Social Media Selling, People and Personality

You’ll have had to be stuck in a cave if you haven’t noticed how the way we work is changing.

The use of social media as a sales tool, for example.  Done properly, a very useful weapon to employ.  But if you get it wrong, you can be left wondering what all the fuss is about.

So let’s give you a few pointers to help make sure you get it right!

How we buy has changed

It’s no longer just about getting a few quotes and settling on the cheapest price.  These days people respond far more emotionally in their purchasing decisions, people buy something from a person or company they have bought into on a person level.

If someone doesn’t know you and trust you, why will they buy from you?

They won’t.  They buy it from someone they do.

It’s a slower process, but building rapport and trust takes time.  But if you don’t put in the effort, you are losing potential sales to competitors who are prepared to get to know potential customers before pitching at them.

Connect and engage

One of the biggest SM turn offs is the person who sends a sales message hot on the heels of a connection being accepted.  Don’t ever do it!

Send a friendly message thanking them for the connection, let them know what you do if they need your help in future and that you’ll look forward to seeing them on posts.

Comment on their business posts; add value to them.  Have a laugh with them on light posts, sympathise with the bad times, get to know them.

If you met at a networking event, you’d have a chat, you wouldn’t go straight in with a sales pitch, would you?

It’s just the same on SM!

Personality-led marketing

The greatest weapon in your sales arsenal is YOU.

It’s difficult to stand out in a crowded marketplace, the way you do so is by showing the real you.

Your home, your family, the things you hold dear, your hobbies, what makes you laugh, what makes you angry, be upfront and tell people about yourself.

Don’t listen to the ‘this isn’t Facebook’ brigade.  No it isn’t, and different platforms have different techniques, but the basic tactic remains the same.

It’s SOCIAL media, after all, and being sociable involves far more than purely talking shop.

Don’t be afraid to take risks, shoot videos, if it isn’t the most polished performance you can work on it and improve.   Be a splash of colour in a sea of beige and you’ll be the one that gets noticed because you have been prepared to stand out and maybe not take yourself too seriously!

Not all about you

You might feel uncomfortable at first about opening up about yourself.

You’ll get over it. you don’t have to talk about anything you’re uncomfortable with, but showing personality enhances the credibility of both you and your brand.

Remember, you might feel uncomfortable but people are only going to be comfortable having the sales conversation with someone they have met and bought into!

Relax, enjoy it and you’ll actually have some fun in the process!

Show your purpose and ethics

Successful SM marketing is all about showing your audience your business purpose and ethics, people are very keen to d business with people who share their values.

It’s the companies that show their purpose both internally with their team members and externally with their potential customer base that get the leads flowing into their pipelines!

Your people, your ambassadors

Don’t muzzle your employees on SM, they are the best ambassadors you could possibly have.

If you trust them enough to work with them, let them promote your business through SM too, especially if you struggle in this area yourself.

It really empowers people when they are trusted to network, because that’s exactly what it is, it’s additional relationship building and shows you really get what SM is all about.

Happy staff, happy company, isn’t that the sort of business that attracts people?

The sales pitch

Leave any direct sales messaging until you have engaged with your prospect for 3 weeks.

Keep it friendly, but don’t be afraid to ask the question if you might be able to help them.  Don’t assume you can, ask!

But the fact you have engaged with them and are not just trying to sell to a stranger will get a far better response, even if an immediate sale isn’t imminent.

You are laying the foundations for the future because you are talking to a person, not just a faceless prospect.

Personality, personality, personality

Just because you show personality doesn’t mean to say you aren’t being professional, it just makes you a person with hopes, fears and dreams like everyone else.  Be open, honest, sincere and approachable with your connections and good things will follow, it really is as plain simple as that.

And if you struggle…..

We hope you have found our tips useful, try them and see for yourself!  But if you are struggling to come up with a strategy that works or to clearly express your personality and purpose, we’ll be pleased to help you with it, just ask!