Social selling can be a valuable tool in acquiring leads and advancing the sales process. With effective social selling, you can personalize communications, improve service and open up productive lines of communication with your current and potential clients.
While social media has been an effective tool for brand awareness and overall branding efforts, it can also be used to drive sales and increase revenue. Here are four quick tips to get you started with social selling.
1. Listen More Than You Speak
A sales person who talks and talks and talks can kill a sale before it ever gets off the ground. Effective and successful sales people know how to listen to a client’s needs and wants; tailoring their message to meet those needs. With social selling, you need to listen to what your clients are saying. Look for the hashtags they use most often, share information they may find valuable and tag them in your posts so they know they are top of mind for you.
2. Content Matters
The content you share needs to make it to the right people for it to be effective. Find valuable pieces of content for those in all phases of the buying cycle. It should be obvious to your potential clients that you aren’t just pushing information on your products or services. Stay away from the impulse to sell, sell, sell.
3. Relationships Matter
Building a relationship with your prospect is essential. Become an authority figure, someone who has the knowledge and expertise to answer questions and provide valuable solutions. Your goal should be to show your prospects how they can benefit from a relationship with you; not just your product.
4. Share Your Network
You have many connections in your industry and across the industries you sell to. Share the knowledge and power of your social network to help your prospects. If you can connect a prospect with a member of your social network who can solve a problem or provide valuable insights for them, you become a more trusted connection. Build connections between members of your social network and you could see benefits in the future.
