Episode 66 Navigating LinkedIn's New Features for Sales

Jack Hubbard: [00:00:00] I've had the privilege of being in and around banking for more than 50 years. Lots of changes during that time. We've gone from ledgers to laptops, typewriters to technology. One thing, however, remains the same. Banking is a people business and I'll be talking with those people that make banking great here on Jack Rants with Modern Bankers.

Brynne Tillman: Hey Jack, happy to be here with you today. 

Jack Hubbard: Great day, we're going to talk about a change today, you know, there's an interesting phrase in banking Change is great. As long as it doesn't affect Me,and, unfortunately, change is ever present and that's true on LinkedIn as well. Our good friend, Kevin Turner, was on our show, my Jack Rants with Modern Banker show.

We did a two-parter just a few weeks ago. It's on YouTube, [00:01:00], and it's on our podcast. If you go to our public library up there, in, the QR code, or if you're on the podcast, go to, the modernbanker.com/public library and , we did a two-parter with Kevin and You know, Kevin is our canary in the coal mine He keeps us up to date on what's going on on LinkedIn last year 153 changes this year , you know over 30 already and so we're going to talk about that to Bryn with Bryn And certainly Bryn, , you know, you as well as Kevin and others, , stay up to date on what's going on on LinkedIn.

And that's some of the things I want to talk about. Um, today, but I, but I got to start, you know, people often say, , you know, this whole thing around the customer experience and, and, and it, gee, it sounds fluffy to me and, and, and people are starting to write that. So let's get more specific. Customer experience is important, but it gets to be [00:02:00] kind of like fluffy and Kumbaya moments.

So late this week, earlier this week, I went, , and got a club, a golf club fitting, and it's never happened before. Never done this before. And it went, I went to a company called P X G Parsons, extreme golf. Bob Parsons started this company a number of years ago. He's a veteran. He started, godaddy.com sold that and loves golf, spent thousands of dollars on golf clubs and could never find the ones he wanted so he's pxg some of the pros are using PXG. The irons are fabulous. And so I went and got fitted. It's the first time I've ever gotten fitted and I played golf for 60 years. And , I gotta tell you, Brynne, unbelievable experience. You walk in, they give you water, they sit down, they talk about your game, talk about your game.

And we went through that a lot. And he asked me a ton of questions. It was terrific. It was like Colombo. And, um, and then we [00:03:00] went in and I warmed up and then I hit a bunch of clubs with a bunch of different shafts. Got my clubs, bada bing, I'm out there. I'm out of there. And then probably 10 days, I get them back and I get to go, they won't ship them to my house.

They make me go back to PXG so that I can try them and make sure that, um, that they work. So , Brynne, you play tennis and I would guess it would be the same in tennis. When my wife played tennis for a number of years, getting fitted for a tennis racket sounds weird. But it's important because your swing is different.

How you hit the ball is different. And these experiences, Bryn, are absolutely fabulous. 

Brynne Tillman: Yeah. I mean, for me, it's how tight are the strings and what strings are we using, but yeah, absolutely. And, the more you care about your client and their outcome,, the more successful you are. And that's all [00:04:00] about building the right rapport and relationships.

So I love that. 

Jack Hubbard: That's very true. And by the way, this is his business card. It's a golf ball marker. so I love it. 

Brynne Tillman: That's brilliant. 

Jack Hubbard: So Brynne, like it or not, LinkedIn is going to continue to change things. One of the things before we start, let me, let me be global with you. Um, maybe, you know, the reason, maybe you don't, but when LinkedIn does change something, um, I'll give you an example.

We w we're doing a public workshop right now. And last Tuesday, Brynne showed us. , something new in your messaging or in your network tab, and she had something that I don't. So Brynne, let me ask you a question, LinkedIn makes a lot of changes. How do they decide? Who gets it first and how does this rollout typically happen?

Brynne Tillman: Well, I'm not sure how they generally decide [00:05:00] because Every department decides differently. Um, so, but what I will say is that typically there are specific servers. So our profiles, I mean, I'm sure they have tens of thousands of servers. I believe they're all on Amazon web services, right? So AWS is on LinkedIn.

And So our profiles all live on different servers. There are literally physical servers, believe it or not, where all this rolls out. So they will be rolled out by the server. Now, sometimes I'll see things rolled out in just Australia and they're testing it. And then sometimes it rolls out and sometimes it just disappears from Australia cause they didn't like the feature or how it worked.

Um, so. Often when there's a new [00:06:00] feature, you're either lucky or you're not. Now, at one point, I used to get all the new stuff. I felt like I was on a really special server, and I still get things early. But there are definitely people that get things before I do. The nice thing is that we talked about Kevin in the beginning.

Kevin is a magnet for new features, not just for himself, but he talks about capturing things in the wild. When any of us see something new, the first thing we do is let Kevin know. So he is curating all of these changes regardless of how it's being rolled out. 

