How Graham Riley Utilizes LinkedIn for B2B Sales and Marketing

[00:00:00] Hector: Hello and welcome to another episode of the how to scale a business podcast. My name is Hector Santia Esteban, and I'm your host, your guide for today. And we're here with Graham Riley, and he's the CEO of Maverick North America. They are a marketing agency that helps businesses to grow their business through social media and someone who has has been doing this for quite some time, and I'm excited to have that conversation.

[00:00:24] Hector: So, Graham, thanks for hanging out with us today.

[00:00:27] Graham: Thank you so much for having me on that Hector. I've been excited to join you today.

[00:00:31] Hector: So you've done a couple of things. You've had a couple of ventures. Um, take us back to wherever you think is, is relevant. But where, where did Maverick kind of begin? Or how did this, how did we get to here? Kind of catch us up on some of the. The stages of the journey and then a little bit about what Maverick does for clients right now as well.

[00:00:53] Graham: Absolutely. Uh, as well, I started my entrepreneurial journey back in, uh, Uh, 2012, I, um, I initially launched the business to, um, to help people with their linkedin profile, their resume and cover letter so that they could go and market themselves to, um, uh, to the next employer. And initially, when I launched the business, I thought I would be helping.

[00:01:21] Graham: People in transition, the reality was we started helping people who already had a position, but wanted to do something else. Um, but they just didn't have the time and, um, um, the bandwidth to undertake a job search. And so we started helping, uh, Directors become vice presidents, vice presidents, presidents becoming senior vice presidents or even moving people into executive positions.

[00:01:54] Graham: And what was very interesting as people became leaders on in their new organization. What they understood was how linked in could be a very, very powerful tool for getting what you have to offer in front of influencers and decision makers. And so, uh, within, um, within 6 months. The individuals who we'd helped get into executive positions, they were inviting me into their organization and saying, can you take a look at how we as a company are presenting ourselves to the world using social media?

[00:02:39] Graham: And at that point, they didn't need convincing that social media could make a difference because they were the new CEO or they were the new president of the, uh, of the company. So that's how I made my start and 2013,

[00:02:57] Graham: uh, 2012, 2013, um, that's when, um, Maverick North America was born.

[00:03:04] Hector: Yeah. It's interesting. Right around that time is I remember, you know, everyone creates their LinkedIn, you know, out of high school or whatever. You kind of get that general notice. But I remember specifically 2012 2013 being an interesting time. Cause, I was just graduating college and someone said, you know, there's this new app called Instagram.

[00:03:25] Hector: You should try it out.

[00:03:26] Graham: Uh huh.

[00:03:27] Hector: you know, and, and, and it was just, emergence of you know, social media was just emerging as this, this thing past Facebook, right? You know, as it was really becoming an ecosystem

[00:03:42] Graham: Right.

[00:03:43] Hector: that I think, um, businesses were, were just waking up to. And so I want to take this. Well, Graham, I'm going to leave, I'm going to leave it to you to, to, to see where the question should go. Do we need to talk about that conversation and the, the kind of the landscape that social media is in, or is there more to talk about? Because you kind of rolled with the punches, it seemed, you know, you said you started out saying we're going to do this one thing ended up doing kind of this other thing. Are, were there any lessons that you carried? A way that you carried from that forward, or, you know,

[00:04:22] Graham: Absolutely.

[00:04:23] Hector: decision or kind of take us through that a little bit? If you would,

[00:04:27] Graham: Absolutely. Um, what is fascinating about the similarities between I am looking to offer my personal services, uh, to a potential employer, or I'm a sales professional or a business owner, and I am looking to offer my company's services. To a potential client, it's very, very similar because three things need to happen before somebody is going to become a client with you, or they're going to come with your employer and the similarities are the steps that you go through.

[00:05:05] Graham: And the 1st step is awareness. And so how are you inserting yourself into the attention span of the employer intention span of your prospects? Next is trust. Once you have their awareness, how are you building trust that you're a subject matter expert in your field? And then they may be aware of you.

[00:05:28] Graham: They may trust that you do indeed know your business. But the third step, and this is the key differentiator, is how are you building the belief that if I employ you or if I hire you or buy your services from you, how am I building the belief that I am the best option for the client? For you, um, you know, you mentioned, um, you know, you recently graduated or graduated in 2012 and there was Instagram, you know, do I get on board with that?

[00:06:05] Graham: Um, LinkedIn had its 20th birthday last month. Isn't that crazy 20 years and what's um, what's been fascinating to me is how linkedin has developed. Initially, it was sold or positioned in the US market and that's a key differentiator. It was positioned in the US market as linkedin can help you get a new job.

