LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools for sales focused businesses in todays modern world. The internet, modern logistics and technologies means that ‘local’ business boundaries are now expanded or no longer exist. LinkedIn can be the tool to connect you to your prospective customers and existing customers.
I understand that not all businesses can use LinkedIn for sales and marketing activity their industry may just not fit. However, 1 industry that does fit incredibly well, almost better than any other industry I can think of is the office supplies industry. LinkedIn can allow people within this industry to not only identify good size prospects to supply but also they can identify the position, name and have a method of contacting the person they would need to deal with directly to win that customers business. Further still if you’re really switched on you could even find out if the prospect is currently supplied by one of your competitors and approach accordingly.
Your profile should have a brief summary of what your business does for their customers. Not necessarily what you do for your business. Remember a prospect won’t want to know that you’re a killer sales person, or fantastic at maximising profit. What they will want to know is that you’re responsible for keeping customer service satisfaction levels above 98% etc etc. Prospects won’t always spend a long time reading your profile so ensure it is clear, and to the point! It doesn’t matter if your previous roles are about what you did for the company as often you won’t want to promote your previous company anyway.
The above is a brief summary of how office supplies dealers can get terrific results from LinkedIn. However, what inspired me to write this blog was the profile of a ‘Strategic Account Manager’ at a large office supplies company. The profile in question read more like a CV than a professional LinkedIn profile. Which is fine if said person is looking for a new job but you’re never going to get any positives from your profile if you include statements like:
My role is to implement new contracts and retain existing ones whilst driving profitable sales and margin growth.
For any prospective customer reading that I would be instantly put off dealing with this office supplies company as that statement and all the others on the profile in question were about glorifying what a wonderful job said person does for said office supplies company. I recently heard a comical story about the same office supplies company who had recently lost an account due to the ‘strategic accounts manager’ (or other extended title) leaving a folder containing information of how they could manipulate the customers pricing to maximise profit and spending behind at the customers office. Needless to say they lost the account as a result. It could have even been the same person as the LinkedIn profile I’m writing about!
So in summary if you can, don’t use LinkedIn as an extended CV you can get much more from it if you use it to expand your professional network and prospect for new customers. AND if you’re using a national office supplies company then check out your local supplier. The chances are they can provide you with better products at the same prices only with better services. Independent office supplies company will treat you like a valued customer and not a number to ‘maximise growth and profit’ from.
Thanks for reading 