Jack Hubbard: And some of these changes are. Some of them are a big deal, which is the first one we're going to talk about. You know, I love creator mode.

It came on several years ago. It was really developed for people who are creators on LinkedIn, who are very, [00:07:00] Substantially on LinkedIn and do a lot of work on LinkedIn. And there's a tab, a toggle that you have to turn on. And there are certain criteria that I think you need to make. If you don't have the right number of connections or followers, it's just ridiculous to be in creator mode.

It makes you look bad. Creator mode, Brynne. Is going away. What does that mean? That's a big deal. 

Brynne Tillman: Yeah. So, so a few things. Um, creator mode. One of the things that happened when you went into creator mode, your connection button turned to a follow button. You're about section moved down and your content moved up into the profile.

You also have access to it. We have lives, right? So live streaming, audio rooms, newsletters. So as creator mode is now sunsetted, what's happening is everyone on LinkedIn will have access to, um, Live [00:08:00] streaming and audio rooms and newsletters, right? So, so while creator mode is going away, many of its features are just being rolled out on everybody's, you know , profile.

The second thing I like about this piece is you can choose to follow or connect. Um, so for me, I've maxed at my 30, 000 connections. I have to delete connections to accept connections. So I'll keep following. But a lot of folks who are creators in creator mode, want those connections. So I actually like that.

That becomes, you know, Um, a thing, other things are going away, like the hashtags on what subjects are you talking about? I really liked that because it allowed you to have five topics to find. Other things are [00:09:00] rolling out, um, that, that I think are really, that we'll talk about that kind of makeup for that.

But, as far as creator mode, those are going away. And this piece I'm a little sad about, but it is what it is, now the about section will be the first section and it's fixed. So we won't be able to have our content above that section anymore. So those are the changes. 

Jack Hubbard: And that means, Brynne, that the About section, that so many people don't have anything on, becomes so much more important, doesn't it?

Brynne Tillman: That's very true. Absolutely. Um, so you want to make sure that the About section is really working for you. We really looked at it, The profile is like your landing page. So if your section is solely focused on your mission, your passion, your vision, and it's not [00:10:00] focused on helping or being a resource to your buyers or your prospects, it's kind of working against you.

So we want to, absolutely. This is the opportunity. To really hone in on that section and start with what is the challenge your buyers are facing? What are some insights you can provide for them that get them thinking differently about their current bank, about their current banking relationship, right?

And then you can talk about how you help and a call to action and your contact information, 

Brynne Tillman: yep. 

Jack Hubbard: So before we leave creator mode, , and go on to the next thing we talk about creator mode going away. That must mean, let me put it in the form of a question. What does that mean for every LinkedIn member?

Does that mean that everybody will be able to do newsletter letters? Everybody will be able to live. I am okay. 

Brynne Tillman: That's exact. So I would say creator [00:11:00] mode and traditional mode are merging versus creator mode going away. But the little toggle will be gone. 

Jack Hubbard: Okay, that makes sense. All right. Let's talk about you.

You mentioned hashtags Another what's another thing that's that's going to be changed around the hashtags 

Brynne Tillman: So hashtags are being minimized completely by LinkedIn, which kind of makes me sad. , you know, and I always wonder, what are they thinking? Because every other platform has such a strong emphasis on hashtags.

And the reason we use hashtags is because it identifies the topics that we're talking about. So people who follow those hashtags will be alerted when there's content. All of that seems to be sunsetting. Now you can still use hashtags and if people look up hashtags, your content will be found. But LinkedIn really they've stopped recommending hashtags on posts.

Um, they're [00:12:00] not automatically feeding content to people who are following hashtags based on that. You can still search them and still find them and I'll still continue to use them at least for now But LinkedIn has really de-emphasized the value of a hashtag 

Jack Hubbard: Interesting the next one is something that You know, I've done briefly, badly, and most people don't even know it exists.

There is a tab, a page of an area that's called services provided. Talk about that and the changes that are going to go on there. 

Brynne Tillman: Well, so I'm, I'm actually very excited about this and I'll, I have a. Story that I will tell, but there was a gray box that lived under your, like the top of the fold and in that gray box you could click through and it had to provide services and you could, this was your opportunity to talk about your products and services.

You could talk [00:13:00] about treasury services. You could talk about, , line business lines of credit, right? This is the area that said, what are your services? But it looked different than everything else on the profile, and very few people ever clicked through it. It was actually morphed from something called ProFinder.

So 10 or 12 years ago, they rolled out this ProFinder, and found a Pro. I was very fortunate that I had that. There were, it wasn't so simple as to find, as if you were looking for the pro on how to go about. Doing that. So they've improved that and I'll kind of back into that after I talk about this. So this providing services is now its own section.