[00:06:35] Graham: And so. Everybody thought, yep, I just need to create, you know, LinkedIn profile and I'll update it when it's time for a new position. But in different parts of the world, when LinkedIn was launched, it was positioned differently, um, as a business development tool or a professional networking tool. And so how you perceive the tool is going to determine how you choose to use it.

[00:07:02] Graham: Am I using it for getting a job? Am I using it for getting business, or am I using it for checking out on friends and colleagues and people who I used to know, you know, through my career?

[00:07:16] Hector: you know, it's, uh, you're just bringing up a lot of conversations because I am a content marketing nerd. And that's kind of my space. And I, too, think that linked in just plays an interesting role because they've found a way to stick around. They found a way to, to continue to, to stay relevant and, and perhaps 20 years later, and they've never, they're, they're more relevant than they've ever been. Is this, and I'm sure that you're biased, so, but is this a place where you think that businesses should be paying Even more attention to, or do you see that a lot of them aren't aren't utilizing and leveraging linked in enough for this business development aspect?

[00:08:04] Graham: Right. Um, like anything, I see fantastic examples of businesses leveraging LinkedIn, um, to promote their brand and subject matter expertise. Uh, I see the good, the bad and the indifferent. Um, if, if you're in a B to C space, LinkedIn tends to be a harder to gain traction with versus in a B to B setting. Um, what's, um, what I noticed is the biggest.

[00:08:40] Graham: Um, crap that businesses fall into is let us promote the business. Let us, you know, share things via the company page yet. Every business will tell you our people are most important asset and everybody will nod and say this stuff. Of course they are. Well, if that's the case, allow your people, um, the business development team and the executives to be the brand ambassadors from their profile.

[00:09:14] Graham: Because if linked in is truly a professional networking, uh, tool, it fosters relationships. And if you think of linked in as I'm going on here to foster relationships, the sales will follow. If I come on here and thinking I am going to sell. People, when they log into any of the social media platforms, they don't want to be sold to.

[00:09:40] Graham: So how do you reconcile the fact that, hey, I've got a, a, a target, a revenue target to hit, but my audience doesn't want to be sold to. They're primarily there to be entertained, to be informed, uh, to form, um, professional networking relationships. Lead with your people and focus on the value that you are able to deliver, not what you do.

[00:10:12] Hector: Yeah, such a such a great point. And 1 thing that you mentioned was this idea of storytelling. How does how does that play into, you know, this concept of. Utilizing social media through business development, because I think a lot of people, they come in and they, they treat it like a place to post their digital business card, right?

[00:10:36] Hector: Where they, you know, the classic examples of, you know, here's my link. Here's my email. Here's my website. You know, we've all kind of seen those, those, those posts that don't seem to go very far. So what's the other side of that coin? Or how can people actually, you know, yeah. Leverage in a way that that attracts, you know, their clients.

[00:11:00] Graham: Um, it's really centers around the profile. Um, you mentioned that, you know, people just throw their profile together, uh, at some point, simply just to say, I've got a presence. Well, I'd offer that your LinkedIn profile is an indication of who you have chosen to show up on the platform as a professional.

[00:11:26] Graham: It's an indication of your communication style, and it's an indication of your attention to detail. And so when you're setting up your company page and your LinkedIn profile. You're doing exactly that. You're setting the stage. Then step 2 is now you have the stage start to cultivate your network of influences and decision makers who can actually purchase your, your.

[00:11:55] Graham: Products or services and then step 3 is start to tell a story to that audience that's relevant to them, meaning that you're sharing insights into the problems that the audience or community that you wish to serve. These are the things that keep them up at night. Because the more you talk about them, the more you start to elevate your expert authority in that field.

[00:12:26] Graham: Um, one interesting, um, statistic that I've always found fascinating is as LinkedIn approaches a billion, um, users 1%.

[00:12:43] Graham: Of those billion users are actually creating content on a regular basis. And so your question is, is it an opportunity for businesses to spread their message or market effectively on the platform? Absolutely. Because the vast majority of people. Our silent, they're just checking out what else is going on in the marketplace.

[00:13:09] Graham: They're not actually bringing their insights and their subject matter expertise to the table. And I think it's a missed opportunity for many businesses.

[00:13:18] Hector: Yeah, Graham. This is, this is such a great conversation when we get back from break. I'd love for you to talk more about that because I think that that's one of the biggest hold ups that I see businesses have is They either don't know what to say, they either don't know what kind of content or, you know, there are some holdups and blocks about, know, I don't want to give away my best stuff or I don't want to give away all my, you know, all my goods or all my expertise because that's what people pay for.

[00:13:47] Hector: What are going to people pay for? You know, what are people going to pay for? And so we're going to tackle that when we get back from break. How are you doing, Graham?

