Microsoft is taking LinkedIn Integration to the Next Level

As usual, there were a lot of announcements at Microsoft’s Ignite customer conference this week. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote exemplified the broad swath of innovation Microsoft is targeting, touching on how everything from AI and mixed reality to quantum computing and data-ready cloud infrastructure are changing the way we do business.

Microsoft had several announcements around its LinkedIn integration, which is great news for salespeople. You may recall, Microsoft announced its LinkedIn Acquisition last June. Many of us wondered how this would play out in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 space.

Microsoft is updating the Dynamics 365 user experience (UX) from a standard LinkedIn widget to a fully configurable integration. LinkedIn InMails and messages will be able to be sent directly from within Dynamics 365 for Sales, and added directly to Relationship Insights as with any other sales interaction. As a result, Dynamics 365 relationship analytics will be expanded to include InMail and PointDrive interactions.

There will also be Relationship Assistant cards triggered with LinkedIn data, so salespeople will be able to natively render profile photos from contact records in LinkedIn. You will also be able to search across Office 365, SharePoint at Microsoft, and OneDrive at Microsoft for LinkedIn and Microsoft Dynamics 365 sales profile cards if all of the services are connected and integrated. What a timesaver this will be! And salespeople can now visit a prospect knowing all of the LinkedIn connections they have in common, all integrated on their mobile device with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales (CRM).

The goal at Microsoft is to help salespeople create warm leads and relationship sales. With over 500 million members, LinkedIn is a gold mine of information.

You can identify the best way to reach and connect with prospects, including introductions from colleagues that they know and trust and:

• Focus on the right people with predictive lead scoring
• Find every member of the buying committee
• Discover the best path to reach each buyer for a stronger response

Let us know if we can answer any questions about the integration, or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Relationship Sales.

Sincerely,

Joe Gulino
Director, Enterprise Sales, SBS Group

About Joe
Joe Gulino has spent 30 years growing and running mid-sized ERP and CRM consulting organizations. Recently, he has focused his career on helping large and mid-sized services companies select, procure and implement ERP and CRM solutions. He has experience in several industries including manufacturing, distribution and professional services.

Today, Joe serves SBS Group customers in his role as Director of Corporate Account Sales where he helps customers solve business problems using Microsoft Dynamics 365 technology. Joe holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Computer Science from Rosary College, and is based in Naperville, Illinois.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-gulino-0a0ba72/