7 Highly Effective LinkedIn Summary Templates for Sales Reps

Imagine you’re a prospect, and you stumble across my profile. Which version feels more authentic, engaging, and ultimately, effective?

Here’s version one, which doesn’t include a summary:

Screen_Shot_2016-07-01_at_11.41.16_AM.png

And here’s version two, which does:

Screen_Shot_2016-07-01_at_11.41.41_AM.png

Version two, right?

The summary is one of the most important parts of your profile, since it’s a space to showcase your passion, enthusiasm, and most importantly, your track record of results. However, many reps leave their summaries blank for a very simple reason: They don’t know what to write.

If you’ve got writer’s block, good news. These five LinkedIn summary templates will help you flesh out your profile in no time flat. Next thing you know, the number of opportunities in your pipeline will be soaring.

LinkedIn Summary Examples for Reps

1. The “I Feel Your Pain” Summary

The most successful reps know that sales isn’t about them — it’s about the prospect. When it comes to your summary, this principle is especially relevant. Remember, people aren’t reading your profile to learn about what a great person you are. They’re reading it to learn whether you can help them.

With that in mind, lay out the high-level problem your buyers face. Then, establish your credibility by describing who you’ve helped in the past. Finally, give a hypothetical description of what life would be like with your product. (Hint: Better.)

Here’s the template:

[One- to two-sentence description of common prospect problem.]

But what if [key result of using your product]? In the past X years, I’ve helped Y [vertical/sector] businesses [accomplish X results] by [short description of product features]. [One- to two-sentence description of results.]

To learn how your business can [achieve X results], please send me a message at johndoe@gmail.comor give me a call at 904-867-5309.

Here’s an example:

Looking at your site’s cart abandonment rate is probably pretty discouraging — after all, most retailers lose 70{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} of their customers right before the purchase.

But what if your percentage of abandoned carts was halved? In the past four years, I’ve helped dozens of online retailers capture these “lost” customers with targeted emails, personalized content, and more. Abandonment rates drop by 35{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} on average.

To learn how your business can stop losing sales at the final mile, please send me a message at johndoe@gmail.com or give me a call at 904-867-5309.

2. The Story Summary

To grab your prospect’s attention — and more importantly, keep it — tell a story. Not only are stories engaging and memorable, research proves they’re even capable of planting ideas, thoughts, and emotions in your audience’s mind.

Of course, any random tale won’t do. To demonstrate the value of your product and give you some credibility, weave a customer success story into your summary. If the featured customer matches your ideal buyer persona, even better.

Download the LinkedIn Story summary template

Here’s an example:

Graylin had a problem. Although the agency received hundreds of applications for every position they posted, less than 4{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} of those applicants were actually qualified. Without good talent, Graylin knew they’d have trouble winning new clients and keeping current ones. By revamping the firm’s employer image and recruiting strategy, I helped them boost the quality of their recruiting pool by 30{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} in eight weeks.

Helping businesses like Graylin engage and win top talent is extremely rewarding — and I’m always looking for more opportunities to do so.

If you’re interested in learning how a new recruiting strategy can benefit your business, please send me a message at janedoe@gmail.com or give me a call at 904-867-5309.

3. The Personal Motivations Summary

To create an immediate rapport with your prospects, show them what makes you tick. Your openness will make you more trustworthy — not to mention, more likeable. However, you don’t want your summary to scream “me, me, me,” so tie it back into the product by describing why you love your job.

This summary style works best for fairly creative or informal industries, like tech, design, fashion, hospitality, and so on.

Here’s a template:

[Three- to four-sentence illustrative anecdote.] As you can tell, I’m a pretty [adjective] person. This quality is constantly coming into play when I’m working with companies in [industry/sector] to [main purpose].

For example, [One- to two-sentence description of customer success story].

To learn how your business can [achieve X results], please send me a message at janedoe@gmail.com or give me a call at 904-867-5309.

Here’s an example:

While working as a server in my college dining hall, I realized 90{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} of our profits came from 10{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1} of our inventory. So, I developed a comprehensive proposal for a new menu that would not only maximize the dining hall’s budget, it would also improve nutritional quality. The school agreed to give it a try — and that dining hall became the most profitable on campus in one month.

As you can tell, I’m always looking for creative solutions. This trait definitely comes into play in my current role for B&M: I’ve worked with over 40 brick-and-mortar stores to realize the full potential of their space, helping them usually double their in-store purchases.

To learn how your business can increase sales by optimizing your physical space, please send me a message at johndoe@gmail.com or give me a call at 904-867-5309.

