The Pro: Bill McCormick

Title: Owner
Companies: Team Creative Connections (asi/341187) and Digital Sales Course

Three years ago, Bill McCormick attended a session at an ASI Show that significantly altered the way he does business.

Sales expert Alice Heiman was hosting a session on leveraging LinkedIn for better sales, and started out by asking the audience about their usage. When she asked who in the room posted content on LinkedIn daily, McCormick was the only one who answered in the affirmative. “I knew I was on to something,” he says.

McCormick already had an idea of how powerful a sales tool LinkedIn could be; his wife had connected with a former client who moved to Bermuda and started doing business with her. That connection on the island nation led to others. Now, Team Creative Connections does 30% of its business there.

“I can directly attribute $350,000 in closed business and 25 new clients to LinkedIn,” says McCormick. “I use it to find target clients, and I’ve launched educational videos for salespeople. I’m a distributor, so I’m putting this advice into practice every day.”

When it comes to the most underutilized feature on LinkedIn, McCormick says it’s definitely the profile itself. Too often, users treat it like a resume rather than a webpage for personal branding. The headline isn’t just a job title, he explains. “You have 120 characters, so make it longer. Express who you are, what you do and how you can help.”

The cover photo matters too, since it’s a billboard for your brand. It should be professional and high-resolution, while expressing your value proposition. Uploaded photos and videos appear as links on the user’s profile. “People especially love video,” says McCormick, “and it makes you more personable.”

89% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content, second only to email. — (Content Marketing Institute)

While time spent on the platform will vary with goals, McCormick says the more engaged you are, the better. Sales Navigator in particular sends leads daily, weekly or monthly, depending on search criteria. And since only 1% of users post content once a week, it can easily set you apart as a thought-leader.

McCormick says it’s worth investing in the paid version, but you have to make it work for you. First, identify an industry to go after. Then develop a client profile, including location and how much business they do. “You can put that information into search,” says McCormick. “You can get very specific with locations to target, down to ZIP codes. You can also search for specific job functions.”

Also, be selective about who you connect with. Look for those who can offer reciprocating value, and provide context when you request to connect. “Selling them something is not a context,” he explains. “Don’t send them a sales pitch. Give them a real reason, like you have the same interest, or you interacted on a post. Personalize the request.”

Finally, become a subject-matter expert by posting content relevant to your network and including your comments. “This industry provides so much content,” says McCormick. “You don’t have to be an expert to be a thought-leader. Even if you’re just starting in the industry, in a couple months you know more than your clients.”

Consistency is key, as is pithiness. To make the content go further, tag people and add hashtags. Case in point: McCormick recently posted a picture of a self-promo item he’d done with a supplier and tagged the supplier rep he worked with. “Her connections saw it, and some of them commented and their connections then saw it,” he says. “It got lots of views. Engage with others so they’ll engage with you. There’s real power there.”