The 3 LinkedIn Mindset Shifts Every Expert Must Make
Your mindset determines your direction. When mindset is your ally, you somehow surpass those goals you set to achieve. But mindsets can also spark confusion or paralyze those action-taking muscles.
As an expert, your intention is to help your ideal customers, team members or followers get from A to B as efficiently as possible. And if your people are on LinkedIn, this means you must learn how to use LinkedIn "like an expert" to reach them.
Each of us experiences mindset shifts that either accelerate or decelerate our momentum towards the impact we want to make in our careers and businesses.
With LinkedIn as one of your primary channels to communicate and engage with your people in 2022, it's high time you evaluate your mindset to be sure you are making the most of your time and energy on LinkedIn.
In this next episode of Mondays with Mindi, we talk about three of the most powerful mindset shifts that every expert must make on LinkedIn, so that we can make more of an impact on the lives of those we're on a mission to help.
We'll get a bit less tactical and a bit more into the "woo" to help you identify what's possible for you and your business on LinkedIn in the new year! 🔮
Your Mindset Determines Your Direction
We’ve all heard about how our mindset determines our direction.
When mindset is our ally, we either achieve the goals we set for ourselves or learn the necessary lessons to achieve those goals in the future.
The problem is that our mindset can also spark confusion or paralyze our action-taking muscles.
I’ve seen this happen on LinkedIn far too frequently where experts are a bit intimidated by the platform and not sure exactly “how to do it right” -- so they do nothing at all.
They hope they get enough referrals to sustain their business.
They may send out a few connection invitations sporadically, which usually don’t pan out.
They lack the confidence necessary to thrive on LinkedIn.
When experts come to LinkedIn, they must put their best foot forward. This is NOT the platform where you can dance to a trending song and pull in new business in your DMs.
On LinkedIn, your number one priority is to grow your business, to attract more leads, to reach out to more ideal prospects, to get that next dream job.
If that is not your priority, then don’t waste your time on LinkedIn.
This is where professionals get real about connecting with other professionals and helping one another from a business perspective.
As an expert, your intention is to help your ideal customers, team members or followers get from A to B as efficiently as possible. And if your people are on LinkedIn, this means you must learn how to use LinkedIn "like an expert" to reach them.
Each of us experiences mindset shifts that either accelerate or decelerate our momentum towards the impact we want to make in our careers and businesses.
With LinkedIn as one of your primary channels to communicate and engage with your people in 2022, it's high time you evaluate your mindset to be sure you are making the most of your time and energy on LinkedIn.
We’re going to talk about three of the most powerful mindset shifts that every expert must make on LinkedIn this year, so that we can make more of an impact on the lives of those we're on a mission to help.
Why Are You Still the Best-Kept Secret?
At the end of last week, I attended an incredible two-day workshop with fellow experts and entrepreneurs inside James Wedmore’s Business By Design Next Level program on all things advanced sales messaging.
Suffice it to say, it blew my mind. It’s not the concepts were foreign, but the application and understanding of what sales really is… that’s the secret.
As an expert, you are also a salesperson.
No matter how much you enjoy your craft, designing programs, getting results for your clients, designing solutions that solve big problems…
If you cannot sell and speak the language of your ideal clients and prospects, you will not have a business.
The mistake I see so many experts, like me, make is that we have this horrific perception around what selling is all about.
What’s the first word that comes to mind when you hear the word sales?
Is it slimy, spammy, pushy, annoying, repetitive?
Whatever that word is… it’s usually not positive.
When I am asked about my first reaction to the word selling, it’s FUN.
You may think I’m joking, but it took a lot of inner work and a mindset shift to get to this point.
I spent the first few years of my career working mostly as a subcontractor because I was petrified of selling.
I loved marketing. I hated selling.
But something changed for me. I started to see the overlap between the two and how that great marketing IS actually selling.
Everything you do professionally can become selling.
What do I mean by this?
You write a post… you get people to take action by liking or commenting.
You share that you bought blue pens for writing your goals… and three people DM you to ask you “why blue” and then let you know that they just ordered some blue pens themselves (yes, this happened to me recently)
Every offer, every word, every piece of content, every DM, every email -- this is all selling.
How you do it makes or breaks your business.
On LinkedIn, it’s an art form that you need to learn, or you will be wasting your time trying a bazillion tactics that don’t actually lead to growing your business, sales conversations or new job opportunities.
So how do we shift our own inner perception of sales?
