Imagine LinkedIn as a bustling marketplace, where consultants and clients navigate a labyrinth of profiles, posts, and messages.
For consultants looking to grow, this digital landscape is full of potential. 80% of B2B leads from social media come from LinkedIn.
However, LinkedIn is also brimming with noise.
How do you cut through it all to reach your ideal clients?
That’s where our 6-step Dripify system comes in.
Think of it as your guide for breaking through the chatter, a system that helps you approach decision makers with precision instead of spam.
With Dripify, you’re doing more than sending messages; you’re building a network of meaningful connections and conversations that open doors.
This isn’t about casting a wide net and hoping for the best.
It’s about setting up a system that works for you, bringing in clients that matter — without wasting time by sounding like everyone else.
If you use this method, LinkedIn will be your strongest digital channel for lead-generation.
Here’s the kind of results many of our clients are seeing when this is setup the right way.
“I’m having 2-3 conversations every week with ideal clients. This works great!”
“Over the last few months I’ve connected with over 50 ideal clients and so many of these have turned into great leads and appointments with big deal potential.”
Ready to elevate your LinkedIn outreach?
Let’s dive in.
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile for High-Impact Outreach
Before you begin your LinkedIn lead generation efforts, you’ll first have to optimize your LinkedIn profile.
Think of your LinkedIn profile as your consulting storefront.
It’s where potential clients first “meet” you and decide if you’re the right fit to help solve their company’s problems.
Douglas Nelson’s profile is a great example to illustrate the essential elements for an optimized LinkedIn presence.
NOTE: Douglas Nelson joined our Clarity Coaching Program to dial in his foundations — his business model, ideal client, and magnetic message — before writing his LinkedIn profile and starting his outreach. Once you’ve set your foundations properly, run the checklist below to optimize your LinkedIn profile.
1. Profile Photo and Banner
A banner with a focused message and your company logo is essential for making a solid first impression. Douglas’s profile photo exudes professionalism: it’s approachable and invites trust.
His profile banner extends his brand with a message that communicates his expertise in nonprofit consulting.
Use design tools like Canva or hire a graphic designer on Fiverr to create a professional and on-brand profile banner.
2. Headline
Your tagline should contain a clear, compelling “magnetic message.”
A headline like Douglas’s, “President & Managing Director at The Discovery Group,” is simple and positions him as an authority.
To draw even more targeted views, consider enhancing your headline with a specific value proposition, such as “Helping nonprofits drive impactful change.”
This clarity will drive more profile visits and engagement.
3. About Section
In his About section, Douglas lays out his expertise and achievements in a way that speaks directly to the needs of his ideal clients — nonprofit leaders seeking strategic insight.
Follow his example by addressing the “who,” “what,” and “why” of your consulting services.
End with a call-to-action, encouraging prospective clients to reach out to you directly.
4. Experience and Featured Sections
Douglas’s experience is rich with quantified achievements, like “raised nearly $1 billion for organizations,” which builds credibility.
Use this section to highlight outcomes you’ve delivered.
In the Featured section, showcase case studies, interviews, or thought-leadership pieces, so your ideal clients get a sense of your expertise and the value you can provide.
5. Skills and Recommendations
Douglas’s endorsements in philanthropy and fundraising reinforce his authority.
Collect recommendations that validate your strengths and results you’ve created for your clients.
Recommendations serve as powerful social proof and help solidify you as a trusted authority.
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile with these elements — like Douglas — sets the foundation for generating meaningful leads by creating an “advertisement” that speaks directly to your ideal clients.
Prerequisites For Your Outreach System
Once you’ve finished your profile, you can start to develop your outreach system.
First, sign up for LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It allows you to access advanced lead filters and send InMail messages. Both features are essential for Dripify’s effectiveness.
Start with a trial of Sales Navigator to get a feel for its features.
After you’ve signed up for Sales Navigator, sign up for your Dripify account.
Once you’ve signed up for both Sales Navigator and Dripify, you’re ready to start creating your outreach system.
