I have seen many companies do social media like they are talking to another corporate bot. This does not work! Even B2B is Human to Human.
The problem is that many sales leaders know what they did two years ago is less effective today, but they do not know what’s working now.
The mistakes I see are:
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- Salespeople thinking it is the job of marketing
- Business development managers, approaching prospects having not first done enough research into the person they are talking to, rather than the problem they want to solve.
- Thinking social media is not a business tool, that it’s all selfies and what’s for lunch.
- Or I hear people say on my masterclasses, “I’ve posted an article and a few messages on LinkedIn and nothing happened.”
There are many substantiated stats to support social media is an important business and sales enhancing tool, here are just three:
- 89% of top-performing salespeople said social networking platforms were important in closing deals as part of their sales strategy. (LinkedIn)
- 75% B2B buyers and 80% of executives’ buyers use social media to make purchasing decisions. (IDC study)
- 72% of Twitter followers are more likely to purchase from your business after an online engagement. (Shopify)
If you want to accelerate your results, you need a strategic social strategy aligned with your sales methodology, and for most salespeople, that means mastering social media.
In my 25 year relationship working in sales and mastering social, I have learnt a few things about modernising traditional sales methodology to embrace social selling. And the good news is that every business can increase their sales revenue conservatively by 20%, by adapting how they engage customers. I have worked with many sales leaders and understand that it is difficult to modernise sales methodology; however, this is no longer an option
Therefore, I developed the Scale Your Sales framework, to help companies modernise the sales methodology and to build strategic relationships into profitable partnerships.
My definition of social selling is, “finding relevant people to create opportunities to have relevant conversations.”
I am going to show you some elements of the Scale Your Sales framework, specifically Engage and Educate, the social selling strategies. The aim is to supercharge your social engagement and stand out to your relevant customer and most valued customers.
6 strategies to increase relevant engagement and revenues by 20%
- 80/20 your Most Valued Customers
- Get Found by key customers
- Build your Personal Profile
- Connect and Engage
- Educate to Add Value
- Create a Customer Strategic Growth Plan
- 80/20 your Most Valued Customers
First, identify who are your key customers.
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- Who are the customers that are a strategic fit for your products?
- Who are the customers that have the highest potential to return the highest revenues?
- Which customers have the most strategic importance?
These are your Most Valued Customer or Key Accounts. Usually, but not always, are your top 10%-20% of client that return 80% of your revenues.
- Get Found using the power of KEY words
Do not focus on trying to sell your company or yourself; focus on being found by your ideal and key customer. Your customers are looking for solutions; you must help them find yours.
“There are two ways to get leads; either you find them, or they find you. I know which I prefer! When I’m found, it is because people are interested in what I have to offer.”
If you wanted to be found by your key customers, establish what it would be for and then review the words and phrases these customers would search.
- Build your personal profile and personality online
So, you have been approached by your ideal potential customer what will they do? They will look you up on LinkedIn.
“Does your personal profile support you as a credible resource? If not, your personal outreach will be less effective.”
“You have a great product, but you are on the back foot peddling hard trying to get in front of a hot prospect, all because your profile does not support the impression you want to create.”
“People judge you by how you present yourself – they may not know you personally, how else can they judge your credibility? Invest in your personal online profile.”
- Connect and Engage
To engage on social media platforms, it is to have a 2-ways discourse or conversation, this is not a like, or a share. A conversation is measured by an exchange of comments. Engagement is about creating interest, sharing stories, experiences, your unique personality always, “people like to feel they know you before they get to know you.”
- Educate and add value
I entirely agree with Harvard Business statement
“With social selling, salespeople use social media platforms to research, prospect, and network by sharing educational content and answering questions. As a result, they’re able to build relationships until prospects are ready to buy.”
“To educate, you must know your customer well enough so you can give them what they need (rather than want you to want to sell).”
Do your research before following up and ask yourself before every interaction:
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- How am I adding value to X?
- How can I make it easy and enjoyable for X?
- How is this helping x move forward in their decisions and helping them resolve their problem?
- Customer Strategic Growth Plan
There is a difference between strategy and tactics. Many salespeople dabble in social tactics and wonder why it is time-consuming and not delivering the results. The Customer Strategic Growth Plan is created to ensure you do not waste time and effort. It instead creates a clear and consistent process to engage and educate with relevant people that you have identified as a strategic fit. The customer Strategic Growth Plan identifies the outcome you are looking for and plans how you are going to get the customer attention.
The evidence is clearly stated: your customers and buyers are online – looking for your solutions. If they cannot find you, how will you achieve the business ambitions?
I have given you six attraction strategies from the Scale Your Sales framework. These strategies will help you gain relevant attention, create relevant conversations to develop into profitable opportunities.
Opportunities are increasingly available online. You must have a strategic social sales system that attracts, engages and educate the relevant customers into relevant conversations and ultimately to scale your sales.
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