Linked In for Prospecting

I have been using Linked In for prospecting lately and I have to admit - it is a great supplementary tool for sales. As sales people - our ultimate goal is to gain audience with the key decision maker and in many cases this individual will have the letters CXO, SVP, EVP, VP attached to their name. We also know that it can be difficult to contact these individuals directly going through the usual gatekeepers.

Linked In is an interesting tool as you can discover more details about your senior prospect than you can at Hoovers or by reading their executive bios on their company website. The other plus for Linked In is that you can view your prospect's respective business network which always includes company colleagues that are at par or report to the prospect.

Building a 360 view of the prospect is part of the challenge in solution selling and this tool (there are others - Spoke, etc.)allows you to build a more complete picture of your target.

I use Linked In to confirm that my prospect - is indeed the right individual within the organization - by qualifying with other contacts within the organization. It gives me more ammunition to meet with the ultimate decision maker.

I haven't used the upgraded version of Linked In - but I've read other posts and for the most part they seem quite positive about the extended version.http://www.devproconnections.com/article/training-and-certification2/linkedin-it-pro-friend-or-foe-.aspx

As sales people, we need to be up on all the latest social media tools as this phenomena continues to generate momentum in the business world. I recommend you try it and utilize to your advantage.