4. The Factual Summary

Are your buyers in a traditional sector, like medicine, banking, academia, government, or law? If so, a clear, concise, factual summary is your best bet. Prospects will be used to formal, conservative language — so a creative or offbeat summary might suggest you’re not familiar with their industry and its norms.

And not only should it be straightforward, your summary should also be short. Prospects in these industries will lose interest if your call-to-action is buried at the bottom.

Download the LinkedIn Factual summary template

Here’s an example:

As a pharmaceutical sales professional specializing in Cardiology, Nephrology, and Endocrinology, I help hospitals, clinics, and independent medical facilities find the most effective medical and pharmaceutical treatment options.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many of the best hospitals in the country, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, and Mayo Clinic.

If you’d like to discover new treatment options so you can deliver even better patient care, please call me at 904-867-5309 or email me at janedoe@gmail.com.

5. The Informational Summary

Want to begin educating your prospect on the benefits of your product/service from the moment they click your profile? Try this approach.

To keep this summary from appearing too sales-forward, weave in your story, motivations, and wins as you tout your product/service. This highlights your accomplishments and humanizes your summary while positioning your company as a strong ally.

Here’s the template:

[One- to two-sentence description of why you got into sales and why your current company is a great fit].

Through my work with [company], I’ve seen clients and companies:

[Benefit of your product/service]
[Benefit of your product/service]
[Benefit of your product/service]

One of my favorite testimonials to what [company] has done for a client comes from our friends at [insert client name]. They say, “[insert one- to two-sentence client testimonial].”

Want to learn more about how you can bring these results to your company? Please send me a message at johndoe@gmail.com or give me a call at 904-867-5309.

Here’s an example:

I got into sales because I love building strong partnerships and helping people succeed. From starting my own tutoring service in college to explaining the benefits of CMD Reporting to marketers today, helping people achieve better results is a passion of mine.

Through my work with CMD, I’ve seen clients and companies:

Decrease monthly marketing spend by 15{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1}
Increase leads by 25{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1}
Increase annual revenue by up to 35{da2ef7ff2781dfb5887db3e3a6cf03c7c894e23a27536de3f64bd799872794d1}

One of my favorite testimonials to what CMD Reporting has done for a client comes from our friends at Global Solutions Marketing. They say, “CMD helped us double our quarterly quality lead count and exceed our revenue goals every month since implementation of the reporting software.”

Want to learn more about how you can bring these results to your company? Please send me a message at johndoe@gmail.com or give me a call at 904-867-5309.

6. The Accomplishment Summary

Do you have a proven track record of success? Your LinkedIn summary can be a great place to share what you’ve accomplished. Recount a time you blew quota out of the water or negotiated a sale that helped your customer save time and money in the long run. Get specific and share your quantifiable wins along with how they helped your customer.

Sharing your accomplishments in an honest, straightforward way signals to the reader that you’re skilled at what you do, and that by working with you, they’re in good hands.

Here’s the template:

[One or two-sentence anecdote about your role].

Over the past X years, I’ve helped clients from Y [vertical/sector] businesses develop and implement processes that [accomplished X results] and saved [X amount of money] from their bottom line.

To identify cost-savings opportunities for your business, send me a message at [email address] or call me at [phone number].

Example:

As a senior consultant at WB Ventures, I help my clients create scalable business systems to drive revenue.

Over the past 10 years, I’ve helped clients from the construction and development sectors develop and implement processes that cut down on average cycle time and saved six-figures from their bottom line.

To identify cost-savings opportunities for your business, send me a message at johndoe@gmail.com or call me at 904-867-5309.

7. The Keyword Summary

Leverage the benefits of search engine optimization (SEO) by including keywords your prospects are likely to be searching for in your summary. When you optimize your LinkedIn profile to use industry words your prospects are using in your search, your profile is more likely to come up in search queries, potentially putting you in front of a wider audience of viable prospects.

For sales professionals, you may want to consider adding some terms your prospects use to your summary such as:

Better performance
Customer service
Productivity
Drive sales
Growth
Process improvement

While writing your summary, describe your key skills potential customers may be looking for. Just be sure to not let keywords overpower your voice. You still want your summary to sound natural and conversational.

Here’s the template:

[One or two sentences introducing who you are and what you do to the reader]. My ability to [demonstrated skill] and build genuine relationships lead to greater customer satisfaction and increased revenue for my clients.

In addition to this experience, my key skills include:

[Search term]
[Search term]
[Search term]

To discuss opportunities to work together, send me a message at [email address] or call me at [phone number].

Example:

As a skilled sales leader, I have over 10 years of experience developing high-performing sales teams and helping my customers achieve business success. My ability to identify and implement data-driven strategies and build genuine relationships lead to greater customer satisfaction and increased revenue for my clients.

In addition to this experience, my key skills include: