Selling is easier and harder than ever.
And while I am not a fan of the term “social selling,” and prefer “smart selling,” it’s on trend, at the moment. Someday it will just be “selling,” again.
There are many definitions for social selling, including Hubspot’s:
And LinkedIn’s:
Marketers broadcast, and salespeople connect, one-to-one. Marketing lays the foundation and sets the stage and sales people cross the finish line.
Buyers tap into their preferred channels to get information, insight, and recommendations. The days of the phone and even email being the most relevant channels are over. 90% of cold calls go unanswered and people, strapped for time and attention, aren’t interested in talking to salespeople before they are ready to buy.
Knowing the channels that your buyer prefers is challenging, but it does deserve your attention. If you think you’re just fine without figuring out how to use professional and social networks to start, nurture or further your sales cycles, you are missing more opportunities than you may realize.
If you are someone calling on or managing enterprise accounts, beware. Their marketing departments are producing vast amounts of content, and their social enablement team is teaching them how to use the content to further their sales efforts. Companies who are engaged socially don’t want to work with companies who are light years behind. Would you?
Wouldn’t you benefit if you could converse with them in the channels they use to communicate with their customers?
Wouldn’t you benefit from looking smart, interested and engaged in their business?
Think of the information you could glean about your customers and prospects, their products and services, their customers and their employees. It’s all there on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snap Chat. You don’t need to be on all of these channels, but you do need to be on their main channels.
Saying you look at your point of contact or prospect on LinkedIn before a meeting is not social selling. Sending them a friend request on Facebook when you don’t know them is not social selling either. Social selling is a long-term strategy and focused on a SMART plan, (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound).
Specific: determine the most important professional and social networks.
Measurable: set goals for starting conversations, connecting, arranging a call, downloading something from a website or first-time appointment.
Achievable: focus on current customers and develop more relationships and business with those accounts first. Add your top prospects next.
Relevant: Be current with your own professional and social networks, know what’s trending and what works.
Time-bound: Dedicate at least 30-minutes every day for 45 days. Track successes and setbacks. Review at the end of each week.
Selling this way does work, and you need to know either you or your competitor will gain access, insight and opportunity this way. I hope it’s you.