While decision-makers and buyers, whether consumers or professionals, are increasingly using social networks and the recommendations of those around them to make their purchasing decisions, mastering social sales is becoming more and more essential for the representatives. Be careful, when I talk about social sales, I’m not talking relational sales. This second approach rarely allows full value to be sold, and the representatives who adopt it are often limited to serving their existing customers without necessarily generating new sales. On the other hand, social sales can be placed upstream of a consultative selling approach and help position representatives as trusted advisors. If your role involves selling and identifying new business opportunities, adopting best social selling practices can help you achieve your goals.
Why can social sales help achieve the goals in 2017?
While 90% of decision makers were unaware of cold calls as early as 2014 ( Source: IDC ), one understands the need to approach prospects differently. B2B decision makers are present and open on LinkedIn, for example, because they find community and exchange values there. It is therefore a very conducive environment for building relationships that do not start on a contact to sell a product or service. On the contrary, social networks make it possible to build both your network and your personal brand , thus gaining visibility and credibility as an expert in your field. This has the effect of increasing the scope of your messages continuously and generating references and recommendations.