Now, I'm not sure if this has been rolled out to everyone yet. I have it and every day more and more people seem to be getting it. And what this does is it allows people to click through and request a [00:14:00] proposal. This is absolutely incredibly powerful. So I have, so I actually, I said 10 or 12 years, but the first proposal I ever got requested from a pro finder, , was seven years ago.

Cause I can go back and I can look at that. So it lived on my profile. And then seven years ago, someone requested a proposal and I can look through and most were just kind of playing and testing and not really serious. And then nothing happened for a few years. And then four years ago, I got a proposal anyway, so it didn't turn into anything.

Well, three weeks ago I had a request for a proposal and I responded as I always do. And I got the job and I did a keynote in Atlantic City last week. Um, and they're amazing people and an amazing client. And I think they're going to continue to work with us. So really excited about that. And that made me think, boy, This is amazing.

So I said, how did you [00:15:00] find this? How did you find me? There is a new search, which I didn't have. And now I do, but she had it when you search in the free LinkedIn. So if you go into your search bar and hit enter, there is now a service. filter. So you can go in and say, service and what am I looking for? So LinkedIn trainer, New Jersey is what she put in and she found me, right?

So you can, um, go in and, you know, request services. Which means people can request yours. So let's say now you may get shoppers, right? This may be rate-sensitive people because Otherwise, they would just go to their current bank, but it is a great opportunity to start conversations with folks so it's really important that you go in and in a few weeks Jack and I are going to be recording [00:16:00] a Training on how to put this together.

And for our members, we'll have that out there. But, um, really important that you're taking advantage of this for sure. 

Jack Hubbard: Wow. Well, this is really interesting because as you were talking, I'm on my LinkedIn. I do have the services tab and as I'm clicking through I can see people who Provide services and then you can actually go down you can say consulting services coaching marketing

Brynne Tillman: Yeah 

Jack Hubbard: Outstanding.

This is really really good And again, that's rolled out a little bit, but eventually that'll be rolled out to everybody. And that's, that's going to be an important thing for bankers to think about what they put there in those services. And I would caution bankers. Once you look at this and you say services, and then you start thinking about products.

Forget that. Think about the seven basic financial needs that businesses have to manage their [00:17:00] growth, manage their cash, manage information, etc.

Brynne Tillman: Think of a  way to market yourself around how you help, not the products that you provide. And that's, again, something we'll probably want to talk about. I mean, I think that that's a great major topic. I will say that we have to learn SEO, the search engine optimization piece of this. Um, does it make sense to list the products under those, um, main topics that we're going to investigate on this? Jack and I'll come back and let you know what we find because, yeah.

Yeah. Cause I really want to also learn what people are searching for. For banks, we have to make sure that search engine optimization is matching, but this is all new so we're gonna keep you posted. 

Jack Hubbard: That's great. That's awesome Um, one of the things you and I [00:18:00] talk about,  is sending video messages , but there's going to be some changes on the laptop around I believe  connections Um that you want to talk about as it relates to the camera 

Brynne Tillman: Well, so, so the one new change that's there is that you can actually take a headshot right from your, your desktop.

You used to only be able to do it from a laptop, from a phone or you'd have to go out. So if I smile and I hit click, I could get a headshot. Now that sounds like, well, so what, what's the big deal? Well, I do believe that this is the beginning. The fact that now. Um, and, and I don't have anything behind this, but I believe the fact that net, , LinkedIn now has the integration of your video camera and the, um, the, and taking pictures.

Eventually, [00:19:00] it'll be a video that I'm hoping this is a hope isn't a that that will lead to us being able to do video messages, not just from your phone. So what we do know is the integration between LinkedIn and your desktop camera is now a thing. And so that opened, hopefully, will open a door to more video where you could just.

Send a video message right from your desktop and do not have to worry about using your mobile. 

Jack Hubbard: Oh, look, that would be heaven for me because maybe I'm old school, but I do most of my LinkedIn work on my laptop. Now I'll look at my phone or my tablet when I'm trying to just look at things, but I won't do much on, , , as it relates to LinkedIn, , except for on my laptop.

And I'll tell you the other thing that I would be excited about. If there's a connection here, think about the power of this. Think about. [00:20:00] If you are able, once someone connects with you if you're able to send them a video message right from your laptop and thank them for connecting, um, boy, that's, that's a personalization and an intimacy that's so lacking now on LinkedIn.

And I'm glad they're, , they're kind of considering doing that. All right, last one. Um, and it's something that's ubiquitous. Now it's AI. Talk about what's going on with AI around LinkedIn. 

Brynne Tillman: So I'll start with Sales Navigator just to touch on it for a moment. Then I'll go in like the LinkedIn. com. So Sales Navigator is doing incredible things with AI, including something called Account IQ, which goes out to the web and pulls in all information on industry, on the company.

