10 Steps to a LinkedIn Profile That Sells
Lessons from master salesman Josh Braun
Many people still treat LinkedIn as an online CV. They have an account but barely use it.
As of 2020, the professional network boasts a user base of 630 million professionals, including 4 out of 5 people that “drive business decisions.”
Your LinkedIn profile is the opportunity you have to gain an audience with these professionals and establish your personal brand. Whether prospective employers, business buyers, or simply networking connections, you have a chance to prove your worth through your profile.
I first came across Josh Braun about a year ago. He was a guest on a podcast that I subscribe to called The Salesman Podcast. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get better at selling.
Josh has a clear approach to selling that gets results and his LinkedIn profile is a reflection of that.
Here is a breakdown of what you can learn from his profile and messaging.
The Headline
Step #1: Address your reader’s pains
“Struggling to book meetings? Getting ghosted? Want to sell without selling your soul?”
Josh’s main readers are people who want to sell. These people tend to be salespeople and entrepreneurs. This headline immediately resonates with them because it highlights three pains:
- Needing to book meetings with prospective buyers.
- Potential buyers who ignore you or stop communicating out of the blue.
- The emotional pain that selling can bring.
To anybody who is familiar with selling, these three pains will all ring true and grab their attention. So call out your buyer’s most pressing problem directly in your headline. It will attract the right kind of readers to your profile and give them a clear reason to click.
Step #2: Have a simple call to action
“Read this profile.”
A very low-friction ask that does not inconvenience the reader at all. After you’ve spoken to their true pains, they will want a solution.
By inviting them to read your profile, you are giving them a simple step towards removing that pain.
The About Section
This section is your opportunity to showcase what you can do for your reader.
That reader may be an actual buyer if you work in sales or your next employer if you are looking to land a new role.
Step #3: Ask a probing question, consistent with your headline
“Do you struggle to generate a consistent flow of meetings and clients every month?”
Dig deeper and show that you perfectly understand the reader’s needs by asking a question that speaks to the reader on their level.
Use emotive words like “struggle” because they focus on how the reader feels. Emotions cause reactions and you want a reaction.
You need to make them click the see more button.
Step #4: Tell them how you solve the problem, with no BS or jargon
“I help salespeople and entrepreneurs who are sending lots of cold emails but getting little to no responses to create a sales system for generating a steady flow of meetings with their prospects.”
Your readers should clearly understand what you do and how you can help. Be as transparent as possible and avoid using words or phrases that will alienate them.
The sentence has four parts:
- Identifies the target audience — salespeople and entrepreneurs.
- Calls out their pain point — sending lots of cold emails but getting little to no responses.
- States the action you will take — create a sales system.
- Shows desired future state — a steady flow of meetings with their prospects.
Step #5: Tell the reader what’s in it for them
Bullet points accentuated by emojis are a nice touch.
Demonstrate the value you will bring in a clear and concise format. Give tangible outcomes that are believable, verifiable, and solve your reader’s pains.
Step #6: Give the reader a reason to follow/connect
The reader will likely not buy what you are selling right then and there. What you need to do is establish yourself as a trustworthy source, so that when that reader starts to look for a solution to their problem, you are top of mind.
You need to do this over time by giving them value in your content over time. Share content that educates and helps people to be better at what they want to do.
If your readers are writers, help them be the best writers they can be. If your readers are salespeople, help them be the best salespeople they can be.
People always want to know what’s in it for them.
Step #7: Include references
Referencing clients creates trust in the mind of your reader. Seeing client testimonials shows what they could also achieve if they enlist your services.
The average customer reads ten reviews before committing cash, so nudge the reader in the right direction.
Step #8: Lay out your catalogue
Your readers need to know what you offer, so give them a directory of the services you offer. Include links to podcasts, courses, groups, coaching sessions, and any other services you provide.
If you have multiple like Josh does, give a brief explanation of what these services contain and establish in a concise way how they help the reader.
Step #9: Include a link to your website and/or contact details
You want people to stay engaged and ultimately reach out to you.
Of course, they can do so directly on LinkedIn, but they may want to research further before they do so.
If you work as part of an organisation, then include your own personal details so people can contact you directly.
Your Featured Section
This is a relatively new feature on LinkedIn where you can “showcase the best samples of your work, as evidence of your skills and experience.”
It sits just below your about section, before your work history.
You can use this space on your profile to pin notable posts or articles you have published on LinkedIn, as well as external media, documents, and links.
Many choose to upload their CV directly here, but that should be evidenced further down your profile. Using Josh’s profile as an example, here is the final step:
Step #10: Give your reader gifts
This is Josh’s section, current as of June 2020:
Use the featured section to give the reader more tools to become better at what they do.
This will help you to establish yourself in their mind as the person that can help them solve their challenges.
You may choose to build in case studies or examples where you have helped someone similar to the reader. Make sure that the reader can learn from the experience and take something away that helps them to be better.
Taking these steps will transform your profile into the shop window for your personal brand.
Much better than just an online CV, right?
