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How do your successful salespeople leverage social media for selling?
What social media channels do they use? What aspect(s) of selling do they use it for? What aspect(s) of selling do they find it most useful for and how?
Answers may be included in an upcoming report.
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15 Answers
Well, Paul is being a little cynical, but the truth is that many sales teams and individual contributors are still figuring it all out. I think the key is not in thinking of using social media to "sell". The goal is to create value, engage people in ways that lead them to want to know more and create credibility and visibility for your expertise. I like to say that just because we have something to sell doesn't mean that your prospect is ready to buy. In today's social sales world, you need to be the name that your prospect thinks of when they have a need. You have to stand out and be visible day in and day out.
The social channels that sales people will use will depend on who they target. Many people get all worked up about the size of the Facebook community, but it is truly a B2C platform. It is more informal in nature on personal Facebook pages but it does serve the corporate enterprise by creating Fan Pages that engage current clients in ways that keep them raving fans who tell their friends. Over time that leads to an increase in sales. But the truth is those pages are about marketing and branding versus selling.
On the B2B side of the house, LinkedIn is the premier networking tool in the US with some 40 million members of the 100 million+ community. Many people know how to invite people to their network, but they usually do not know what to do after that.
Here are a few of the ways that savvy B2B sales people will leverage LinkedIn (I'll save Twitter for another day).
-Advanced people search: Create prospecting lists based on the criteria of your ideal buyers. Save the list and LinkedIn dynamically updates and alerts you weekly to the new people matching your criteria who have joined the network. Each week, you can then plan your strategy with respect to how you'll approach the initial interaction.
-Applications: Use the applications to add video, compelling presentations, white papers and case studies or sync your blog posts to your profile. Keep your content fresh and people pay attention. In the past 8 weeks, I've secured 4 paid gigs and in every single case, I was told it was because my profile stood out from the rest AND because they liked the video. It is all about engaging people and enticing them to want to know more.
-Polls: Create a poll to gather real-time trending information that you can share with your prospective buyers.
-Status updates: Ongoing status updates that are "relevant" and provide value to others keep sales people visible, because at the end of the day, it is all about visibility.
-Groups: Leveraging groups (the right groups!) give you an incredible opportunity to demonstrate credibility, but not selling!
-Answers: Use the Answers section to listen and respond to the questions that people are asking. Every single day people ask what products to buy and from whom.
-Events: Hosting an educational session for potential clients? Use the events functionality and use it to share with your network.
Like any other technology, social media only helps you if you know what to do with it. So, begin with a purpose for what you want to accomplish, think about how you want to achieve your objectives, invest in some training, execute daily and monitor your results. It is consistency that wins.
Finally, as a sales person, you may not think using social media holds value but research confirms that decision makers do a lot of research before ever talking to a sales person these days. If you are not visible on social media, you risk losing out on sales opportunities. Do you really want your prospects to find your competition first?
The modern "social' sales person leverages social media in a number of ways. Here are three:
1. They cultivate their personal brand -- The one thing I learned early in sales is that the most unique thing you are selling is not always the company or the product, but it is always you. Social media provides you a unique opportunity to build your brand as well as endless opportunities to ruin your brand. The first thing anyone does before meeting with someone is to check their Linkedin profile. Successful social sales people carefully and thoroughly COMPLETE their Linkedin profile including picture. All their social bios (twitter, etc) are meaningful, unique, and memorable. Limit access to your facebook if it has any offensive or borderline offensive photos.
2. They are present and aware -- Step #1: Figure out where your buyers are. Step #2: Be there Step #3: Contribute without intruding on the safe social environment people are interacting in. You hear a lot of stories of vendors finding leads in social platforms, but a lot of sales people are just "there" -- contributing and building both trust and reputation. This approach serves them well. Many people are not just turned off by sales in general but are absolutely repulsed by sales people invading their online conversation to sell them something. My advice to sales people is to get "in the mix", but don't sell. Join the community and have conversations with industry leaders, peers,and end users. There are sales people who have built their online presence to the point where prospects have reached out to them for advice. That's a big win.
