LinkedIn Prospecting Strategies to Combat Sales Ghosting and Boost Prospect Engagement

You feel confident: You have just delivered a great sales meeting that has gone well, leaving the prospect visibly impressed by your product or service. Better yet, they promised to get back to you after talking things over with their team, only to drop off the face of the Earth and never get back to you.

Have you ever experienced this? This is known as ghosting.

Every salesperson has been ghosted at some point in their career. Research by Showpad found that more than nine in ten salespeople (92%) say they sometimes get ghosted for no apparent reason and, on average, get ghosted by around one in five prospects (18%).

Being ghosted after having a promising sales meeting with a prospect can be disheartening and frustrating. The prevalence of ghosting can be attributed, in part, to the overwhelming volume of emails professionals receive daily, averaging 121 emails each day. In such a crowded digital space, it becomes crucial to stand out with a compelling message.

Modern selling is getting tougher. Acknowledging this shift in the selling process is essential for businesses trying to thrive in today’s competitive market. Traditional sales methods may no longer suffice in an era characterized by information overload and fleeting attention spans.

Consequently, sales leaders must adapt their approaches to meet changing consumer behavior and preferences. This means moving away from outdated practices and implementing strategies that build trust and personal connections.

In this article, we will dive into the why and how to leverage a LinkedIn prospecting strategy.

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Old Sales Model

Let’s be real, in the traditional sales model, the journey from initial contact to closing the deal often feels like a complex maze. Each step demands time and effort.

Initially, about 10% of the process is consumed by building rapport and attempting to establish a personal connection with the prospect. Following this, another 10% is dedicated to probing and questioning, aiming to uncover the specific needs and pain points of the client.

However, the bulk of the traditional sales model, 50%, is spent on the presentation and discussion of the solution. This stage involves laying out the features and benefits of the product or service to convince the prospect of its value. Consequently, this often results in a prolonged back-and-forth exchange, eating away at valuable time.

As if that weren’t time-consuming enough, the final 30% of the traditional sales process is consumed by attempts to close the deal and address any lingering objections. This phase can sometimes feel like navigating a minefield, delicately handling objections and uncertainties while trying to steer the conversation toward a positive outcome.

New Sales Model

In stark contrast, the new sales model operates on a fundamentally different principle: understanding human behavior.

Recognizing that trust is the cornerstone of any successful transaction, a staggering 85% of the effort is channeled toward building rapport and fostering a genuine connection with the prospect. This emphasis on human connection transforms the sales process from a transactional exchange to a collaborative partnership, where both parties feel understood and valued.

Central to this approach is the art of asking the right questions. By delving deep into the prospect’s motivations, challenges, and aspirations, sales professionals can uncover valuable insights that pave the way for trust and rapport to flourish. In this context, only a modest 10% of the time is allocated to showcasing the solution itself, with the focus squarely on demonstrating how it directly addresses the client’s specific needs and pain points.

Finally, the last 5% of the new sales model is dedicated to propelling the process forward with clarity and purpose. By asking committed questions and clearly outlining the next steps, sales professionals can maintain momentum and guide the prospect toward a mutually beneficial outcome.

With this new approach, bid farewell to outdated sales processes, such as:

• Automated bot email messages
• Tedious sales pitches
• Regurgitated advice devoid of personality
• Lack of clarity regarding the next action step and desired outcome in the sales process

Instead, the focus should be on fostering genuine connections, understanding the client’s needs, and guiding them through a personalized journey that addresses their unique challenges and aspirations.

The Importance of Prioritizing Human Connection in Sales

Those who know me and have read any of my previous articles will know that I am a huge fan of LinkedIn prospecting strategies because it offers exceptional opportunities for targeted outreach and networking. Through A/B testing and proven methodologies, I’ve underscored its unmatched potential for connecting with prospects who perfectly fit my Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).

In my experience, LinkedIn’s Advanced Search feature stands out as a game-changer with a comprehensive toolkit to pinpoint and engage with companies that match closely with my target demographics. By harnessing this tool effectively, you can streamline their prospecting efforts and significantly improve your chances of forging meaningful connections with potential clients.

Here’s a deeper dive into the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Targeted Location and Industries

Begin by narrowing your search parameters to specific geographical locations and industries most relevant to your offerings. This ensures that you’re focusing your efforts on prospects who are more likely to have an interest in your product or service. By honing in on these key criteria, you can optimize your outreach efforts and maximize your chances of success.

Step 2: Employee Size Filter

LinkedIn’s employee size filter allows you to refine your search by specifying the size of the companies you’re targeting. This can be particularly useful for businesses that prefer working with organizations of a certain scale. Whether you’re seeking out small startups or large enterprises, this filter enables you to tailor your prospecting efforts to match your ICP.

