Social Selling

---
name: social-selling
description: >-
  Build a LinkedIn social selling strategy — Sales Navigator, DM sequences,
  content-to-conversation, profile optimization, and SSI scoring. Use when the
  user wants to sell on LinkedIn, build a LinkedIn presence, use Sales Navigator,
  or generate pipeline from social. Triggers on: "LinkedIn selling", "social
  selling", "Sales Navigator", "LinkedIn outreach", "LinkedIn DMs", "profile
  optimization", "SSI", "LinkedIn strategy", or any request about LinkedIn for sales.
license: MIT
compatibility: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Goose, Hermes, Jesse, Windsurf, Zed
metadata:
  version: "1.3.0"
  author: LeadMagic
  category: inbound
  tags: [linkedin, social-selling, sales-navigator, outreach]
  related_skills: [sales-navigator-prospecting, multi-channel-outreach, cold-email-strategy, founder-brand, linkedin-algorithm, linkedin-live-strategy]
  frameworks:
    - "LinkedIn SSI Methodology"
    - "Morgan J. Ingram (AMP Social) — Sales Navigator filter-specific prospecting"
    - "Richard van der Blom (Just Connecting) — LinkedIn Algorithm Insights Report"
    - "Jessie Lizak (Reveting) — LinkedIn Live & livestream content engine"
    - "HubSpot Academy — Inbound Methodology"
    - "Marcus Sheridan — They Ask You Answer"
    - "Randy Seidl (Sales Community) — Relationship selling, Three Plays, trust-building"
    - "Varun Anand (Clay) — Community infiltration & creator flywheel"
    - "Aneesh Lal (Wishly Group) — LinkedIn B2B creator partnerships & executive visibility"
---

# Social Selling

## Overview

LinkedIn isn't a broadcasting platform — it's a research and relationship
tool. The best social sellers use it to understand prospects before reaching
out, build context that makes outreach feel personal, and create a professional
presence that prospects check before responding.

This skill covers LinkedIn Sales Navigator workflows, DM sequencing, profile
optimization for trust-building, and the Social Selling Index (SSI) as a
measurement framework.

## When to Use

- "Set up my LinkedIn for sales"
- "Build a LinkedIn DM sequence"
- "How do I use Sales Navigator for prospecting?"
- "Optimize my LinkedIn profile for prospect trust"
- "What should I post on LinkedIn?"
- "Build a social selling routine"

## Authoritative Foundations

LinkedIn's own Social Selling Index (SSI) measures four dimensions: professional
brand, finding the right people, engaging with insights, and building relationships.
LinkedIn data shows that SSI leaders create 45% more opportunities and are 51%
more likely to hit quota.

**Morgan J. Ingram (AMP Social) — Sales Navigator prospecting.** For the
**tactical Sales Nav layer** (saved searches, filter-specific messages, insight +
question executive engagement, 15-minute daily alert workflow), load
`sales-navigator-prospecting` →
`skills/inbound/sales-navigator-prospecting/references/morgan-ingram-sales-navigator.md`.
This skill covers profile, SSI, and general DM sequencing; Ingram covers intent
filters and message-variant systems.

**Varun Anand (Clay) — Community infiltration.** Social selling extends beyond
LinkedIn DMs: join Slack, WhatsApp, and practitioner communities where buyers
already discuss problems (Modern Sales Pros, niche agency groups). Respond to
keyword-triggered threads with value-first help — not pitches. Clay's motion
seeded LinkedIn creator flywheels from agency owners posting workflows. Full
playbook → `customer-marketing` → `community-selling-varun.md`.

**Randy Seidl** (Sales Community) — for **enterprise** social selling, go beyond
SSI metrics to **relationship capital**. His **Three Plays** (self, company/product,
customer outcome) and **relationship map** discipline apply when LinkedIn builds
trust for $100K+ deals — not volume DMs. Load `sales-coaching` →
`skills/management-leadership/sales-coaching/references/randy-seidl-relationship-selling.md`. Pair with **Chris Walker**
(demand creation / dark social) for pre-meeting awareness.

**Aneesh Lal (Wishly Group) — B2B creator GTM.** When the motion is **paid
creator partnerships** (not rep DMs), load `references/aneesh-wishly-b2b-influencer.md`.
Key distinctions: ICP-aligned creator selection over vanity followers; Awareness →
Education → Conversion bundles; post-engagement nurture (commenters → SDR). Executive
visibility for founders overlaps `founder-brand` — creators accelerate **awareness**
lifecycle stage (`references/gtm-lifecycle-stages.md`). Measurement →
`references/b2b-influencer-measurement.md` (dark social + UTM limits).

