6-Step LinkedIn Sales Sequence to Book Meetings in 2024
For LinkedIn lead generation, your LinkedIn sales sequence plays a crucial role. The overall success of a LinkedIn outreach campaign largely depends on how you set up a LinkedIn sales sequence. It helps you increase the number of touchpoints with a prospect which is, in fact, the key to effective B2B sales.
So, whether you are a seasoned salesperson or a newbie in sales, utilizing LinkedIn for sales outreach will give you an edge over the competition.
In this blog today we are going to discuss all about Linkedin Sales Sequence for lead generation. It will be useful for sales reps, sales leaders, and anyone who might be interested in LinkedIn Outreach.
You will find a 6-step guide for LinkedIn sales sequence, the exclusive templates that you can use, and a checklist for optimizing LinkedIn outreach better.
In case you find it too basic please skip over to the ‘The 6-step LinkedIn Sales Sequence guide for booking meetings with prospects’ section for more advanced stuff.
But, first of all.
What is a sales sequence?
A sales sequence is a pre-planned series of outreach touchpoints that salespeople use to engage and nurture leads to turn them into paying customers.
It’s a part of outbound marketing.
For businesses that opt for a multi-channel outreach strategy, It usually consists of a series of sales channels such as Emails, LinkedIn messages, calls, texts, and other reminders.
Now that you have an idea of it. You might be wondering.
What is a LinkedIn sales sequence?
A LinkedIn sales sequence is just a specifically designed sales sequence for LinkedIn. It’s usually a pre-planned series of automated or manual LinkedIn outreach touchpoints to engage and nurture your leads.
It starts by connecting a prospect to the point when he makes the purchase. It includes various strategic LinkedIn lead generation tasks such as sending connection invites, messages, InMails, viewing prospect profiles, etc.
Easy right? But
Is LinkedIn good for sales leads?
Yes, definitely. LinkedIn is one of the top platforms for sales leads, especially for B2B businesses.
The reason is that LinkedIn is the world’s largest business networking site with close to 950 million users. It consists of most of the CEOs, VPs, and other key managerial personnel who usually make the final decision for B2B purchases.
B2B businesses can target other decision makers of businesses on Linkedin by using the right LinkedIn sales sequence.
Benefits of the LinkedIn sales sequence
If you are a sales rep or a sales leader thinking about adding LinkedIn sales sequence to your current sales outreach strategy, just take this for a fact, that it can be a game changer for your business. Here’s how:
Automated LinkedIn lead generation
A well-structured LinkedIn sales sequence grabs attention, sparks curiosity, and leads prospects naturally toward a conversation, boosting your lead pipeline with qualified contacts.
Also, a LinkedIn sales sequence can be fully automated by using a LinkedIn outreach automation tool for sending messages, connection invites, Inmails, profile viewing, and more so that your outreach process can go on autopilot.
Effortless lead nurturing
Linked sales sequences nurture leads seamlessly, keeping them engaged. Also, you can automate and personalize campaigns which makes the lead nurturing process even better!
Structured LinkedIn Outreach
A LinkedIn sales sequence provides a systematic and structured approach to outreach. It helps you plan and organize your communication strategy, ensuring a consistent and coherent message throughout the sales process.
Timely Follow-Ups
Follow-up is critical in sales, and a sales sequence automates the process of sending timely follow-up messages. This ensures that leads are nurtured effectively and no opportunity is missed due to a lack of timely communication.
Automated Task Reminders
LinkedIn Sales sequences often include automated task reminders, prompting sales reps to take specific actions at predefined stages of the sequence. This ensures that critical steps, such as sending proposals or scheduling follow-up meetings, are not overlooked.
Adaptive Campaigns
LinkedIn Sales sequences can be adapted based on prospect behavior. If a prospect interacts positively with a certain message, the sequence can automatically adjust the subsequent communication to align with the prospect’s preferences and interests.
Scalable LinkedIn Lead Generation
Whether managing a small or large pool of prospects, a LinkedIn sales sequence is scalable. It allows sales reps to efficiently handle a growing number of leads without compromising the quality of engagement.
So, you are aware of why you should use the LinkedIn sales sequence in your sales playbook.
Now you are ready to set up your first LinkedIn sales sequence as a standalone campaign or as a part of your multichannel outreach strategy.
Let’s look at the 6-step LinkedIn Sales sequence.
6-step LinkedIn Sales Sequence guide for booking meetings with prospects
We have used this outreach sequence in the last quarter and this has been a game changer in our lead generation efforts.
We achieved a solid 62% reply rate by using this 6-step LinkedIn sales sequence. Our sales reps manage to book about 17% of meetings out of that. Out of the prospects who hopped on a call, we converted about 32% of them.
Book a call with us to get a detailed, personalized campaign guide and setup.