3. Prepare -- Prospect research has changed forever. In no other time in my life have we seen prospects update their own information and update you on what they are doing in the personal and professional life! Today's modern social sales person is exceptionally prepared for their sales calls. One tip: company data is interesting (ie the info on Google Alerts about your sales prospect's company -- "New product launch etc"), but prospect social data is even more interesting because it will tell you what the person really cares about ("Just got back from sales training in Florida, learned a ton!").
I see five specific uses of social media by successful salespeople:
1. Getting new introductions from their existing network
2. Getting new introductions from others in your organization
3. Watch for buying signals across the social Web
4. Build deeper, early relationships with new prospects
5. Directly share information, become an expert, and generate a following
Detail/context below:
1. Getting new introductions from their existing network
It's so easy, on sites from LinkedIn to Facebook and more, to see who your existing "friends" and connections already know. On LinkedIn, for example, you can quickly search for contacts you want to meet based on which of them are already connected to people in your existing network.
This is one of the best ways to get referrals and introductions, not by asking your network to "keep you in mind" but, instead, periodically asking for specific introductions. By getting specific, your conversion rate goes up and you're talking to the people you specifically want to meet and sell to.
2. Getting new introductions from others in your organization
Your existing organization - the sales team, yes, but I'm thinking the rest of the company too - is a gold mine of potential introductions. Especially founders, long-time employees and others who have spent a long time in your industry. They know people, people know them, and they're more likely to help you make connections and new introductions.
3. Watch for buying signals across the social Web
One of the greatest opportunities for salespeople via social media is to see into the buying cycle far earlier than we've typically had access to. Before social media, we could deepen our understanding of the buyer and use outbound marketing to connect with a particular need, try and find resonance with a buying signal, etc. But that, at best, was a fishing expedition most of the time.
Now, if you know the buying signals and pain/problem keywords your prospects typically exhibit before they're ready to buy, you can watch for those discussions and keywords across the social Web. Do a couple keyword searches on Twitter, for example, and you'll be surprised how many people, in real-time, are talking about their existing challenges, their frustrations with competitive products and more.
4. Build deeper, early relationships with new prospects
Here's exactly how you do it (at least with Twitter, but other social channels can likely be done in a similar fashion). Build a list of the prospects in your territory or market. With the help of an admin or an outsourcing service like eLance, go and collect the Twitter handles of each company and as many of the individuals as you can find.
Using your own Twitter account, follow those companies and individuals. Then, using a tool such as HootSuite, set up a separate column where you can specifically watch activity from those prospects. This makes it easier and faster to engage with them on a regular basis. Answer their questions. Share a resource. Retweet their articles. In other words, use their attention to this social channel to build value by interacting where they are already spending their time and looking for information.
5. Directly share information, become an expert, and generate a following
You are an expert. You understand your market, your customer's problems, and the information they need to be more successful. You read the trade publications and regularly (possibly daily) find articles that your prospects and customers should read.
Through your own social channels, you can become a go-to resource for current and prospective customers. If you're filtering information that's specifically interesting to them, they'll gravitate towards you. And when they follow you and their peers see that as well, you'll increase access and introductions to even more new prospects.
Actually, leveraging social media is critical for sales. We have to meet our customers "where they are hanging out," and a lot of that is in social media venues. We participated in some research OgivlyOne conducted. In a survey of 1000+ sales people around the world, 85% agreed that customers are more informed about products and services, largely because of social media. Over 49% agreed that social media helps sell (the most surprising result was how important it is in developing countries (BRIC) 72% responded that selling is changing radically--largely driven by social media.
If our customers are already there (as research would indicate), then we as sales people can't afford not to be there and participating.
We believe social media provides a set of tools that complement those already used by high performing sales professionals. Initially, sales people should use social media (blogs, discussion forums, websites, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter) primarily for listening and learning--what are the customers saying/asking, what is competition doing, etc. They should be engaging customers there, as well as using traditional channels. They need to be taking part in social conversations, they need to be representing their products and solutions in those conversations.
In most B2B activities, we beleive social media will be a component, but not the exclusive component of how people will become informed about alternatives and begin their buying processes. Social media interactions will be mixed with other interactions--the sales person has to manage all those conversations and interactions.