NOTE: In the steps below, I’ll give a high-level overview of the system. A detailed tutorial for each of these steps is outside of the scope of this article. But if you’d like to watch me walk through each of these steps in-detail via a live workshop, check out our LinkedIn Lead-Gen Masterclass.
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Client
Start by getting clear on who your ideal clients are.
Use Sales Navigator to filter leads based on specific criteria like job role, industry, and location, narrowing down to an audience most likely to engage with your services.
For instance, if you’re focused on CEOs in tech, specify “CEO,” “Technology Industry,” and perhaps a geographic location.
Defining your audience not only helps you focus your outreach but also lets you personalize your messages to resonate with their specific interests and challenges.
Step 2: Setting Up a Dripify Campaign
Once you have a refined lead list in Sales Navigator, import it to Dripify to begin campaign creation.
Name your campaign, set daily outreach limits, and adjust settings to prevent spam-like behavior.
Segmenting clients into smaller lists (e.g., “Tech CEOs in California”) will help you tailor your messages to specific audiences.
Dripify’s automated workflows allow you to contact each group with messages specifically suited to them, boosting the chances of them responding and engaging with you.
Step 3: Customize Campaign Sequence
A successful campaign has a structured, thoughtful sequence.
Begin with an invitation to connect.
If there is no response, a follow-up message is automatically sent after a few days.
Set actions based on whether your invite is accepted or not, such as sending an InMail if a connection request is ignored.
This non-intrusive cadence allows leads to respond when ready and helps avoid overwhelming your prospects with multiple messages too quickly.
Step 4: Message Personalization Strategy
Dripify allows for personalization variables, so you can reference details like the lead’s location or industry.
Keep your messaging non-salesy and research-driven; focus on areas your prospect likely cares about.
For example, if reaching out to tech CEO’s, mention something relevant to their recent industry trends.
Personalized outreach will create more trust, making it more likely for leads to view you as a trusted advisor rather than a salesperson.
Step 5: Testing and Optimization
Monitor campaign performance by testing variations in messaging, timing, and other elements.
Dripify’s analytics let you measure response rates, helping you determine which strategies resonate best.
Testing different versions of campaigns on smaller lists lets you refine your approach before scaling to a broader audience.
Regular optimization keeps your outreach relevant. And it ensures that you’re continually improving results.
Step 6: Managing Responses and Follow-ups
In consulting sales, follow-ups are key. According to HubSpot, 80% of B2B sales require 5 or more follow-ups. So plan for 5 or more follow-ups with your engaged leads.
Check your Dripify inbox daily to respond to leads who engage with your messages.
Use Sales Navigator to research your leads further, enhancing follow-up messages with insights on their recent activities or posts.
This way, your replies are tailored, making conversations feel personalized.
Regular follow-ups and timely responses help build rapport and ultimately increase the chances of turning connections into meaningful conversations — and eventually, paying clients.
Learn Our LinkedIn Lead-Generation Strategy
Imagine logging into LinkedIn each week to find messages from real prospects: leaders in their fields who are eager to connect, clients who are a perfect fit for what you offer.
This is LinkedIn lead generation done right.
And now, you have a chance to learn exactly how to make it happen.
Join our LIVE LinkedIn Lead Generation Masterclass with me, Michael Zipursky, CEO of Consulting Success®.
In this exclusive, hands-on session, I’ll demonstrate first-hand:
- Profile optimization secrets that position you as a trusted authority in your industry.
- Sales Navigator techniques to locate decision-makers who are receptive to your outreach.
- An automated outreach system that fills your inbox with leads while you focus on what you do best.
This isn’t just theory.
It’s a proven system that has transformed LinkedIn into a lead powerhouse for hundreds of consultants inside of our Clarity Coaching Program.
And I’ll be personally sharing my exact strategies for growing my personal profile AND the Consulting Success® page using LinkedIn.
Ready to see it work for you?
Claim your spot in the LinkedIn Lead Generation Masterclass today