Hi, I’m Brynne!

I’m so happy you’re here. It's great to see you exploring LinkedIn for your sales efforts. I founded Social Sales Link over eleven years ago with the goal of helping professionals leverage LinkedIn to start more sales conversations. I am fortune to be one of 37 LinkedIn Sales Insiders and certified InStruct trainer.

Over these incredible years, my team and I have developed strategies and tactics that have successfully opened new opportunities and closed business for thousands of people. And, now we are embracing AI and teaching others how to use it effectively to grow their business.

I have also authored numerous books on LinkedIn and am the co-host of Making Sales Social Podcast, in the top 5% of podcasts globally.

Here is how I got here:

I started my sales career in 1990, right out of college. As a bored inbound order-taker for a Fortune 1000 company, I began to ask my callers questions about their transactions and why they were purchasing specific products. I learned a lot about our clients’ needs and how they used our solutions. I began to offer more appropriate products for their specific needs, which in many cases had a huge impact on their businesses. By the time I was 24 I was training an entire call center on how to evolve from order takers to a sales solutions team.

I was soon promoted to the field when I fell in love with sales. I loved interacting with my prospects and clients and I got great joy from helping them succeed. What I didn’t love was the cold calling.

I recall sitting across from a client, staring at his overflowing Rolodex, thinking if I could get my hands on it for 20 minutes I could identify who he knew that I wanted to meet, ask for introductions and never have to make another cold call. But in 1992 it wasn’t politically correct to say “Mr. client, can I thumb through your address book”.

Three decades later, that is what we have with LinkedIn. The ability to search and filter our network’s connections, identify who they know that we want a conversation with, and leverage our relationships for introductions, referrals, and permission to name-drop.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg!

There is no better, more effective tool for your sales efforts than Linkedin, especially in today’s remote working environment. And, my team and I are excited to guide you to Master LinkedIn for Social Selling to grow your business.

On a personal note, I live in the Philadelphia suburbs, am married with 5 kids, and am a Bubbie to one amazing grandbaby who brings me incredible joy! I am also a rescue mom to our fabulous and crazy border collie/black lab pup!

I love playing tennis and hanging with my grandbabies.  And, I am a podcast addict… ask me some of my favorites, happy to share my list!

Hi, I’m Bob!

Great to see you here and evaluating  using LinkedIn and AI for your sales efforts, or taking your knowledge of using LinkedIn and AI for sales to new heights! As someone who has been on LinkedIn since literally the beginning, I’ve seen (and have experienced) its power and I know you can utilize it as well. How do I know? Here’s my story:

I was the 74,899th person to join the LinkedIn platform in December 2003 (it launched in May of that year). There were virtual tumbleweeds blowing across my Web browser when I first logged into it. At that time, I had left journalism and was just starting in business. I just come from covering companies like AOL, CompuServe, Prodigy, and countless other social platforms. I had seen the power of social media with those companies, and immediately saw that there was a “there” there with LinkedIn. I hoped it would grow into something big.

LinkedIn was more than a bit underwhelming way back then. I liken it to “baseball-card collecting,” when people connected just because they knew each other (or more than likely, they didn’t). It did let me keep up with my business contacts, though – especially the ones I had met personally during networking events, trade shows, and so on.

Flash forward to 2007, when I worked at a tech start-up that developed a social and work platform for the commercial real estate industry. Way back then, I taught CRE pros how to use sites like LinkedIn to network and start business conversations. Little did I know back then that I’d not only be doing the same thing today, but it would be my primary career!

A few years ago, in a book I co-wrote with Brynne on LinkedIn and social selling, I predicted that LinkedIn would become the prime tool in a salesperson’s “utility belt” (to borrow from Batman). Today, it is indeed. And it’s an honor and pleasure to train and coach others on how to use LinkedIn for their own sales success.

In fact, LinkedIn has recognized my contributions to the platform and the social selling space by naming me a LinkedIn “Top Voice;” an honor that reflects my dedication to helping professionals make the most of their LinkedIn presence. I am also co-host of the Making Sales Social podcast, a Top 5% podcast globally.

And now with generative AI entering the proverbial chat, we as salespeople truly have a powerful tool we can use to help us start sales conversations without being salesy… if used correctly. AI is changing the way we sell, and if we’re not leading the charge, we’ll be falling behind - fast!

Personally, I live in Lexington, Kentucky among horses, bourbon, and genuinely great people. I am married and have two rescue dogs that are spoiled rotten, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. I enjoy reading (lots of reading), exercise, rucking, watching sports, and enjoying life with my wife and dogs. I do not keep up with the Kardashians or any Real Housewives, either.

Hi, I’m Stan!

Today’s sales professionals face an environment where buyers are more proactive and well informed than ever before. In addition, technology is evolving at unprecedented speeds. Keeping up is a constant challenge to distinguish between tools that deliver an ROI versus those that are simply the newest shiny object.

In a world characterized by increasing automation, proliferation of content, and information overload, it is more difficult than ever to stand out from the crowd.

Your most important competitive advantage is not your company, product, or service. It is YOU – who you are, what you know, and who knows you.

I guide those responsible for revenue and profitability in leveraging tools like LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, and AI to accomplish their business objectives. This includes improving their professional brand, developing new business relationships, filling your sales pipeline, and increasing productivity.

Here are five tips for using LinkedIn as a sales professional:

1. Your LinkedIn strategy should be driven by your business strategy. Your LinkedIn profile, who you connect with, and content you share and engage with must be supportive of your business objectives.
2. Use your LinkedIn profile to position yourself as a resource for your audience. It should not be structured to appear as if you’re looking for your next job opportunity.
3. Build your LinkedIn network intentionally in terms of who you invite to connect and whose invitations you accept. Who you select for your LinkedIn network will determine who sees the content you post and who may be able to introduce you to people of interest to you.
4. Post content that is relevant and helpful to your intended audience. This adds value to those who consume your content, increases your visibility, and demonstrates your thought leadership.
5. Experiment with tools such as ChatGPT to see if they can help you become more productive. AI is being integrated into our most commonly used tools from email to CRMs and the more comfortable you are using it, the more effective you will be professionally.

If you are exploring how to learn the skills and tools necessary to succeed in this new era of business, we should talk. Whether or not we decide to work together, I am confident our call will provide you with insights and actionable steps that can help you grow your business.