Samantha McKenna

Founder @ #samsales l Sales + Cadences + Executive Branding on LinkedIn l Ex-LinkedIn l Keynote Speaker l 13 Sales Records l Early Stage Investor l Overly Enthusiastic l Swiss Dual Citizen l Creator, Show Me You Know Me®

I had my first exposure to competitive "sales" in sixth grade when my school raised money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  Knocking door to door and delivering a pitch was the start of my education; I still have the portable TV that I won for second place, which fuels my competitive spirit.

I’ve spent my career in sales doing a few things – breaking records, putting others first, creating global sales programs, educating through peer interaction, and going to great lengths to make people feel valued.  I’ve launched new verticals, overseen the GTM strategy for some of the most successful initiatives in company history, and put in processes across businesses that redefine how each company works and succeeds.

As the founder of #samsales, I oversee an all-women team of 14 who believe in a manners-first and buyer-first approach. We:

•	Run sales trainings that cover prospecting via your likely under-utilized LI Sales Nav licenses, how to write great email copy, Show Me You Know Me™, perfect discovery calls, etc. all while being sales methodology agnostic

•	Speak at 100+ annual events - keynoting for SKOs, international conferences, and podcasts alike re: sales, social selling, and women in tech/sales/leadership

•	Write the content you have in Outreach.io, etc using our proprietary techniques + the most up-to-date data on what works to drive opens + replies

•	Teach social selling - as an LI influencer, ambassador of Sales Navigator, and former LI leader, I understand how to use the ecosystem to truly SELL. I've personally trained tens of thousands on the platform, ranging from 10-person teams to Fortune 500 brands. 

•	Build brands for C-Suites on LinkedIn.  If you want to build a brand on LI but don't know what to write, don't understand the algorithm, and don't have the time to manage, our full-service strategy will manage it exclusively like we do for some of the most prominent/highly visible execs you see on LI.

As a founder, I have one goal - to make as much positive impact as we can.  Since our inception, we’ve raised over 120K via personal donations + our annual charity events for incredible causes, and have given away hundreds of our trainings to the military and transitioning teachers, free of charge.

When you hire us, you're not just hiring a team, but rather investing in one who constantly puts good into the world.

Who am I, otherwise - 

Philanthropist, investor, dog lover, die hard competitor, writer, former Nickelodeon game show contestant, extrovert, expert in self-deprecating humor, and willing to walk through fire to make you laugh.

Limited Partner

Sign up for our newsletters, webinars, and all our content here www.samsalesconsulting.com 

Years ago I got a, "Hey, is it appropriate to reach out on LinkedIn to the hiring manager for a job I'm applying for?" question and an unsolicited, "Never reach out to the hiring manager - totally inappropriate." comment.  My take?

The latter is living in the dark ages.

As someone who has hired and helped hire for countless roles, I can tell you that a candidate reaching out to me and others on LI about a job rarely happens and, when done right, is a pro-move to standing out.  

Emphasis on the "done right".  Here's my script:

"Hi Jack - We have yet to be properly introduced, but I recently applied for the open role you have on your team.  I'm hoping my background and performance are enough to stand out amongst the sea of resumes headed your way, but thought my LinkedIn profile might give you a better look into how I might be a great fit for COMPANY.  Simply wanted to say hello, am hopeful we have a chance to meet down the line.”

No ask, no pushy'ness, no typos ;).

Don't get a reply?  Find a way to add value or perspective in another few days via an article, insight, share about the organization, etc. Show them how awesome and smart you are!

Can't find the hiring manager?  Reach out to someone in your same role there and ask if they'd be willing to help point you in the right direction as a hopeful fellow colleague.  

LI profile in bad shape?  Head over to our site for tons of free resources to get it spiffed up.

#samsales

San Fran, I'm headed your way! Couldn't be more honored to be the closing speaker for LinkedIn's Sales Forum, and even more so that they've extended a happy hour for us to say hello thereafter! 

This half-day event will be packed with other wonderful speakers, and is an event I've always looked forward to as an attendee - a pinch-me moment to get to be on the other side of the camera, so to speak.

Come join 200+ other GTM leaders and executives in LinkedIn's gorgeous SF office as we dive into the state of sales, super tactical ideas on how to use LI Sales Navigator, and musings from me on the actionable things your sellers can do to succeed in today's market. 

