I have a game I like to play on LinkedIn. I go through my “People You Might Know” section and try to find the least relevant connection. I didn’t say it was a fun game, but it does pass time. And it can be more difficult than you’d think to decide who is least relevant to you. From journalists you’ve never heard of to IT managers in industries you didn’t know existed, LinkedIn really stretch the meaning of the word ‘might’.
That’s probably a topic for another day. I mention the game because it led me to an epiphany recently. Most people who offer B2B services on LinkedIn have no reason to exist. Sure they offer a service and most of them do a really good job, but if you were to really think about it the world would be no different if they all ceased to exist.
Trawl through your own potential connections and you’ll find list after list of consultant or advisor offering their own brand of expertise. These are people or individuals who offer services exclusively designed to improve other businesses. The only exist to out-advise one another. If they all just stopped working, the businesses they typically work with would carry on. Leaving the rest of the world looking for places to fit all of these abandoned Jedi, Rockstars and Gurus.
Maybe we could create an Island colony to house them all.
I am, of course, being a little flippant. But it’s easy to see why businesses would find it hard to see the value in some B2B services. There are so many out there. All with similar messages and so much hyperbole. How do the businesses that could benefit from these services connect with the people who can really help them?
Why?
If you provide one of these services, it’s even worse. You know you have something to offer, but you’re lumped in (by bloggers like me, amongst others) with others who sound like cartoon versions of what a consultant should be. The only way to stand out is to cut through the hyperbole, drop the exclamation marks and think about why you offer the service.
Expertise
Companies use B2B services because they’re seeking a skillset that doesn’t exist within their own organization. Small businesses typically need HR consultants, because they don’t have the expertise to do it themselves. Bigger businesses that expand into new markets need local advice. Your service is useful because of your expertise. You don’t sell expertise by saying, “I’m an expert”, you need to demonstrate it.
Help
You can demonstrate that expertise by helping businesses, without asking for their money. If a ten minute conversation gives away enough of your secrets to put you out of business, you shouldn’t be in business. By offering some of your expertise up front you can build credibility and demonstrate your knowledge. This should also go back to why you got involved in B2B services, to help people.
Satisfaction
Most B2B service providers say they get the most satisfaction out of helping businesses to achieve. Every message you create should show prospects just how much you enjoy the practical success of your services, not the rewards. Fill your content with your personality, with the things that you find important and that satisfaction will shine through.
Something They Don’t Have
Ultimately, what you have to offer is something your ideal clients don’t have. You don’t need to dress it up as anything else; you just need to let clients know what you can do. Let them see what you have that they need. If you can do that you’ll be way ahead of a lot of people I might know on LinkedIn.
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