Step 3: Job Title Alignment

Once you’ve narrowed your list of companies, the next step is to filter for specific job titles that align with your ICP. This involves identifying decision-makers or key influencers within these organizations who are likely to be involved in the purchasing process. By targeting individuals who hold relevant positions, you can ensure that your outreach efforts are directed toward stakeholders who have the authority to make purchasing decisions or influence them.

With a carefully curated list of job titles, you can begin creating personalized messages to build trust and establish rapport with your prospects.

How to Improve Your Sales Prospecting with LinkedIn’s Advanced Features

With a list of companies and corresponding job titles, you now have all the components to create compelling and tailored messages that deeply resonate with your target audience. This personalized approach is critical in capturing the attention and interest of your prospects, as it demonstrates a keen understanding of their unique needs and challenges.

When planning your outreach efforts, address specific pain points, challenges, and objectives for each prospect. By doing so, you showcase your empathy and commitment to providing genuine solutions that directly address their concerns. This improves the relevance of your message and positions you as a valuable partner rather than just another salesperson.

More importantly, by authentically aligning your offerings with the goals and aspirations of your prospects, you lay the groundwork for building rapport and credibility right from the start. This personalized approach builds a sense of trust and confidence in your abilities, setting the stage for meaningful interactions and fruitful relationships.

The overarching goal of leveraging LinkedIn for sales prospecting goes beyond mere transaction; it’s about fostering authentic connections and long-term relationships built on mutual respect and understanding. By prioritizing authenticity, empathy, and value in your interactions, you differentiate yourself from competitors and position yourself as a trusted advisor.

When you focus on nurturing relationships built on trust, empathy, and delivering value rather than solely on products and services, you lay a groundwork that reduces the likelihood of being ignored or forgotten. When individuals feel genuinely understood and valued beyond just the business transaction, they are more likely to reciprocate with responsiveness and commitment.

This human-centric approach increases the likelihood of conversion and paves the way for sustainable partnerships grounded in shared goals, mutual benefit, and potentially less ghosting.

Introducing the LinkedIn Lead Gen Program

If you are in need of additional support, our customized LinkedIn Lead Generation Program could be just what your sales team needs. This program is laser-focused on generating high-quality leads and creating new sales opportunities, bolstering your pipeline and ultimately driving revenue growth.

Case Study: HealthTech Company

Allow me to share a recent success story from one of our HealthTech clients. Through the implementation of structured marketing operations and targeted lead generation strategies, we helped them increase their revenue by an impressive $1 million in less than five months.

Challenges:

1. Limited pool of potential customers within a niche market of healthcare, medical, and enterprise sectors.
   High traffic and low conversion on website and struggled with converting those visitors into customers.
2. This indicated a need for improvement in their website’s user experience and conversion optimization strategies.
3. Difficulty reaching key decision-makers and short sales window due to their busy schedules. This required them to develop effective strategies to capture the attention and interest of their target audience within a short period of time.
4. Increased competition in the market, which made it more challenging to stand out and attract customers. They needed to differentiate themselves from competitors and offer unique propositions to their target audience.

Goal:

Our client aimed to ramp up lead generation efforts, secure qualified sales meetings monthly through marketing initiatives, and optimize their marketing budget for improved ROI and reduced cost per acquisition (CPA).

Solution:

Our strategy involved:

• Implementing compelling story brand messaging.
• Optimizing the client’s website.
• Integrating the LinkedIn Lead Generation Program for their VP of Business Development.

This comprehensive approach included LinkedIn outreach initiatives, targeted LinkedIn Ads campaigns, email marketing, and lead nurturing campaigns in HubSpot. We meticulously optimized all content and ad creatives, aligning keywords with audience needs and strategically timing content delivery.

Result:

The outcome was a consistent flow of leads and opportunities vetted by the sales team:

• Our LinkedIn Lead Gen Package delivered a steady stream of connections and leads, boasting a remarkable 55% connection acceptance rate (compared to the industry average of 25%). Within the first five months, this initiative resulted in 12 deals in the pipeline and nearly $1 million in net new revenue.
• Organic social efforts on LinkedIn drove traffic to the client’s website, with a notable 5% lead conversion rate.
• Over 120 days, LinkedIn Ads campaigns generated 32 Marketing Qualified Leads (decision makers), with a 10% conversion rate to deals.

This integrated marketing strategy fueled their prospecting efforts and improved their LinkedIn profile and overall brand visibility.

Our client’s satisfaction with these results speaks volumes, and these programs continue to drive success today.

If you’re interested in exploring how this approach could benefit your business, we invite you to schedule a discovery call to learn more.