10 Ways Aristotle would want sales professionals to use Linkedin

10 Ways Aristotle would want sales professionals to use Linkedin

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In his text 'Rhetoric', Aristotle - the Greek philosopher introduced us to the Modes of Persuasion. He mentioned that persuasion is clearly a function of demonstration and that one needs to demonstrate the following attributes to be persuasive :

• Ethos : Credibility or Reputation
• Pathos : Passion or Emotion
• Logos : Logic or Reasoning

Sales as a profession is all about persuasion. Countless books on influence, persuasion and related topics have sold millions of copies using what Aristotle wrote way back in 350 B.C.

LinkedIn is a great place to persuade your customers and partners given that your LinkedIn profile comes up whenever someone tries to 'google' your name.

Here are 10 ways you can leverage LinkedIn to improve your persuasion power using Aristotle's Modes of Persuasion

Ethos

• Use the Experience and Education sections to add credibility to yourself. Strong work and academic credentials help create a positive impression even before you meet a prospective client
• Recommendations especially from customers and partners give you immediate trustworthiness as a professional
• Endorsements for the right skills and by the right people can help you persuade when you speak on a particular topic from a position of authority
• Honors and Awards showcases your achievements as a professional. Everyone wants to work with a rockstar

Pathos

• Use the Summary to exhuberate passion towards your work and your company
• Active participation in Groups is another place where your passion for a topic could shine through to your prospective clients
• Use the Volunteer Experience & Causes section to show what causes you care about
• Use the Interests section in Additional Information to highlight some non work related passions

Logos

• Use Pulse to gather insights about your profession, industry and companies that lets you have intelligent conversations during customer meetings
• Use your Company Page to share proof points about your products and services using customer testimonials, canned demonstrations using YouTube or Slideshare and relevant case studies