Social Media for Sales: Setting Up Ground Zero

I started to title this series–Social Selling. But, how ridiculous is that? Selling has always been social. Selling has to be social. Failing to understand this principle is where most begin their trek to failure in sales.

Social selling is an assumption, not an innovative idea.

Why Social Selling Works

With the the grand epiphany that selling is social in place, I am excited to start a series on Social Media for Sales. Why am I so excited?

1. Social Media is Fun - Doing something fun means it will get your time and attention.

2. Social Media is Insightful - Social profiles are full of conversation starters.

3. Social Media is Linked - Social media has a network element, revealing valuable connections.

Social Media gives you a clear advantage over “knocking on doors” and “pounding the phones” traditional selling. However, being successful at social selling does means remembering the fundamentals of that tradition–making introductions and building relationships.

Start with the Objective

Let’s start at the beginning. After all, you have to start somewhere and most make this choice poorly.

For social media to provide a steady return on your investment (primarily time) you need to carefully consider your end game. What are you trying to accomplish?

• Earning money?
• Building reputation?
• Creating a community?
• Lead generation?

Chances are you are trying to do a little bit of all of these things. So prioritize the list and start with the fundamentals (i.e., building credibility, trust, awareness).

Create a Home Base

In the age of the ubiquitous Web–one where the Yellow Pages go straight to the recycling bin–you have to have an Internet storefront.

I’m not sure how this can be anything other than a blog. I know some people are having success with Facebook Fan Pages, but I’m really partial to the flexibility that a blog gives you.

The most important thing is that you have a hub to funnel in inquires, build trust and community, and from which to syndicate new marketing content.

Decide on the (home base) format that fits you best and then we build on that in the article on Social Media for Sales.

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Related posts:

1. Social Media, Who is Responsible for the ROI?
2. Getting Started With Social Media
3. Social Media Changing the Way We Sell
4. Are You Using Social Media or is it Using You?
5. Social CRM and Social Selling-You’d Better Learn It!