Episode #378: Brynne Tillman
Meet
Brynne Tillman
Brynne Tillman is the LinkedIn Whisperer, the CEO of Social Sales Link, and The Modern Banker. For over a decade she has taught bankers, entrepreneurs, sales teams, and business leaders how to leverage LinkedIn for social selling. In addition, Brynne is the Co-host of the Making Sales Social podcast and author of The LinkedIn Sales Playbook, a Tactical Guide to Social Selling.
Our Mission Is To Change The Negative Perception Of Sales People
Our Vision Is A World Where Selling Is A Profession To Be Proud Of
Your LinkedIn profile is your landing page. You want to attract, teach, and engage your buyers. It’s your opportunity to earn the right to the conversation. People vet you by looking at your profile. A compelling profile earns you the right to the call. But if your profile doesn’t tell the right story, it isn’t working for you. Brynne Tillman shares how you can transform your LinkedIn profile in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
Outline of This Episode
- [1:22] Is a compelling LinkedIn profile important?
- [3:17] The elements to leverage on your LinkedIn profile
- [7:29] Use the experience section to share your “why”
- [10:24] Balancing professionalism and personality
- [12:58] When to update your LinkedIn profile
- [15:49] Tools to measure the impact of your LinkedIn profile
- [17:54] Brynne’s top LinkedIn profile dos and don’ts
- [21:15] Transforming your profile transforms your sales
The elements to leverage on your LinkedIn profile
You need to shift your profile from a resume to a resource. Brynne has been teaching this for 10 years as have many of our guests. Your LinkedIn profile is a landing page and resource, not a pitch deck or resume.
- Your banner: Leverage it with real-time branding. Do you have a new podcast series? An event? Put it in your banner. Make sure you use the banner in a way that drives traffic or gets your brand message out.
- Your headline: This needs to include who you help, how you help them, and the results you bring. You’ve got to attract your buyer. They don’t care that you’re a “Regional account representative.” They care about the impact you can have on their business
- Your featured section: This is your scroll-stopper. You need to have phenomenal resources linked in your featured section that get people to want more. That’s how you get a call.
- The about section: Make this about your customer’s challenges. Provide insight and value for them. End it with a CTA: “If you’re struggling with this, let’s chat.”
- Your experience: This isn’t just job descriptions and responsibilities. What have you done or currently do for your customers?
You need to attract, teach, and engage your buyer on your profile.
Use the experience section to share your “why”
What is your “Why?” Why are you where you are? Brynne works with a financial planner who focuses on life insurance. Why? Her father passed away when she was young. He was a high-income earner but didn’t have life insurance. So when he passed, they lost their house. She will never let anyone in her life go through that again. That’s her why. After you share your why, you want to talk about your journey. People work with passionate people who believe in what they’re doing. Your experience section is a great place to add your why.
When to update your LinkedIn profile
If you have anything new to share with your network, share it. QR codes are an amazing way to leverage your Banner. Want someone to register for a webinar or download an eBook? Place a QR code there.
You can also place a call-to-action link in your profile at the top of the fold. If you have a new eBook, webinar, live event, etc. take advantage of this area and keep it up-to-date.
LinkedIn allows you to connect posts to your featured section. If you have a timely post that’s doing well or an event, pin it there. You should update that consistently.
Everything in your profile should stay up-to-date and timely. If Brynne has an event and has it featured in her banner, featured section, CTA, etc. she’ll set a reminder to update her profile with her next banner, link, etc. She’ll have it prepared and ready to go.
Transforming your profile transforms your sales
Brynne worked with a VP of commercial banking to update his LinkedIn profile. His headline simply said “VP of Commercial Banking.” Brynne told him that it was boring and encouraged him to play with it.
The VP specializes in working with manufacturing companies to help them get the line of credit they need to get the right inventory so they don’t have to turn away business. He helps them transform the way they run their business.
So Brynne had him rewrite his headline to “Helping Detroit-based manufacturing companies have the cashflow they need to fulfill every one of their orders on time.”
Then they moved to his “about” section and tackled the #1 challenge Detroit manufacturing companies face. He ended the section by saying, “If you’re struggling to fill your orders quickly because of cashflow and inventory challenges, let’s chat.”
He had a couple of hundred people respond and gained three appointments from the changes he made. It resonated with Detroit manufacturing companies. He’s building a reputation in that area and the branding on his profile has made a huge impact.
Look at your profile. Is it just your resume? If you’re just meeting yourself for the first time, is what you’re reading compelling enough? Does it resonate? Is it educational? Are you earning the right to the conversation? Brynne shares some genius insights in this episode—don’t miss it.
Connect With Paul Watts
Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
https://www.podcastfasttrack.com
Learn More About Brynne Tillman
Are there any definitive guides or resources you recommend for crafting an effective LinkedIn profile?
In the realm of LinkedIn branding and sales, who do you most admire and why?
Sandra Long, is so professional, and her book is fabulous.
What are your top ten tips for someone looking to optimize their LinkedIn profile for sales – your golden advice set?
What are the primary considerations that companies should be aware of regarding their employees’ representation on LinkedIn?
- Brand Image: Ensure employees’ profiles and content align with company values and image.
- Company Information: Ensure no confidential or proprietary information is disclosed.
- Professionalism: Encourage employees to maintain professionalism in their interactions and posts.
- Profile Accuracy: Ensure employees accurately represent their roles and responsibilities.
- Training: Offer guidance on optimizing LinkedIn profiles and best practices.
- Content Sharing: Provide guidelines on what company-related content can be shared.
- Endorsements & Recommendations: Be aware that employees can give and receive endorsements and recommendations, which can reflect on the company.
- Networking: Recognize that employees will network with competitors, clients, and others.
- Recruitment: Understand that other companies might approach your employees based on their LinkedIn profiles.
- Company Page Engagement: Encourage employees to engage with the company’s official LinkedIn page and share its content.
- Employee Advocacy: Consider formalizing an employee advocacy program where employees share official company content.
- Profile Consistency: Ensure consistent representation of company name, logo, and other brand elements across employee profiles.
- Monitoring: Decide the extent to which the company wants to monitor employees’ LinkedIn activities related to the company.
Share This Episode, Choose Your Platform!