Follow this 6-step method for LinkedIn outreach for booking meetings, generating leads, etc. These steps include the required templates as well.
This LinkedIn sales sequence may last up to 16 days for each prospect. But make sure to adjust it as per your sales cycle, business needs, and outbound strategy.
Step 1: LinkedIn Profile View (Day 1 & Day 3)
The first step in this sales sequence is to view the profile of the prospects. View their profile on day 1 and day 3.
When you view their profile, they curiously view your profile back. More views mean more prospects are aware of you and your expertise. This is why it’s important to have your LinkedIn profile spruced up. Your profile will start getting views.
This puts you on their radar, making it easier for them to remember you when they need a solution you offer.
Step 2: LinkedIn Connection Invitation (Day 4)
This is the first step to building a rapport with your prospects and becoming a part of their LinkedIn network.
Keep your messages short and simple. Make your connection request message personalized. Provide them some value. Add a Call-To-Action at the end of your message.
The goal in this step is to connect with the prospects on LinkedIn. So that the rest of the LinkedIn sequence can be completed.
You may take this message template for your reference.
Hi {first name}, I found your work in [area] interesting. Would love to connect and learn about your industry. I have some resources on [relevant topic] that I think could be helpful. |
Step 3: LinkedIn Message (Day 7)
After they have accepted your connection request, send them a personalized message.
Remember to keep it short, simple, and direct. Keep the tone concise and solution-oriented. Make the call to action clear and actionable.
You may use the following template as a reference for crafting your very own personalized LinkedIn message for follow-up.
I was reading about [recent industry trend/common user pain point related to their product] and it immediately reminded me of your work at [Prospect company name]. As a [your expertise] expert, I’ve seen firsthand how [the issue] can affect businesses like yours. It would be fascinating to hear your thoughts on how you tackle [specific question related to the issue and their product]. |
Step 4: LinkedIn Follow-up Message (Day 10)
If they have not replied so far, it’s time for a follow-up message. For the follow-up message, any of these 3 scenarios might take place.
Just following up on my previous message. Your insights will help me better my understanding of {specific area}. I’ve been working on a {sales engagement – Type of tool} tool called {SmartReach – Brand} that could potentially help your team address this challenge and get you more {preferred outcome/prospects goal}. Would you be interested in a quick 15-minute call to discuss and see if {SmartReach} could be a fit for [Prospect company name]? |
Step 5: LinkedIn InMail (Day 14)
InMail message is sent to your chosen LinkedIn profile and resides in your LinkedIn inbox. LinkedIn also notifies your prospect via email, about your Inmail message. In essence, it provides an indirect means for you to reach them via email.
This means that your Inmail has to give the entire context.
If the prospect is not answering any of the follow-up messages, it’s time to go for a LinkedIn InMail.
Subject: increase your {prospect goal} Hi [First Name], I recently came across [mention the recent industry trend or common user pain point] and immediately thought of your work at [company name]. As a [your expertise] expert, I’ve seen firsthand how [the issue] can impact businesses like yours. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on [specific question related to the issue and their product]. How are you currently tackling this challenge? In addition to sharing insights, I’m also reaching out because we provide a {Solution – sales engagement} tool that could potentially help your team address this very issue and get you more {preferred outcome/prospects goal}. Would you be open to a 15-minute call to discuss this further and explore whether {SmartReach} could be a valuable addition to your company’s toolkit? I am confident that our conversation could be mutually beneficial. Look forward to chatting soon. [Your name] [Your title/company] [Your LinkedIn profile link] |
Step 6: Manual Calling (Day 16)
This is the last step in the LinkedIn sales sequence. This comes into play, if the prospect has not reverted to LinkedIn
This manual calling will help you stay on the top of the prospect’s mind. This is your chance to strike up a direct conversation with the prospect.
Call them up, introduce yourself self, and start a conversation.
This resource on cold-calling scripts, should help.
Things to remember before setting up a LinkedIn Sales Sequence
Before you start a LinkedIn sales sequence, take a look a this checklist. This checklist will help you make your LinkedIn sales sequence effective, error-free, and optimized
6-step checklist for an effective LinkedIn sales sequence:
#1 LinkedIn Profile Photo
This is the first thing prospects see when they visit your LinkedIn profile profile. Set a professional-looking headshot for your LinkedIn profile pic. Try to avoid putting a selfie on the profile photo.
Remove sunglasses, hats, or any other accessories that obscure your face. You want potential connections to see who you are!
💡Pro tip: Match your profile picture to your overall brand and professional image. Your attire in the photo should reflect your industry and company culture and most importantly have a natural smile.
