For the longest time, cold calling, as well as door-to-door selling, have been the main strategies marketing and sales professionals have been using in order to find new clients and close their deals. However, with these traditional techniques, it will most likely take longer to close your sales since rapport and trust between you and your customers is not something that can be built overnight. And that is why you may want to consider social selling.
So what is social selling? You use platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus, just to name a few, to get, connect with, understand, as well as nurture your sales prospects. Social selling is a modern way of developing meaningful relationships with your potential customers, who will ultimately keep you and/or your brand in their minds. You will become their first point of contact anytime they need the kinds of products or services you offer. Some of the reasons you should consider social selling for your business:
1. Build Real Relationships With Your Customers
The fact is, most people dislike cold calling. Up to 90% of top decision-makers never respond to cold calls. By using social tools, your sales team is able to listen in on conversations that are relevant to your specific industry. You can position yourself as a thought leader and contribute to discussions relevant to your business. This practice will enable your sales team to more easily identify new leads - people who are currently talking about your kind of business, your industry, or your competitors on social media. You can then reach out to potential new customers with relevant information on how you could meet their needs, or alleviate their pain with your solutions at the right time.
2. Build Brand Awareness
If you want to significantly grow the awareness about your brand among potential customers, social selling is a powerful tool for you. Skim through relevant conversations concerning your products, service, or industry. Create meaningful conversations, build authority, increase engagement and ultimately boost brand awareness by sharing real value.
3. Increase Your Sales
The ultimate goal of social selling is to drive new sales and increase customer loyalty. Finding the lead is only the beginning of the process, converting it into a sale is the next step. Through effective social media engagement, you can convince your potential customers of the added value and the advantage your solutions have over similar ones on the market. Positive reviews from other satisfied customers will also boost your credibility and encourage other customers to try you out.
Final verdict: it is important that you do not confuse social selling with social media marketing. Unlike social media marketing, which mostly broadcasts sales messages or advertisements to just about anyone on social media platforms, social selling usually involves one-on-one interactions between the salesperson and their prospects. If social selling is implemented correctly, it will improve your relationships with your customers, existing and new, and help establish greater brand awareness and increased sales.