## Prerequisites

- LinkedIn profile (personal, not company page)
- Sales Navigator subscription (strongly recommended for B2B outbound)
- Content strategy (at minimum: what topics you post about)

## Step-by-Step Process

### Phase 1: Profile Optimization

Your profile is your prospect's first stop after receiving your outreach.
It must build trust in under 10 seconds:

- **Headline**: Not your job title. Your value prop. "Helping [ICP] solve [problem]"
- **About**: Problem → Solution → Proof → CTA. Write in first person.
- **Featured**: Pin your best case study, article, or free tool
- **Activity**: 2-3 posts/week minimum. Prospects check this before responding
- **Recommendations**: 5+ from clients or colleagues. Social proof wins

### Phase 2: Sales Navigator Workflows

For filter stacks, saved-search alerts, and filter-specific message libraries,
load `sales-navigator-prospecting` (Morgan J. Ingram / AMP). Minimum high-intent
filters: Posted last 30 days, Following your company, Viewed your profile, tenure
< 1 year and 6–12 months.

1. **Lead search**: Filter by title, company size, industry, geography, and
   recent activity (posted in last 30 days = active user = more likely to respond)

2. **Account research**: Before reaching out to anyone, check their LinkedIn
   activity. What did they post about? What did they comment on? What articles
   did they share? This is your personalization material.

3. **Saved leads**: Create lead lists by segment. Monitor for job changes,
   new posts, and company updates.

### Phase 3: DM Sequencing

1. **Connection request** (no pitch): "Saw your post on [topic] — really
   resonated with the point about [specific thing]. Would love to connect."
2. **After acceptance** — wait 2-3 days
3. **DM 1** — Value drop: share an insight, article, or observation. No ask.
4. **DM 2** — Soft CTA: "We help [similar companies] with [problem]. Worth a
   quick exploration?"
5. **Voice note** (optional, high-intent only): 30-60 second personal message

Rules: No pitching in the first message. No links in connection requests.
No "I'd love to tell you about my company." Give before you ask.

### Phase 4: Content-to-Conversation

Posting isn't about going viral. It's about creating conversation starters
with your ICP. For reach mechanics — format rankings, dwell time, link
penalties, golden hour — load `linkedin-algorithm` (Richard van der Blom's
Algorithm Insights Report). For weekly **LinkedIn Live** as the content engine
(WinsDay / Reveting model) — load `linkedin-live-strategy` (Jessie Lizak).
Post about:
- Problems your ICP faces (not your product)
- Data and insights from your work
- Customer stories (anonymized, with permission)
- Industry observations that show you understand their world

When someone engages with your post, that's a warm opening for a DM.

## Output Format

Social selling playbook with profile optimization checklist, DM sequences
(3-5 touches), Sales Navigator saved-search templates, content calendar
(2-3 posts/week themes), and SSI tracking dashboard.

## Quality Check

- [ ] Profile optimized (headline, about, featured, activity)
- [ ] DM sequences written and tested (not pitch-first)
- [ ] Sales Navigator search templates configured
- [ ] SSI baseline score recorded
- [ ] Content calendar established

## Common Pitfalls

1. **Pitching in the first DM.** LinkedIn is a relationship platform. Pitching
   before giving value gets you ignored or blocked.

2. **Empty profile.** A prospect receives your cold email, checks your LinkedIn,
   and finds 12 connections and a blank about section. Trust destroyed.

3. **Posting company content only.** Prospects follow people, not companies.
   Post your perspective, your insights, your experience.

4. **No Sales Navigator.** Free LinkedIn is a research tool. Sales Navigator
   is a prospecting engine. The $99/month pays for itself in one meeting.

5. **Inconsistent activity.** Posting once a month looks like you're not
   serious. 2-3 posts/week minimum to maintain visibility.

## Execution Artifacts

- `references/framework-notes.md` — Named frameworks and reference tables
- `templates/output-template.md` — Deliverable shell for agent output
- `scripts/check-output.py` — Lightweight deliverable validator
- `references/aneesh-wishly-b2b-influencer.md` — B2B LinkedIn creator partnerships (Wishly / Aneesh Lal)
- `references/b2b-influencer-strategy.md` — Program design, ICP creator selection
- `references/b2b-influencer-measurement.md` — Dark social, influencer ROI, UTM limits
- `skills/growth/customer-marketing/templates/influencer-partnership-scorecard.md` — Creator evaluation
- `skills/management-leadership/sales-coaching/references/randy-seidl-relationship-selling.md` — Enterprise relationship map, Three Plays, trust scorecard (canonical)

## Related Skills

- **sales-navigator-prospecting**: Sales Nav filters, saved searches, filter-specific messages (Morgan Ingram)
- **multi-channel-outreach**: Coordinate LinkedIn with email and calls
- **linkedin-algorithm**: Organic reach mechanics (van der Blom report data)
- **linkedin-live-strategy**: Weekly LinkedIn Live shows and repurposing (Jessie Lizak / Reveting)
- **founder-brand**: For founders building personal brand on LinkedIn (Adam Robinson playbook)
- **cold-email-strategy**: The email side of the outreach motion
- **customer-marketing**: Community selling playbook (`community-selling-varun.md`)