Social selling: what is it and how do you use it? 7 tips

[jrineakter]

Let me first dispel a myth. One that almost all traditional salespeople in the Netherlands are now falling over themselves. Social selling does not replace the old way of selling. Networking will continue to exist, sitting at the table and talking to your prospect will continue to exist, physical contact and simply picking up the phone the old-fashioned way will continue to exist. Salespeople and sales trainers in the Netherlands, do not worry. The arrival of social selling is actually good news. It only strengthens your current approach.


Social selling does not necessarily replace your current processes, it strengthens them. Sales and marketing come together in this and puts you as a person central. Customers no longer accept the hard sales skills of many salespeople. Customers no longer respond of their own accord to (too) expensive marketing campaigns created by marketers who know far too little about customer experience.

What exactly is 'social selling'?
Social selling is the art of making customers come to you. As a personal brand , you are central to this process. You share knowledge online via a number of social media hong kong telegram number list channels where your prospect is located and you interact with your followers. The goal is to create value, arouse curiosity, share knowledge and plant seeds online in the minds of your prospects. You turn the traditional sales process around and can ultimately approach your target group in a warm manner to come to an appointment.

You, as an expert, are in possession of valuable information (content) that you are going to share with your target group. This can be in the form of tips that you give away, articles that you write, videos that you record and webinars that you give. Make sure that the strategy and the means that you choose are close to you, so that it is authentic and that you stay motivated throughout the entire process.

business marketing online connection on mobile concept

Rexona can stay in the cupboard
I have some more good news for you. As I said; social selling does not necessarily replace traditional selling, but it does replace 'cold calling'. Cold feet and sweaty armpits when picking up the phone are a thing of the past. You no longer have to come up with excuses to get out of this task - which many people still experience as one of the most difficult parts of the sales process. Gone are the days of: "What are you calling about? You're really the twentieth person to call today. If I'm interested, I'll get in touch myself. I'm not interested!"

People do business with people
In the 'social sales process' it is about you as a person. Your personal branding is incredibly important. Always, but especially during social selling. Dare to convey your vision about your field and dare to share your knowledge in the market. You owe it to yourself and your potential customers. What you have studied or learned (without studying) and what knowledge you possess, matters and is important to share! Dare to stand in your authentic power. Show yourself, without bragging too much. Share and inspire. Take people along in your story.

Dare to share your vision about your field of expertise and dare to share your knowledge in the market.

The competitor is stealing my information
Unfortunately, I still encounter them: old-fashioned people. They are often people who want to protect, people who believe that if they share their knowledge online, the competition will run off with it. They are convinced that the competition steals their ideas and then markets them just a little bit better. It is a shame and sad if you think that, because it limits your profiling and your thinking. You do not start from your own strength, from the quality and authenticity of your organization, but you are always busy with 'the other'. Knowledge is available everywhere these days, it is no longer a scarce commodity. The motto is therefore: share your knowledge, create value, arouse curiosity, dare to give away and trigger your prospects to contact you.

Do you want to be shortlisted?
During a presentation on this subject, about two years ago, I presented the figures that come from Eloqua. These figures showed that 67 percent of buyers make a shortlist during their purchasing process based on online research, without personal contact with the account manager. Their preliminary research and the further formulation of criteria are therefore largely based on online information. So if you can't be found online, you are simply not included in the process. Social selling is not the future, it is now. It is the current time and online and technical developments are only going faster and faster. So if you don't get on board now (or haven't gotten on board), you will miss out later.