Social Selling Isn’t Working For Me. Why?
“I’ve tried social selling to make sales, but I’m getting worse results than cold calling… What am I doing wrong?”
Well, for starters, when you say, “social selling isn’t working” for you, how do you mean, exactly? What were you hoping “social selling” would do for you?
What I find most inside sales reps doing is replacing their outbound sales calls with “social selling activities” and hoping to get the same or even better results, but with less effort and rejection.
“Better results” isn’t going to happen if all you are doing is trying to “make connections” or become “likable.”
Social selling can be a magnificent part of your prospecting strategy; however, it does not mean automatic sales.
One of the biggest mistakes I see salespeople make is that they think that if they connect with a prospect via social media and become “friendly,” their sales will take off.
If you want social selling to work, you’ll need to add the key ingredient:
SME (Subject Matter Expert)
Unless you have something worthy of becoming an SME (Subject Matter Expert) to your audience, social selling will be a massive waste of time for you.
Other than being “friendly” online, why should a prospect buy from you?
Don’t misinterpret the “people buy from people they like” saying and think if they like you, they will buy…
What’s more important than being “liked”?
Having something of value that your prospects want.
Now combine the two, and you have a formula for success.
Social Selling Tip: Manage Expectations
The term “Social Selling” is misleading. You’re not selling; you’re attracting. You want to use social media tools such as LinkedIn as a way to get on your targeted prospects radar and build your profile as a value-added resource.
Think of social selling as a magnet, attracting targeted prospects to you.
Social selling is a way to attract prospects and get them to “raise their hand” (warm lead). It’s not a solution to circumvent the sales process right into a close.
Using social selling to attract prospects is one “lead” stream – and it’s unpredictable, but when it works and brings in a warm lead, its fabulous.
If you’re a small business owner or #soloprenuer, utilizing social selling media as part of your lead generation strategy is essential for attracting prospects.
If you’re a full-cycle inside sales rep, “social selling” all day will probably land you in the unemployment line sooner rather than later.
Social selling is not an excuse to skip the standard necessary sales process (engagement, qualifying, presenting, and closing)
Knowing how to use social media to one’s advantage and attract inbound leads is a skill. So is learning how to pick up the phone.
When you combine the two, it increases one’s odds of success.
Five (5) Key Steps to Social Selling Success
At the end of the day, if you want social selling to work for you, you’ll need to:
1) Know who your target audience is and where they “live” online;
2) Be an actual SME (Subject Matter Expert) in your field;
3) Understand your objective is to attract, not sell.
4) Be consistent in your social activities without sacrificing your outbound call volume;
5) And know that when you generate a “warm lead,” you must still treat it like a cold call and follow the basic selling rules.
– Michael Pedone
Founder of SalesBuzz.com; An Award-Winning Online Sales Training Company that offers programs that Engage, Measure, and Increase Sales Performance. – Online Instructor-led & On-demand Sales Skills Workshops Available.
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