How to Build a Business on LinkedIn

(2 min read)

So, I admit, I have been a skeptic for some time now. There’s a dialogue going around that cold calling is dead, and I just couldn’t believe it.

I mean, what happened to being “fed to the wolves”? My first sales job I was on the floor making calls and closing deals within a few weeks.

But I’m supposed to listen to people tell me that it doesn’t work anymore?

Well, this month I joined the other team. After seeing sales increase by more than 300% in less than a couple of weeks, I became the “other sides” biggest cheerleader.

The fact is that we were cold calling for big chunks of hours throughout the day. The accounts we were calling on were picked out carefully and our message was tailored specifically to them. But we still weren’t seeing a return on investment.

It wasn’t unitl I started taking LinkedIn more seriously that I noticed a big jump in my numbers. I went from less than 2,000 connections to more that 10,000 in about 2 months. I was writing post, blogs, and posting pictures and videos that were racking up more than 27,000 views.

You see, LinkedIn is the largest B2B platform in the world. With more than 450 million people on LinkedIn, it’s no wonder why my numbers shot up. Not only that, but all of my future clients own a LinkedIn profile. Soooo why didn’t I take this seriously before?

When I would shoot a message out to a potential customer, that message would have around a 80-90% open rate. And even though my email open rates were great relative to industry standards, there’s no comparison.

Furthermore, my messages were tailored specifically to that individual, not just industry specific. People were happy to connect with me because I showed them that I had done my research. But most important, I had respected their time.

Obviously, there’s more to building a business on LinkedIn than simply sending out a ton of tailored messages. If you’re interested in hearing how I did it, sign up for our webinar:

About the author: 

Justin Hackney is the Director of Business Development for Marketing Eye. Starting out his career in the military, he trained Iraqi Police near the Syrian border in Mosul, Iraq.

Thinking that he was going to be a career military man, he went to one of six senior military colleges in the US at the University of North Georgia and graduated with a degree in International Affairs.

Always operating in a sales and marketing role, he ended up working with nonprofits, Fortune 100 companies, and small tech startups. Drawing from years of experience in growing businesses through digital marketing and sales, he took the first opportunity to join the Marketing Eye team.

Based out of Atlanta, GA, Justin is now on the way to expanding the company into New York and Dallas. Feel free to reach out to Justin by messaging him on LinkedIn or emailing him at jhackney@marketingeye.com