Influence vs. Follower Count

Can LinkedIn really influence 50% of your company’s pipeline? The short answer: yes. My guest, Alina Vandenberghe, co-founder of Chili Piper, joins me to share exactly how she made it happen. You’ll hear how she leveraged LinkedIn to drive more deals—without needing a massive following or traditional influencer status.

Meet Alina Vandeberghe

·  Alina Vandenberghe shares how her personal LinkedIn efforts drive an astonishing 50% of Chili Piper’s open pipeline. 

·  She busts the myth that only people with massive followings can have impact—her 42,000 followers create over 6 million impressions thanks to targeted, authentic engagement.

Influence vs. Influencer: Changing the Narrative

·  We discuss the difference between “influencing” and being an “influencer.” She shows how you don’t need to be a celebrity or content-creator archetype to influence potential customers and pipeline—focus instead on genuinely impacting your audience.

 Overcoming Hesitation: From Fear to Purposeful Posting

·  Alina opens up about her initial fears of posting online, shaped by a quiet childhood and introverted tendencies. 

·  The turning point came during the Ukraine crisis, when her desire to help others outweighed her fear of attention, reframing the idea of influence as a force for good.

 The Core of Content: Authenticity and Helpfulness

·  The secret to Alina’s successful posts? She removes the pressure to generate leads, focusing instead on providing value and helping her audience. 

·  Alina emphasizes starting with the right intention—if your “why” is to help, your content will naturally resonate.

Inspiration for Any Industry

·  Even in “boring” industries, Alina encourages sales reps to post what they learn daily, insights from customer conversations, or improvements in their sales craft. 

·  As you gain confidence, share customer stories and industry trends relevant to your audience.

Posting Frequency and Building the Authenticity Muscle

·  Alina posts two to three times a week, ensuring she’s inspired and has time for real engagement. 

·  She stresses that authenticity is a muscle built both online and in everyday interactions—accepting quirks and being real, with yourself and others.

 "It's not the number of followers that counts, is the right kind of follower." - Alina Vandeberghe.

Resources

·  Want to reach Alina or learn more about Chili Piper? Connect with her on LinkedIn.

·  B2B Social Media Guide

If you’re trying to grow inbound and don’t know how to use LinkedIn for yourself or your team, this is for you. The most straightforward quick guide on how to turn B2B social into viral, buzz‑worthy content that builds brand and generates pipeline.

Sponsorship Offers

1.  This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

2.  This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

3.  This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.