Dear Socially Stephanie,
Social selling is all the rage right now. What is it and what should I be doing to use social media to close more sales?
Hungry in New Haven
Dear Hungry in New Haven,
A.B.S. Those three letters are about to change your world. Do you know what they mean? Come on, get a little bit closer. I'll fill you in. A.B.S. means always be selling social. Social and sales go hand in hand. The better you become at using social media to engage your future, current and past customers, the more money you'll earn.
That's the thing about sales that I love so much, it's one of the most important aspects of your business. Without it, we're closing up shop. Without sales you can say sayonara to your business. And we don't want that, now do we?
Gone are the days of cold calling and knocking on doors. In are the days of social selling, educating and engaging. And it's a change that I am welcoming with open arms.
So what is social selling you ask? It's simple. But despite popular belief, social selling is NOT posting a link to buy something on your social channels. It's not being overly promotional on Twitter. It's not even advertising on Facebook with a shop now button. Social selling is using social media to generate leads and then turning those leads into paying customers.
Social selling is the process of using social media to take prospects on a journey with you. Isn't that beautiful? I'm crying, that's so beautiful.
When it comes down to it, new methods of selling aren't that different than the old methods. The thing that has changed is the technology. Before we used in person meetings to build relationships. Today, physical whereabouts don't define who we can sell to and who we can get to know.
People buy from those they like and trust. If you use social media to get to know people you are one step ahead of the game. The truth is, social media is perfect for building rapport, showcasing expertise and getting people to like you. That's why social and sales are a match made in heaven.
So how do you sell socially? There are five simple steps. First you must listen to what your prospects are saying online. Monitor the right keywords to gain insight you could use in future conversations. The best social sellers will use this data to really understand the problems their customers have and to qualify the right prospects.
Next engage with them. Now let me be clear about this. Engagement is not for popularity, it's for sales. It's for connecting with the right people and educating them on your business. It needs to be strategic. I want you to engage with the right people. You know, those you identified in the listening phase as good prospects. In order for this to work, you have to add value to their life, educate them and build that initial relationship.
Once you've educated them on how you can be the answer to their problems, it's time to generate the leads. When it comes to B2B sales, demos or trial offers can work wonders. The key is to get them interested in learning more. Bring your relationship off of the social world and into your private world. Don't get scared, that just means emails, phones, you know, that type of thing.
As a buying cycle can be long and drawn out, this next step is crucial. It's the nurturing phase. It happens on your site, through email and on social media. Keep a tab on your prospects and those who might become customers. Service them by adding value to their life. Send them links that apply to their business, comment and reply on their content, be around and be valuable.
And then you earn the sale.
You think you can do it? I know you can. Go get 'em salesman.
Socially,
Stephanie