Remote professional selling requires a certain level of energy and enthusiasm that conveys confidence in yourself, your company, and your services or products.

It is a fine line between enough and not too much.

Too much is when someone sounds hyped up on more caffeine than a human should be allowed. More than anywhere, I see this when I go into a coffee-house and the barista is talking too much, too loud, and obviously drinking way too much coffee. Sellers who push their product too hard, excusing this behavior as “passion” for their job or company are missing the point.

Passion for what you love and what you believe in shows through. Remote professional sellers are not meeting buyers in person so there is less about body language and more about vocal and written cues.

Your belief in what you are selling comes from the confidence in your voice and how well you connect to the buyer when asking questions and learning about their needs and wants.

It comes through when you follow-up, and when you summarize the conversation – sending them notes in an email after talking. Confidence shows up in the process and methodology you use consistently with each potential buyer – how you connect, what you say, how you communicate, and what happens next.

Don’t think that energy and passion are about talking loud or getting into people’s faces.

“You’ve GOTTA SEE THIS!!”

Really? I have to? What if I don’t?

“YOU ARE MISSING OUT”

Really? So I’m an idiot because I don’t use your company’s services? Gee, thanks.

Instead of pushing onto people, consider taking the approach Lucy did.

Lucy works for a software-as-a-service company. She routinely searches on LinkedIn and other sources for potential buyers who are more probable to buy from her based on 5 criteria she has set (based on her best recent new customers)  to determine her best fit buyers. She has a process and a methodology, which she puts into play every day,and each week gets 5-8 good potential buyers to demo to. From there, she ends up with 2-3 potential new clients, and closes one or two new deals every week.

She is confident because she is professional, organized, and knows the value of the service she provides.

Lucy does not shout – she actually is very soft-spoken – but speaks with such confidence that buyers respect that and respond very favorably. She is building a big, solid sales pipeline and gaining referrals from existing clients.

Energy is consistency.

Energy is follow-up.

Energy is finding what works and with a smile on your face, doing it repeatedly to grow business.

What are your tips and strategies to convey your passion and enthusiasm for what you sell?

How do you show it?

Based on Lucy’s success, what can you learn from it and put into place?

When will you start?

Lori Richardson is recognized as one of the “Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2012″ and one of “20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management for 2012 and 2013″. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside and outbound sellers in technology and services companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the “Sales Ideas In A Minute” newsletter for sales strategies, tactics, and tips in selling. Increase Opportunities. Expand Your Pipeline. Close More Deals.

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They say time flies when you are having fun – especially in sales. LinkedIn sent out a great email to its members which included the video you see here. We included it because I’m crazy about LinkedIn as a sales tool, and because LinkedIn and I go way back – nine years, in fact.

As member 29,426 in a peer group of 225 million +, you could say I saw great potential in LinkedIn way back when. I opened my LinkedIn account on October 3, 2003. What I liked about LinkedIn then is what I continue to like about it as a tool for those in business -

• It is professional
• It is fairly simple to use (ok, I know a few things are not intuitive, but generally LinkedIn is easy)
• It is the “Gold Standard” in professional online  presence - a place to ‘build your personal brand”

As the video shows, LinkedIn could not have done it without all of the user adoption and ongoing use. Ongoing use is a big issue in the SaaS marketplace – studies show that people who do not engage with their software-as-a-service don’t renew it. LinkedIn clearly has made some great moves, and continues to do so.

That’s not to say it hasn’t been a rocky ride.

I invited LinkedIn co-Founder Konstantin Guericke to speak at a technology dinner put on by the MIT Enterprise Forum in Seattle in 2005. It was some time ago, but I still remember vividly a couple of things – how gracious Konstantin was, and how many questions he got asked about how LinkedIn would ever make money. What was the business model?

Konstantin did not have a lot of answers at that time. I’m glad that it was figured out along the way, because LinkedIn is my go-to-tool. I use it everyday, and have talked with thousands of sales professionals, encouraging them to do three things with LinkedIn:

1. Clarify and build their own brand as a professional
   
2. Build their network of trusted peers to grow their reach
3. Listen and engage with their market and industry to offer insight to their buyers

I’m an early adopter because I had moved 3000 miles and didn’t want to lose connections with the great friends I made at CCBN (my last corporate employer) so I reached out to hundreds of my former co-workers in 2003  to connect via LinkedIn.  For sometime, it was THE lifeline I had to these folks as they changed positions and companies over the years.

It could not be more exciting now, though. LinkedIn has hired some social dynamos who are great marketers like Koka Sexton, Ralf VonSosen and Brandon Lopez among others helping to grow the business.

LinkedIn has evolved and improved month in and month out. It can be a challenge to keep up with the new improvements, but I am liking them.

Take a look today at the new channels on LinkedIn Today  - it is easier now to learn what your customers and prospective customers are thinking and reading about. I know this will continue to be my first stop on the web each day.  Learn more about it on the LinkedIn Blog, also a good source to understand LinkedIn’s new features.

I also recommend people visit LinkedIn Training and Support Resources for videos and webinars specific to sellers.

Have you looked into LinkedIn Sales Navigator? Are you aware of these classes to gain better understanding?

As a salesperson or sales leader, what do you like most about LinkedIn?

How are you using it to gain insight?

Is it something you refer to daily or at least multiple times a week?

Let us know. In honor of LinkedIn’s 10 year anniversary, I am awarding 10 Starbucks coffee cards to the top 10 answers received about how you use LinkedIn to sell more and better. The decision will be made by 3 of us here and the top vote-getters will receive coffee cards to use at their local coffeehouse. I don’t know if they work outside of North America. The coffee cards will be awarded and distributed online.

Post your comments by May 16 to be in the running. Good luck, and Happy Anni, LinkedIn.

Lori Richardson is recognized as one of the “Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2012″ and one of “20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management for 2012 and 2013″. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside and outbound sellers in technology and services companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the “Sales Ideas In A Minute” newsletter for sales strategies, tactics, and tips in selling. Increase Opportunities. Expand Your Pipeline. Close More Deals.

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