Attracting new business prospects is accomplished more easily by genuinely connecting with them and sharing your thoughts, rather than blindly spewing a product pitch. Think about it—if you were considering buying a product or service which of the following selling styles would you prefer?
- Have a salesperson cold call you and drone on and on, spewing facts and figures about their product—and ultimately try to power close you (even if you are not ready to buy).
OR
- Get to know the product/service and a salesperson at your own pace—ultimately controlling when to get into a serious dialogue with a salesperson.
Providing insight into how you think—and what you stand for—is called thought leadership. It’s a great way to allow a prospect to ease into a relationship with you. Starting a LinkedIn group is an easy way to get into the thought leadership game and start a dialogue with new business prospects. Here’s how to do it:
- Think of a name for a group that would appeal to the market you desire and determine the mission of the group.
- Go to LinkedIn and follow the steps to create a group.
- Invite people from your organization to join the group.
- Ask people from your organization to ask existing customers and new business prospects to join the group.
- Start discussions in the group and share information that is relevant to the discussions and reveals how you think (thought leadership).
- Use the discussions as a way to get closer to new business prospects—and eventually secure a face-to-face conversation.
Check out our free guide, Two Dozen Ways Salespeople Can Demonstrate Thought Leadership, to learn more about attracting quality new business leads via thought leadership and inbound marketing.
Try using your thoughts as a magnet to attract people that think like you—it’s a better way to start a relationship than cold calling and the traditional shotgun approach of new business development.