Your Perception Becomes Your Reality
No matter what I write professionally, I think about what I’m selling in that very moment.
When you can make this distinction in your brain, you will notice that your writing becomes more intentional and that you’re better able to communicate in a way that benefits all parties involved.
For example:
Client Emails - I’m reaffirming through every check-in or follow-up on a task that they made a good decision to hire me and want to do more business together. That’s selling.
LinkedIn Posts - When I put my words together in any type of social media post, this is me trying to elicit action from my audience. This is selling, no matter whether it’s an idea I want people to simply ponder or a masterclass to attend or my newsletter to subscribe to.
Online Events - You may think that you’re simply hiding in the audience, but you’re actually selling by just being an attendee at an event. Add some insightful comments, hop into a hot seat, communicate what’s worked for you… that’s selling.
Communication is selling. When you get over the fact that everything you communicate is actually selling your idea, you’ll notice that your energy around social selling on LinkedIn will shift.
You don’t need to hide.
You don’t need to be timid and hope people will find you.
You no longer need to be afraid of being perceived as salesy.
We all sell, in our professional and personal lives, all the time!
So what’s the problem?
3 LinkedIn Mindset Shifts for Experts
To succeed on LinkedIn and actually grow your business, get to that next rung in your career, attract your potential customers, get a book deal or land a spot on that interview show… you must learn to get comfortable with selling yourself, your ideas and your services.
Let’s talk about how to begin.
#1 - Belief in Your Message
You have a very powerful message and driving purpose that has allowed you to become the expert you are today. What is that message?
I have found that clarifying my message into what I learned from Steven Kotler (author of Art of Impossible) in my MTP (Massive Transformative Purpose) drives me personally and professionally.
Here’s my MTP: Create content that has a positive impact, inspire people to self-actualize in life and work creating their own lifestyle by design, be a thalassophile on a mission to protect/love/play in the ocean.
I read this statement every single day to remind myself why I do what I do. As part of my mission, I must SELL my ideas to those who find them interesting, to those who have questions, to those I know I can help. This is part of my purpose, and I realize that I must use words to live out my mission.
When you can clarify what your mission as an expert truly is, you will feel a sense of duty to live it out. This in itself allows you to shift your mindset towards embracing the power of selling.
I challenge you to create your own MTP - if you do, I’d love to hear about it.
#2 - Use Your Voice to Communicate
Too many of us try to imitate other experts in our field or other industries because we’re unsure where to start. We often don’t trust our own voice.
To succeed on LinkedIn (or anywhere else for that matter) you must cultivate your own unique voice.
Yes, learn the principles of good communication. Use other people’s templates and scripts as a starting point, but you cannot stop there. We don’t want to hear your version of so-and-so’s great email or social template.
Great communication comes from the heart, and you’ve got to practice vulnerability first. This is something I’ve taken from the incredible Brene Brown.
My husband and I have been reading Daring Greatly and Rising Strong recently, and it’s sparked a TON of conversations around communication and vulnerability.
It’s one contributing factor to my decision to start The Mango Effect podcast this year, which will be a precursor to my book with that same title next year. It’s talking about the stuff that really drives you, getting below the surface level marketing sales and marketing jargon.
It takes time to get there, but your efforts will pay off.
#3 - Build New Professional Relationships
LinkedIn is the number one place to start building your network with other professionals and experts. Instagram is okay for some industries, but it doesn’t have that “businessperson” feel to it.
When you actually spend the time building and growing your network with the right people whom you can help to reach their professional goals, it’s a win-win.
In an era where we are no longer getting together in real life as often as we used to, LinkedIn has become even more critical to our business success.
Learning how to build relationships the right way on LinkedIn by believing in your message and communicating that message with people, you’ll be able to grow your business more sustainably over the long term.
Your net worth is directly related to your network.
I have seen this in action and continue to see it proven to be true for my LinkedIn Accelerator program members, my clients, and my colleagues.
Shifting your mindset to become that confident, go-to expert in your niche all begins with your LinkedIn profile and your network. When you have a strong belief in your message, you can use your words to communicate effectively, and you’ll be better able to grow your network.
If you’re looking for that extra edge to get you started on the right path with LinkedIn to make 2022 your best year yet, join me in my next LinkedIn Accelerator Masterclass happening on January 19! We’ll discuss the big changes on LinkedIn in 2022 and exactly how to make LinkedIn the number one source for new business opportunities.
Feel free to leave questions or comments below 👇 - and my inbox is open if you want to message me directly! :)