[00:13:57] Graham: Good. Is this, is this okay?

[00:13:59] Hector: Yeah, this is great. Yeah. Um, and I have to guard myself because, you know, like I said, I am such a content nerd. So, so I have to prevent myself from going down too many, too many of the rabbit holes because otherwise, you know, I've got too many, too many of my own thoughts.

[00:14:16] Graham: Um,

[00:14:17] Hector: do you guys, do you, are you guys, do you guys, how do I ask this? We've been trying to figure out how we can best integrate podcasts into LinkedIn because we've seen a lot of growth with like business pages and stuff like that. Do you guys do anything with podcasts or audio on, on your client side?

[00:14:36] Graham: our UK office does a lot of work with podcasts for the promotion of, um, promotion of the business. Um, my format is webinars

[00:14:48] Hector: Interesting.

[00:14:49] Graham: every week, um. You know, I'm on sharing some insights into a different aspect of, uh, of linkedin and how to use it, how to use the platform for lead generation.

[00:15:02] Hector: Very cool. Very cool. Okay, well, we'll make sure to plug that at the end of the interview, or we'll give you an opportunity to, you know, share wherever you think is best. Um, we'll do a quick ad read and then we'll hop back in. Hey, y'all, thanks for tuning in today. Today's episode is brought to you by Amplify Media, and we are a podcast and content creation company, and so chances are, if you're listening to this, you have a mission, a message, a passion, a purpose, something that you want to get out to the world, but you might not have the time or the tech skills or the...

[00:15:32] Hector: Team to be able to do it. And if that's the case, we might be able to help go to amplify media. com. That's a M P L a F Y media. com. And you can find out all the info. You can also check the show notes for the link. with that, let's get back to today's episode. So Graham, we talked about before break, you know, we like to leave these, the second half of these episodes a little more tactical or, or to leave people with some, some things that they might be able to get started with or to go out implement or that they can take and, and actually, you know. utilize. Um, with that being said, what's kind of the what's either the next step is the next step to figure out what kind of content to create? Or is there something else that might help to unlock? You know, kind of the next kind of phases a little easier.

[00:16:26] Graham: So, prior to the break, I said it starts with your profile and what we tend to find is the vast majority of people who are in a business development role. Are understating or underrepresenting their value, and the linkedin profile tends to be geared for getting a new job versus showing and demonstrating subject matter expertise.

[00:16:53] Graham: That's going to be relevant to the clients. They wish to serve. I'll give you for an example. If I'm looking for a position and I'm applying for in a technology company, I'll talk about, uh, chairman's club, closing deals, um, contract negotiation, chairman's club winner. Uh, um, I'll share all of these things that are designed to impress the VP of sales or the chief revenue officer.

[00:17:22] Graham: And I get the job. Now I am looking to sell to CFOs or the VPs of IT. VPs of IT or the, um, uh, Chief Financial Officer don't care about my sales accolades. What they care about is somebody who has subject matter expertise, or is at least the conduit to that subject matter expertise. And so, Uh, a quick test, um, to see where your profile is, if you think about what three things do I want somebody to remember about me, or what are the three benefits of the services that engaging with me would offer?

[00:18:09] Graham: Now, scroll down your LinkedIn profile and look at the three skills that are in there. Do they match what you want to be known for? Um, so understating and underrepresenting people's value, I think is the great place to start because once you start to understand this is the value that I bring to the table, then you start to be able to weave in, and this is the value proposition of the organization.

[00:18:41] Hector: Yeah, the the Perspective which you're speaking to can make all the difference that lens of who am I speaking to it? And what problems are they? Are they dealing with? Are they going through? What do they care about? Because you have in that scenario. In that example, you have your own experience sets and you could be the same person having the same level of skills and expertise talking about something totally different that they are not resonating with.

[00:19:15] Hector: And I think that you bring up a really good point that a lot of, um, it's a, it's a shift, right? That I think a lot of. Let's, let's call it people who came up in a world pre internet, pre social media, where all of that storytelling was done kind of belly to belly.

[00:19:37] Graham: Mm,

[00:19:38] Hector: now the ability to translate that into something, into a LinkedIn post or a video or a Tik TOK or a,

[00:19:45] Graham: mm-hmm.

[00:19:46] Hector: there's, there's something that's lost in translation or there's you're not in your head.

[00:19:51] Hector: So, so what is that, that prevents that translation from happening?

[00:19:56] Graham: Um, we see a lot in people's hesitancy to translate what comes so naturally to them in real life and converting that to just simply a different medium. Um, If we consider a trade show, a conference and networking event, we'd be polite. We'd first of all, we'd prepare for the conference or the trade show.