With all the talk in the market about the importance of customer/buyer engagement, it is vital that today's B2B rep use social as a means to dialogue with their buyers and customers.
As reps thought the dialogue must change from one of pure sales to one of helping shape the discussion and to establish themselves as a thought leader and knowledgeable about their market, their buyers challenges and seen as a resource for answers (akin to Craig's personal brand item). The best way to do this is via social and the more reps understand that their involvement in this medium and having an active part in the discussion is key to the buying decision, the more they will begin to engage.
The one rep that I have seen do this very successfully is Jill Rowley of Eloqua. She understands the value of being in conversation with buyers, promoting thought leadership and being sought after for inputs to challenges and issues. More and more I think we will see reps looking to adapt their methods and follow suit.
Carlos Hidalgo
The Annuitas Group
@cahidalgo
Social media is a great tool for salespeople, but for not for the reasons that some people believe.
Social media isn’t a replacement for the prospecting activities that success in sales requires, as some seem to suggest. It is a simply a set of tools that allow the execution of some of those activities.
There is way too much focus on using social media tools for inbound marketing, and way too little on leveraging the tools to better enable the execution of the fundamental roles of salespeople: opening new opportunities. Opening new opportunities isn’t a passive activity, and salespeople who wait for their prospects to find them aren’t successful by any of the measures we use in sales.
The salespeople who are successfully using social media are using the tools to identify and open communication with their dream client contacts. They are using tools like LinkedIn to identify the people who they can most easily create value for within their target accounts. More still, they are researching their prospects, discovering what they are reading, what they are writing about, and where their interests lie.
Social media better enables salespeople to know who to call and how they might best create value for those people.
Successful salespeople are also using social media to identify the relationships that their prospective clients have to other people they already know. Successful salespeople aren’t afraid to leverage their relationships, to ask for introductions, and to rely on the people they know and what they know to open these relationships.
Because these social media connections exist, what was once invisible is now visible; it’s easy to identify relationships and leverage them to find a way in.
But it’s important to remember that your prospective clients are also using the tools to learn about you. Recently, I called on a major prospective client. After our meeting, he searched for my name on the Internet and found that we had a common connection on Facebook (his best friend from high school). He called his friend to get a reference on me before deciding whether or not to move forward. Fortunately, his friend recommended my work.
Social media is no longer something salespeople can opt out of. It reminds of what President Richard Nixon used to say about foreign affairs: “You might not be interested in the world, but it’s interested in you.”
Everytime they receive a referral, email or leadership content, they highlight names mentioned in document, then research mentioned leaders, clients and customers even competition and send a note or invite asking to join their conversations via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms.
i.e., I read Joanne Black's book, No More Cold Calling. She mentions many individuals in her book. One individual is Susan RoAne and Susan has written books on How to Work a Room and The Secrets of Savvy Networking. I reached out to Susan, referencing Joanne's connection to me, and how I found out about Joanne.
By connecting with each other, you then can offer assistance or referrals and also build a trusted network of individuals to help build your referral base.
Most people are thrilled you took the time to reach out to them when reading their books, viewing their videos, etc.
I think the key is to take your offline relationships online. Then take your online relationship offline.
I think the key to social media is the ability to passively stay in from of your prospects. If you are "friends" with your clients and prospects then they see all your updates. They fell like they "know" you much better.
People do business with people they know, like, and trust.
Social media is just a tool available to you as a sales professional.
@Barbara has some great comments about the tactics but I think "know, like, trust" is the strategy.
Social and Selling shouldn't be a new concept. It has always been about social. Social Media introduced new tools to the environment and if considered in that light, should be a comfortable step for successful sales teams.
Craig R. says in his comment "...the most unique thing you are selling is not always the company or the product, but it is always you." Social media provides platforms for the individual sales rep to stand out from the crowd like never before. To be the one who is providing the most helpful information, the best references, and what is going on in that industry/market. This is an opportunity, not a problem. The comments posted here are packed full of very effective ways to use social media. There is someone in sales, either you or your competitor, starting new relationships, having meetings and getting sales every day.
I recommend that sales open their consideration more broadly than just the big three of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Each has its place and purpose in an overall Social strategy that must be in place prior to any active social media use for a company or an individual producer.