#2 LinkedIn Background Image
The background image is a perfect opportunity to showcase your personality, brand, or expertise. You can’t go with a low-quality image here. Choose a visually compelling and relevant image that tells the world who you are and what you stand for. And for a finishing touch, consider employing a photo enhancer to ensure your image truly captivates.
Use it to showcase your achievements or highlight your passions and interests. Keep it professional and minimalistic. Not too much text.
💡Pro tip: For the perfect alignment of your LinkedIn background image, use this resolution 1584 pixels wide x 396 pixels tall (aspect ratio: 1.91:1).
#3 LinkedIn Headline
This part will show your personal achievement and glorify your personal branding.
In the LinkedIn headline, try to put a mix of things such as describing the position you hold for your organization, your areas of expertise or skills, and any special work-related or personal achievement, service, or product you offer.
This will help prospects gauge how capable you are at what you do and assure them that you can solve their problem with your product/service.
💡Pro tip: Put niche keywords related to your profession in your LinkedIn headline, it helps the LinkedIn algorithm suggest your profile to people who are searching for these keywords.
Let’s say, you offer SEO-related services. Mentioning the keyword ‘SEO’ in your headline such as “.. SEO expert with +3 years of experience in E-commerce..” will help the LinkedIn algorithm suggest your profile to those who are searching for anything related to SEO.
Using this trick, you get a lot of profile visits that you can reach out to later with a personalized LinkedIn sales sequence.
#4 LinkedIn Custom Button
LinkedIn custom buttons are call-to-action buttons for your profile visitors. Once a prospect visits your LinkedIn profile, this button will guide them to take the next action. These custom buttons mostly include a UTM-based link for a sign-up page.
If you offer any service, you can put the link for a free consulting call for a prospect’s business needs.
If you have products, you can attach a free trial link to your product.
Otherwise, you can always redirect the visitors to your company website page, Instagram page, or even YouTube channel where they can take a quick tour of what your business does, what benefits it provides, and how credible it has been so far.
💡Pro tip: Create a mobile-optimized one-page custom landing page to capture the leads coming from LinkedIn custom buttons for the free trials. You may use a free tool such as ConvertKit for a quick drag-and-drop landing page creation.
#5 Ideal Customer Profile(ICP)
ICP empowers you to craft messages that resonate with your prospects for an effective LinkedIn outreach.
You can reference industry trends, specific company challenges, or even shared alma maters. This injects a dose of personality, making you stand out from the other crowd.
Imagine the difference between a “Hey [First Name]” greeting v/s “I noticed you recently shared an article on AI in manufacturing. As a fellow [Industry] enthusiast, I’d love to connect and share some insights.”
See how the ICP-infused approach sparks genuine engagement making it effective for LinkedIn sales sequence?
#6 Customer Support
A great LinkedIn automation tool with terrible customer support will inadvertently hamper your LinkedIn outreach campaigns. Make sure the LinkedIn automation platform that you are using has prompt customer support.
Most LinkedIn Automation tools encounter occasional glitches and bugs. If your campaigns are running on autopilot, some backend errors might creep in and stop sending your LinkedIn campaign sequences further. At such times, having responsive and prompt customer support can save your campaigns.
How to set up an effective LinkedIn sales sequence using SmartReach
Now that you know the strategy behind an effective LinkedIn sales sequence, it’s time to set up a LinkedIn Sales Sequence for lead generation.
It’s recommended that you use a sales engagement platform for implementing this 6-step LinkedIn sales sequence. They provide end-to-end automation starting from LinkedIn connection invites to sending personalized emails with comprehensive reporting and analytics.
Setting up a LinkedIn sales sequence using SmartReach.io only takes about 10 minutes. It includes the following steps:
- Sign up or log in to your SmartReach account.
- Select your outreach steps for the LinkedIn campaign. You may select automated or manual steps.
- Add content for each sequence. Add merge tags for personalized communication.
- Select your prospects for the campaign. You can either add new prospects manually or you may add existing prospects from the other campaigns.
- Add your profile such as email ID, LinkedIn ID, Calling Numbers, etc.
- Now you are all set to launch your LinkedIn sales sequence campaign. Once it’s set, you will see the below interface.
For a detailed step-by-step guide, refer to the Help Center.
Final thoughts on the LinkedIn sales sequence
Connecting on LinkedIn with strangers is becoming increasingly difficult because of the new guidelines by LinkedIn. Don’t solely rely on any LinkedIn sales sequence for generating leads for your business.
Fix the fundamentals such as ICP, KPIs, Pricing model, and customer support before you start reaching out. Otherwise, you’ll lose time and money chasing the wrong customers.
This 6-step guide will give you an edge over other sales reps who reach out only via single channels such as email, WhatsApp, or LinkedIn messages.
Try and test this outreach strategy on multiple sets of prospects.
Let me in the comments about your experience using this LinkedIn sales sequence.