Don’t kid yourself — the prospect with whom you’ve set up a meeting knows more about you than you realize.
The problem is you don’t know what conclusions they’ve already drawn from what they know about you.
I’m writing this blog post while sitting Heathrow airport, and it is quite striking when you begin to realize a simple passport is what allows a person to get on a plane or not get on a plane.
Yes, the passport is an official government document, but what does it say? Not a whole lot, but it allows people from airline employees to customs agents to police and others to determine if you can proceed.
The same thing applies to you and the prospect meeting you’re either about to have or are looking to have.
The person you want to meet with isn’t going to look at your passport, but they may very well check you out on the Internet. What does the web say about you and your company?
The problem with this is the information on the web may or may not allow the person to draw the conclusions you want them to make. One of the safest ways to protect your identity is by making sure you have as robust a profile on Linkedin as possible.
The reason is simple — Linkedin is viewed by search engines as being credible, so by having your profile as strong as possible, you will help move it higher up in search engine rankings. For those of you who may have less than glamorous information already on the web, using LinkedIn heavily can help to push the negative information down in the rankings.
Your objective is one thing: Make sure when a prospect or anyone else checks your “passport” (aka the web), they find the information you want them to find so they will draw the right conclusion.
If you’re wondering about how to build out your Linkedin profile more, may I suggest two things. One is to go visit the Linkedin profiles of people with whom you are already connected. See what they are doing in completing their profile and follow similar strategies.
And if you really want to learn from an expert on making the most of social media, definitely consider Social Media Boot Camp by The Sales Foundry. I only recommend things I endorse 100%, but I am committed to full disclosure, and if you register, I will receive a commission.
Check it out! It’s coming up on October 31.
Copyright 2012, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