How about a personal landing page for you as an individual where prospects/customers can go to learn more about you. Take a look at creating an http://about.me page, and then highlight all of your other online activities with links to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and even your company website for example.
Become an industry source of knowledge by using one or more of the many curation tools that are now available, many at no cost. Storify.com and Paper.li are both excellent examples of tools that if trained on their use, will provide a polished source of that industry information, trends and thought leadership that your prospects and buyers are looking for. And it can come from you each morning or once per week, into their email. If they are receiving value, they forward it on to others in their company and to peers in their industry. Everyone wins.
Mike D. laid out a proven way to get results from all this when he said "an organized approach...that sales can personalize. Conduct a training course with sales to show them the different social media outlets...”
Mike's comments brought to mind one of my favorite Sun Tzu quotes: "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."
Sales is social, and social is sales. The tools have changed but the end goal is the same: Have a valued product or service, be a professional, listen to understand the customer’s needs, and then deliver solutions to those needs.
Continue to ignore or stand on the sidelines at your own peril.
So far we have been distributing info and helpful hints. I like Marge's more proactive invitation process. I, too, have found people delighted to speak about their passion or interest. The method is to invite people into my conversation. It's only good manners.
As it was already (and reasonably) mentioned - social media is the place where a sales professional can prove his of her credibility be participating in discussions, answering questions, helping people solving problems. That's the way to make connections in professional networks and build reputation and trustworthy connections.
another aspect - monitoring the current trends and news in the industry where your leads come form. twitter allows to get informed on this issues and form your specific problem-solving approach and offer best solution and service.
Third aspect - creating engagement for your product or service. This applies mostly to the company, but can work for a person as well if you work on building personal brand. By developing public profiles and pages in social media, sharing the updates with your followers you gain in credibility and thus raise the engagement raise.
all these activities in the long run lead to increase of sales. It's a long process, you won't get drastic chanches quickly, but it generates revenues ultimately.
I believe there is an aspect of Social Media for Sales People that has been untapped. I would call it Social Sales Enablement.
The typical sales person is wondering what to do. Should they tweet about something? Invite clients to their facebook page (not recommended if pictures of beer are included)? Should they participate in LinkedIn discussions?
The list goes on, but what I suggest is needed is an organized approach, led by marketing or sales ops, that sales can then personalize.
Ideas:
- Conduct a training course with sales to show them the different social media outlets, with significant focus on LinkedIn and any relevant market community sites.
- Provide regular pre-formatted assets that sales people can use (tweets, slideshare, topics of interest, point them to online discussions).
- Monitor your sales team's usage. Coach them if they are going off-brand. Nudge them if they need to participate more.
Treat Sales Team's use of Social Media the same as you would any other marketing channel. But let them maintain a personal twist on it.
Mike Damphousse
CEO, Green Leads
http://www.greenleads.com/b2b-blog/
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To Craig's point about branding, I also want to give a shout out to Focus.com. As noted in my earlier post, I'm an avid LinkedIn user and have been for 7 years. A few months ago, a colleague turned me on to Focus. As I've become more active, I'm finding it an incredible vehicle for sharing my thoughts on business questions relevant for me that hopefully add value to the community discussion. Since becoming more active, I have people following me, reaching out to me over Twitter and inviting me to connect on LinkedIn. The visibility is priceless!
Oh, and I am thrilled to say that I hosted a Focus Roundtable on Tuesday, 6/14. You all might find it interesting as we talked about Driving Revenue with Social Selling, Lead Generation and Next Generation Mobile Engagement. http://www.focus.com/roundtables/drive-salerevenue-social-selling-lead-genera...
Great comments, and I appreciate the opportunity to learn from everyone's perspectives!
Well there ya go Lauren
By nobody answering yet you may have solved that lingering question as to the validity of social media
My conclusion is - no answers means - NO successful salespeople leveraging social media!
lol
Keeping this short, social media is the next wave in helping sales people to distinguish one from another. Linkedin is a great tool and powerful. When used correctly this is your online resume and level of accomplishments. Driving prospective clients to your social media sites can position yourself as an expert in your field and help you to stand out in the crowd.
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