Technology has revolutionized nearly every facet of our lives, if not most of our daily activities. In today’s well connected world, the consumer market is almost completely on the web. How consumers, educate, engage and purchase is largely if not fully, ONLINE! Thus, the selling process has evolved with it, meaning it has become social. Social selling has really taken flight in the last 2 years, from corporations and businesses having a social media presence to supplement their endeavors to social selling becoming a necessity and market of its own.

People engage with each other through social media, and social selling is basically just that. Businesses, primarily B2B, engaging with customers and prospects through social media. Social Selling is not limited to B2B community but is for anyone wanting to extend their personal brand and connect through the Interweb.

This cultivation of relationships through outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, is now an essential part of the selling process.

On average decision makers consume 5 pieces of content before being ready to speak to a representative.

So it’s safe to say that those in the sales industry who do not utilize social selling techniques will most likely be left in the dust.

What are the fundamental components of social selling?

First and foremost, you need to establish a social media presence so that you are visible to people who are doing the research. You need to know your customer, what is attractive to them, what their needs are. Also identify potential customers through social media. What are the drivers that dictate their activity? Today’s consumer has an expectation of the sales person to already know about them, to be relevant to their wants and needs before they choose to engage. Target your prospects by researching and participating in places where they are active, this is called ‘social prospecting.’

“82% of prospects can be reached via social media”

Now that you know who your audience is, you can create meaningful and insightful content that they will appreciate. The best way to be of value to a potential customer is to provide them with useful information. Showcase your expertise with authenticity. Content quality and frequency will build brand visibility and integrity. Once you have shaped your brand, made contact, and formed relationships through these channels you can achieve your sales goals, and yield tangible results.

What’s next?

The core of social selling relies on the ability to nurture the 1 on 1 relationship. You can formulate long term social selling strategies by implementing different techniques that will generate leads and return customers. HOW? Through tools that increase your connectivity and collaborative efforts! Check out how to utilize your sales team with Limber.