The Benefits of Social Selling for Your Business
Saturday, January 2, 2021, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
Businesses and people have one crucial thing in common — they’re ever-evolving works in progress, thriving on connection.
Just as people need connections to reach their full potential, so businesses need customers.
These two can and do co-exist and overlap in the landscape of social networks.
You’ve got something to sell and your potential prospects are out there, lurking in all manner of virtual social platforms. So, reach out to them.
Social selling is nothing more than selling on social networks. It is far more sophisticated and far gentler on the knuckles than constantly knocking on closed doors.
This method can usher in a new era of entrepreneurial success for those who take the time to learn its rules and leverage its benefits to grow their brand and meet their business goals.
As an entrepreneur, you’re by necessity a salesman as well, and we’re here with a concise overview of the ways social selling can take your business to the next level.
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Shortening the Sales Cycle
A shorter sales cycle automatically means better use of your time and resources. The sooner you convert a prospect into a paying customer the better.
Social selling offers makes it far easier to find prospects who are already interested in the offer you provide.
Rather than just picking up the phone or shooting that introductory email into the void, take some time to investigate the profiles of your B2C or B2B prospects.
The information you collect that way will help you decide who to contact and target, and give you pointers on how to tailor your content and messages to better meet your objectives.
As a result, the sales cycle will automatically shorten.
By sending the right offer to the right person at the right time, you won’t have to convince clients of the benefits of your product or service as much.
Instead, you will be able to target those already familiar with your product or line of work.
Alternatively, finding all those who would benefit from your service becomes easier, as you can search potential clients by industry or interest much more conveniently.
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Managing Your Reputation Online
Reputation is a byproduct of all the interactions people have had with your business or brand, which stems from them exchanging information about those interactions.
At its core, the exchange of information is largely what comprises a social network.
This makes social networks on the internet the right domain for sharing information that builds your reputation, with little investment and large returns.
Social media is an amplifier.
What may have once been one complaining customer by a letter or email, now has the power to discredit you. Equally, a good review before was hard to get out there to the masses but now it can go viral.
Here are some quick tips on online reputation management:
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Investigate and be aware of how you’re perceived on social platforms
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Monitor the mentions
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Deal with negativity before it escalates
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Get in on important conversations in the industry
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Respond quickly and with respect
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Ask for reviews and demonstrate you’re listening
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Be helpful and offer advice and insight
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Build trust with relevant content and transparency
Despite risks inherent in social media, social networks still represent a great platform to demonstrate and offer value you can provide in a consistent, controlled, and planned manner.
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Nurturing Better Relationships With Prospects
The old motto of a seasoned salesperson, ABC —Always be closing (ABC) — may come across as harsh and cold in the social media setting, where softer interpersonal skills are just as necessary as a keen focus on sales.
Social selling allows for a warmer and more convenient approach to a prospect, on a platform where potential clients come primarily to connect with others.
On social media, you have to put in the effort to connect and build a relationship before you even touch the sales pitch.
We trust those we already have a rapport with more than strangers.
Be it another business, brand, or a person, a private or public conversation — show your prospects you’re there for them.
Share useful information in your field, provide value, and ask about their interests, pain points, and goals.
Offer insights something from your own experience, and ask about their own.
Also, comment and like on their content, but don’t just throw anything into the social ether.
Instead, make sure that anything you post is well-constructed and relevant.
Your prospects will begin to trust you and consider you an expert and a thought leader they would like to do business with.
If they establish a relationship with you, they will happily recommend you to their friends and/or business partners. More connection means less rejection.
Conclusion
Businesses have never had such a wide variety of options for reaching potential customers and nurturing relationships with them.
Social networks have expanded the marketplace, blurring the professional and personal aspects of our lives, and bringing brands and businesses into our line of sight daily.
There are major benefits for those who get good at using social channels for building awareness, credibility, and of course, sales.
The wealth of information available on social network profiles helps you zero in on the most viable prospects, shortening your sales cycle.
Reputation has always made and broken businesses of the past.
In social media, consumers now have an amplifier that enables them to broadcast opinions about goods and services they use, shaping buying decisions that much more.
However, the directness of social media also allows you to curate the information that circulates about your business, so be vigilant in streamlining your online reputation to fit what you want to convey to the public.
Finally, the first rule of social selling is to build relationships first. Increased sales will follow naturally.
That’s your golden standard when venturing into social sales. Remember: more connection means less rejection.
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Michelle Laurey works as a VA for small businesses. She loves talking business, and productivity, and share her experience with others. Outside her keyboard, she spends time with her Kindle library or binge-watching Billions. Her superpower? Vinyasa flow! Talk to her on Twitter @michelle_laurey.