[00:20:24] Graham: We'd be polite, professional, and courteous in the way that we meet people. We'd offer a warm handshake and a smile, and we'd ask about them. First, how's the show going? Did you find the last session interesting? You know, what, what did you come here to this event for, you know, what outcomes are you looking for?

[00:20:44] Graham: We're showing interest in them. And then we ask, you know, tell me about your business. Tell me about your organization. And people could be so much more successful on LinkedIn if they follow how they actually behave in real life. Cause so often we get, um, connections, um, to request to connect from people and it's full of a sales pitch.

[00:21:16] Graham: You don't know me yet. So if you're selling, you want these individuals, you want these companies to show an interest in you. Well, a game changer for you. Could be. Well, why don't I start showing interest in them first?

[00:21:36] Hector: Yeah, it is. Uh, it's so simple. It sounds so simple. I think it's just a different landscape and people are stuck in their ways and they've done it the way they've always done it. And this is how we've always done it. And, and this is, this is what I'm good at. And though you can't teach an old dog new tricks kind of thing.

[00:21:57] Hector: And, and I think it's just a detriment to people's, uh, success.

[00:22:02] Graham: Well, let's see if your listeners who are looking to have linked in for business development. Here's what I'd offer you try. So what does it actually mean to show interest in the individuals you wish to serve? And so if I'm targeting you, Hector, you know, you're in my demographic, you're that CFO or the VP of I.

[00:22:29] Graham: T. My profile should visit your profile. I should like and comment meaningfully on anything that you've posted. You've shared earlier with me before we went live that, um, you know, you're a content nerd. You're really into the dynamics of, uh, what creates interesting content. And so I'm going to start to like, and I'm going to start to comment on, uh, on your content.

[00:22:57] Graham: After I've done that a few times, I'm going to follow you. I'm going to follow the company page, and then I'm going to send you that polite request to connect. I'm not pitching anything. I'm not selling you anything. I'm just showing interest in you. A few days after you connect, not immediately, but a few days later, a polite Thank you.

[00:23:19] Graham: Then I'm going to, over the next couple of days and weeks, I'm going to endorse you for a few skills. I'm going to continue to like and comment, and then I'm going to share something with you, perhaps a post that somebody else has done or a post that I've done that I might think is of interest to you, and I'll ask you to comment on it.

[00:23:43] Graham: Each one of those touch points, you start to become familiar with my face and my name. And what I'm doing is I'm building up reciprocity, meaning that I'm committing, um, random acts of LinkedIn goodwill, right? You know, I'm sharing that with you to give you an indication of how I conduct myself as a professional, not as a salesperson.

[00:24:14] Graham: I'm looking to foster a relationship, and what we know is relationships influence decisions. And the stronger the relationship, the more reciprocity I've built up. When it comes time to say, hey, would you be open to, you know, perhaps jumping on a call? The answer I'm looking for is a yes, it's a very different approach than, hey, I'm going to craft this message and send it out to 30, 000 people hyper personalized.

[00:24:45] Hector: Right. Yeah. I think that's the, perhaps that is the difference because a lot of those people came from the world of, of smile and dial or, or just, or, you know, dial on another door and, and just, um, and perhaps that was what was needed. Who knows? But, uh, times are definitely changing. Graham, this is, um, Thank you. This is wonderfully insightful, selfishly, and I'm sure that listeners, well, I know they just got a master class in LinkedIn business development. So this has been, this has been fantastic. people want to get more info on Maverick or you, the best place to go?

[00:25:26] Graham: Um, Maverick North America. You'll find our company page on LinkedIn weekly. We run webinars and all of the past catalog of webinars are there. Um, as we talk about the different aspects of Maverick North America. What does it take to be successful developing business, uh, from LinkedIn? And, uh, obviously find me at, um.

[00:25:51] Graham: Uh, on LinkedIn, my profile, uh, Graham K. Riley on LinkedIn. I'll be happy to answer any questions that, um, your listeners might have. And also share, um, uh, open to sharing eBooks on how to configure your profile, social selling, how to develop content. Um, I've got a little eBook eBook library that helps people with their, um, entrepreneurial journey as they build their business.

[00:26:20] Hector: Cool. Well, we'll link all that up in the show notes. So go and check that out. I want to thank all you listeners for sticking with us today and being a part of the tribe. We'd appreciate a rating, a review, wherever you get your podcasts. And if you know someone who is building a business, thinking about starting one, please send them this episode and then go get connected with, uh, with Graham.

[00:26:37] Hector: Check out that webinar library and hop on a future one. I said, we appreciate you always part of the tribe. We'll see on the next one later. Y'all