Social selling is the process of developing relationships as part of the sales process. The evolution of the sales process is designed to efficiently integrate technology, find customers and make connections online.
It comes in many forms, but social selling is synonymous with LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
The word “social” transcends online and offline worlds but the goal remains the same, which is to develop a trusted relationship that leads to doing business together.
The first step is to ALWAYS get an initial meeting or New Business Meeting.
On average, this takes 8 touches to get an initial meeting (or other conversion) with a new prospect. Touch is defined as a significant, value-added interaction that results in a positive step forward.
Touches are always in omnichannel form and can translate to calls, emails, or LinkedIn messaging to name a few ways.
Some examples of social selling techniques include sharing relevant content, interacting directly with potential buyers and customers, personal branding, and social listening.
Social Selling is gaining popularity in a variety of industries, though it is used primarily for B2B (business-to-business) selling or highly considered consumer purchases (e.g., financial advisory services, automotive, realty).
C2C companies (often referred to as direct selling companies) have been using social selling techniques (i.e. relationship building) since far before the Internet existed. B2B and B2C companies are now adopting many of those techniques as they are translated to social media platforms.
While social selling is sometimes confused with social marketing, there are two key differences. First, social selling is focused on sales professionals, rather than marketing professionals. Second, social selling aims to cultivate one-on-one relationships, rather than broadcast one-to-many messages.
Anthony Lobosco
