Social Selling – the New Way to Sell

Today I interviewed Brynne Tillman about social selling, which is the use of social media by sales professionals to generate revenue. The truth is, the internet has changed the way we gather information about people and businesses. Before the internet, if we wanted to find out if a product could help us, we had to engage with them directly.
Now, if we want to learn more, we go to Google. We can learn all about your product or service without ever talking to you. We can learn more on LinkedIn, Twitter, & facebook. Read reviews. And make a buying decision before we ever speak to a salesperson. According to Tillman, 40% of the buying decision is already made before we ever enter the store/site.
Read more to learn about which social media is a must for social selling, things you should know about blogging, and tricks for getting your messages to go viral.
Q: What do I need to know about social selling?
A: There’s a few things you should do: Listen: learn how to listen for what is important to your prospect. Follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter, read their blog, review their website for telling clues.

• Educate: Reach out to your prospects via social media platforms that they are receptive to.
• Prospect: Create branding, exchange ideas that can convert to lead capture (ie: a whitepaper in exchange for an email address)
• Position: Research and gather information that can be used to influence

Q: What’s a great tip for getting your network connections to spread the word about your product/service?
A: www.Clicktotweet.com is a great way to spread the word through referrals.
Q: Let’s talk about blogging. What’s the ground rules?
A: There are 3 main rules:

• Don’t sell
• Keep it short (2 paragraphs)
• Bring value

Q: What do I blog about?
A: Look around you for topics – a question that a client asked you, services that are included in your estimates, etc. Or you can read a competitor’s blog and do your own spin on it. But don’t copy theirs.
Q: What’s a great way to get your messages to go viral?
A: Visit www.scoopit.com – they are a great resource.
To get Brynne’s new book, LinkedIn & Social Selling for Business Development, click here…
Source: Social Sales Link
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