Note that seating is limited, but you'll find the registration details here - https://lnkd.in/esdrJnuW, and will receive an email once your seat is confirmed. 

Can't wait! 💃 

#samsales

Looking to up your LinkedIn content game? Here's a cheat sheet that's one of many assets with give our LI Executive Branding teams. No gate, no comment needed - download and use :)

#samsales #LIEB

Daily Content & LinkedIn Insights • Founder at I.Am.U Media • Content and LinkedIn Consulting for Founders & CEOs

Before joining The 216, most of our clients were struggling with:

→ No clear offer (or an offer nobody understood)
→ An inconsistent way to generate qualified leads 
→ No process to have sales conversations with confidence

Many felt like impostors when talking about their business.
Others seriously considered going back to their 9-5 jobs.

And in general, they were constantly worried about when they would sign their next client.

After joining The 216, they all walked out with clear frameworks around:

1️⃣ Niching and Positioning: Explaining their business in a way that people instantly “get”.
2️⃣ Offer Creation: Building a premium, outcome-driven offer built around real client pain.
3️⃣ Repeatable Outreach System: Having a simple process anyone can follow to start conversations every week using only LinkedIn.
4️⃣ Natural Sales Process: A sales process that feels natural, easy, and with improving close rates. 

It’s the same system that helped:

📌 Adina Samuels (Manuscript Ghostwriter): From corporate job → $200k solo business
📌 Christian Mather (Wealth & Exit Planner): 4× monthly income to $23k in under 10 weeks
📌 Matthew Mercer (Recruitment Coach): Consistent £10k–£15k months
📌 Allison Paley (CS Consultant): From self-doubt → landed a $36,000 client
📌 Efe Buyuk (Data Systems Designer): Made 6× the program fee in under 12 weeks
📌 Priscilla Leigh (Psychoaudiologist): First high-ticket client in 21 days
📌 Chris Corridore (Brand Strategist): First $15k month and best year ever

These are all real people. You can find their profiles in my Featured Section. 

I invite you to message them and ask what their experience was like. 

And if you're ready, and you want a business that runs with clarity, control, and clients you can count on, send me a DM and I’ll share how The 216 works.

—

Mat Lehnhoff

"How do I get strangers to book calls with me?"

Here's the process I follow:

1. Find my niche in Sales Navigator

• I use filters to target exactly who I want to work with
• Job title, industry, company size - all dialed in
• This means I'm only talking to people who actually need what I offer


2. Send 200 connection requests weekly

• Around 30-40% will connect with me
• That means, every week I have 60-80 new prospects
• Consistency is the KEY here


3. Start conversations WITHOUT pitching

• I completely detach from trying to sell
• Just genuine curiosity about what they're building
• I compliment their work or ask about their business

For example:

"Hey Mike, great to see what you're building at [Company]. 

Do you only work with UK companies? Or global?"

It's a simple question, but it opens the conversations.


4. Identify pain points when they reply

• I acknowledge their response first
• Then ask yes/no questions that reveal struggles
• And also allows me to pre-qualify them

For example:

"Got it. So you're running this solo? Or you got a team in place?"

I'm not asking this randomly. 

I'm gathering information about them to see if I can potentially help.


5. Connect their problems to my solutions

• I share a quick win or result from a past client
• Or anything that shows I've solved this issue before
• They see themselves in the story

For example:

"Ah, this reminds me of my client Susan.. she's a leadership coach just like you, and was struggling with too many 1:1's. From our work, she launched a group program and now is working only 20 hours/wk with triple the income."


6. Offer the call when it makes sense

• They've shared about their situation
• They've seen I've solved a specific pain point they have
• So the call becomes the obvious next step

I usually say something like:

"I'm happy to share more about the process we use for [insert their dream outcome]. Would you be open to a 15 min chat to see if it's something that can help you?"

And that's it. 

Obviously not everyone will book a call.

But those who are interested will.

And I'm not destroying the relationship with everyone else by being too aggressive.

The rule is always:

Build relationships first. 

If you got questions, let me know in the comments!

Hope it helps 🙏

—

Grow to $15,000 months with LinkedIn alone • Learn how at The 216

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The Battle

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The Battle

Samantha McKenna

Mat Lehnhoff

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Samantha McKenna's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreMat Lehnhoff's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreSamantha McKenna's LinkedIn Performance