element ties into andsupports the other, and how that creates attraction that leads to sales.

Stay tuned…

 

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The SalesBible and The Little Red Book of Selling. His forthcoming book, 21.5Unbreakable Laws of Selling, will be available September 3rd, and willfeature a national public seminar tour.  Get the details atwww.gitomer.com. It will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].

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