Grow your business 200% with LinkedIn!

1. Use LinkedIn to destroy your inefficiencies. Some prospects just refuse to answer the phone (or so it would seem, based on how often you get their voicemail). Those are the prospects you can follow up with on LinkedIn. When you see an efficiency gap in your client acquisition process, try filling that gap with LinkedIn.

2. Use everything LinkedIn has to offer. You don’t have to be a premium member to take advantage of advanced search, which lets you filter results by industry, demographic, company size, position and other criteria. Rather than manually searching for each of your prospects by name, this may help you find many of your prospects in a single search.

3. Make quality connections. Like Facebook and Twitter before it, LinkedIn is occasionally sullied by fake profiles. So before sending someone a request to connect, check out the profile to be sure it is legitimate. Signals to look for are a professional picture, at least 100 connections and a believable career history.

4. Personalize your messages. If you send out the autofilled “I’d like to add you to my professional network” invitation, people may be inclined to ignore it – especially if they don’t remember meeting you. Instead, write a short, friendly message that reminds them who you are. “Hi, John: This is Bob from Acme. It was great meeting you at the trade show; let’s stay in touch!” It’s customized and non-threatening; perfect for someone you hope to acquire as a client.

5. Don’t stop there. Once you have connected, there’s still follow up – just like the traditional sales process. Use LinkedIn in-mail to ask them when they have time for a phone call or meeting. Find reasons to get in touch, like asking for advice (if you both have experience in a similar industry), or discussing other potential opportunities.

Learn more about LinkedIn’s features

LinkedIn is a great tool for client acquisition, if you know how to use it. Use it to the fullest extent to grow your business! Learn more about LinkedIn’s newest features .