By Richard Lane.
Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer of durhamlane
Social selling has begun following suit of ‘cold calling’ for its reputation in being a shady sales technique, often fraught with scams and unsolicited pushy tactics.
However, when it is done correctly, social selling can be highly advantageous and a skill for every sale professional to have in their arsenal, giving them a plethora of data and helping them engage with a world-wide consumer base all at a click of their fingertips.
A recent study showed that ‘89% of top performing salespeople say social networking platforms, such as LinkedIn, are important in closing deals and are part of their sales strategy’.
Experts at durhamlane, an outsourced sales and marketing industry leader working with UK and international businesses offering frontline sales, have put together their ten dos and don’ts of social selling for B2B companies.
Do’s
Maintain your online brand
To gain the trust of prospective businesses and customers, it’s important to have an easily recognisable, professional brand online. Ensure your social platforms have the most up to date information, adhere to a consistent style and tone with your posts and outreach and above all, maintain your professional integrity, remembering that selling online, should be the same as any external meetings.
Do your research
If you delve into social selling without doing any prior research on your contact, eventually it may trip you up. Ensure you have looked into their brand or business, so you are prepared for any spontaneous questions if they ask for your opinion on it.
Listen carefully
Listen carefully and find out what your prospective customers are looking for. This can be carried out by social listening – paying attention to what businesses are talking about across their social media channels, or by investing time in getting to know businesses online, engaging with senior figures and decision-makers to learn about their concerns.
Be authentic
Be authentic, polite, and engaging. Prospective customers will see straight through insincerity and believe you are only thinking about your own best interests. People want to feel like they are talking to someone who is strategic, yet emphatic and understands how their business works.
Follow up
Whilst following up too often can be seen as a nuisance, others will appreciate a gentle nudge to show that you are still interested. Make note of the people you have been contacting and leave adequate time between conversations – don’t rush into following up and don’t leave it too long either.
Don’t go straight for the sale
Don’t go straight into the sales pitch – focus on the ‘social’ aspect more than the ‘selling’. Many sales people shoehorn old school hard-sell tactics into their social media, which is a complete turn-off. Instead, focus on relationship building with prospects; invest time in getting to know their businesses and what they are looking for. What are their current business pain points? Acknowledge their successes and give constructive criticism, before suggesting ways you can help them.
Don’t talk about yourself all the time
Do not brag about your company and your credentials. Whilst it is great that you have all this experience to share, focus on why you would be the best help for their business by sharing insights from a variety of reputable sources to showcase your knowledge on the industry.
Don’t bombard people online
When there are so many opportunities online, it can be very tempting to send messages to everyone on your contact list in the hope of closing a sale. But this can make you look desperate and unengaged with your key audience. Do your research to ensure you are targeting the most relevant people for your business.
Don’t ask for something before establishing a professional relationship
Trust is key to any business decision and asking for something before establishing a rapport with the prospective business could jeopardise that trust as it makes them feel like they are being taken advantage of.
Don’t neglect social selling training
Finally, don’t neglect your social training. Whilst it can be tempting to jump straight into the deep end, making sure yourself and your colleagues are up to date with all the recent techniques can help you deliver a professional and tailored pitch and raise your chances of closing a deal.
To find out how to drive trust through your LinkedIn profile and the importance of sharing authentic content with your network, experts at durhamlane have put together a podcast on creating value through the power of social selling.