I mean, it's absolutely phenomenal, and it creates a summary of the things that you should know about. But the prospect before you get on a call. [00:21:00] Um, right now it's public companies, um, primarily in larger companies, but it is rolling out. Okay, so that sales navigate. That's premium. That's a paid subscription.

What's happening inside the free LinkedIn? Well, there are a few things. One is and I'm not going to say that I think it's good yet, But it's starting is that AI is helping you with your headline, with, , your, your experience and your, your about section. However, it is designed from a career perspective, from a job-seeking perspective.

So I'm just giving a warning that if you are a business development banker, Your prospects don't really care about your resume. They care about you as a trusted advisor and you as a resource. So although this is rolling out, I'm not recommending this to folks that are not looking for a job [00:22:00] because that's really what that's for.

So that's number one. Number two. I have not seen this yet. Apparently, Kevin found it in the wild. But where AI is helping with messages when you write a message that you can have it You know, say make this more marketing, make this more casual. Um, and then it will help with the messaging. I do not have that.

But what I do have is the number three, which is if I write a post and, by the way, this is only for premium. So I believe the message is you have to be paying to have access to this. But if I write a post, there's a little like a rewrite with AI. Also not great yet. Um, I'm finding chat GPT to be more effective and I actually like my original content more than what they changed it to. However, if you want to play, I mean, I think it'll just get better, but that's what's rolling out with LinkedIn. So I would say their AI in [00:23:00] sales navigator is fantastic. Phenomenal. Their AI in LinkedIn. com has a long way to go.

Jack Hubbard: As, as does even chat GPT. Um, I'll give you an example. I'm looking here at a post from Massachusetts bankers who have congratulated A woman named Jackie Sharon, and I might not be pronouncing that correctly. , at Greenfield Cooperative Bank, who has just been appointed senior vice president of strategy and implementation at the bottom of that post.

Um, I can have, , there's a, there's a little, , like a star, it says takeaways and I clicked on it and I said takeaways for you from Massachusetts bankers. And it gives me a little bit of an overview of that. It also is. What's Jackie Cherone's role at Greenfield Cooperative [00:24:00] Bank? And if I click on that because I'm premium member in Sales Navigator, “Jackie has been appointed, blah, blah, blah…”

And it gives a little overview of her job. Now I don't get that on every post Brynne, but I've just Yeah, I don't 

Brynne Tillman: have it. 

Jack Hubbard: Yeah, I just noticed this the last few days and it's fascinating. It's really, really interesting. And I would think it would be a little easier than for you to copy and paste that message to Jackie and say, Hey, congratulations.

Obviously, you want to modify it. Or what have you, but lots of changes around AI in every part of the world, including, , including LinkedIn. One of the other things I wanted to mention, and then you, you kind of wrap this up, I was, I was reading in the business section of the New York Times, , the week of the Super Bowl and, , it talked about a new Google-like, , thing, and I mentioned this at the public workshop the other day, um, it's called perplexity.[00:25:00] 

Perplexity ai, I think, or do one of the two. And it is, um, well, let me check, I wanna check, I wanna say this the right way. , people, perplexity do ai, it's a freemium product. Um, and it's Google-like, but, it also interacts with, , , AI and gives you a lot more. Um, it's, it's free. I think the article said about a hundred thousand people are paying $20 a month to get this.

I've used it a number of times because I can't tell you who this person is. I have the most exciting interview I've ever had  this evening the program is going to be on March 6th Wednesday for Jack Rants with Modern Bankers and I've used perplexity To give me a sense of who this person is And it is so much better than, than [00:26:00] Google.

Now, Google is still the standard of course, but perplexity is very, very interesting. And while that's not a change on LinkedIn, Brynne, it certainly is a change on the business-to-business landscape for sure. 

Brynne Tillman: Yeah. I just looked perplexed. Very cool. Very cool. It's a hybrid. It looks like Google and ChatGPT had a baby.

Jack Hubbard: That's a great way to put it. That is a great way to put it. Well, Brynne, anything else on changes to LinkedIn or, , , anything else you want to mention? 

Brynne Tillman: You know, I think we mentioned the big ones. I just reiterate, go find Kevin D. Turner on LinkedIn and follow him because that's mostly where we Well, find the new features Bye, guys.

Kind of when we're exploring on our own, but we still, we get to stay really plugged in to, to Kevin for, , finding things that we haven't seen that have not rolled out for us [00:27:00] yet. So, 

Jack Hubbard: yeah. There you go. Well , great program. Brynne, great to see you. And, I guess it's Thursday. It's Jack Rants with Brynne.

Thanks for joining us, everybody

. 

Brynne Tillman: Thanks, 

Outro:

Thanks for joining us for Jack Rants with Brynne brought to you by our good friends at Vertical IQ and RelPro. We're live on LinkedIn every Thursday at noon Eastern time helping bankers turn connections into conversations. 

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