In this episode of the Selling in Asia podcast, I had a chat with my friend Natalia Wiechowski recently on a LinkedIn live to talk about how Social Selling to generate leads is more important now than ever before and how to use it to sell during this COVID era of limited in-person selling. As we’ve kind of stepped into the post-COVID era, consumers have just gotten used to buying things online. Enjoy the episode, and make sure to join me on LinkedIn to join future discussions live. So join me in this episode as I answer what exactly social selling is, how to get started and why an Omni-Channel Approach is crucial to your success.
What Is Social Selling?
Social Selling is the practice of incorporating social networks into your sales process, from prospecting to positioning to presenting. Social selling doesn’t replace sales fundamentals; instead, it evolves them. Today, social media allows sales professionals to engage directly with future customers without even picking up the phone. No more buying lists. No more cold calls. No more gatekeepers.
There’s never been a better time to be in sales. In this social media era, Social Selling is the evolution of sales. Buyers are constantly connected and on social media, learning more about your company and competitors. Social media has changed the buying process and, as a result, the selling process.
Don’t just take our word for it, though – Take a look at the Performance Benefits of Social Selling by comparing Social Selling Users with All Others. These numbers are from a whitepaper published by Hootsuite sourced by Aberdeen Group.
Total team attainment of sales quota 64% versus 49%
Customer renewal rate 55% versus 48%
Sales forecast accuracy of 54% versus 42%
Percent of sales reps achieving quota 46% versus 38%
Also read:
LinkedIn | Social Selling To Generate Leads
The dilemma with social media is that most salespeople don’t know where to start with so many platforms! You’ve probably asked yourself questions like, “What is the most effective platform to use when selling on social media?”, “Can we use social media to sell services to businesses that have multiple stakeholders?”, “How exactly do I gain a following on social media and generate leads?”
We suggest starting with LinkedIn – a business-oriented social networking site launched in May 2003 and is mainly used for professional networking. It has over 65 million registered users in more than 200 countries worldwide.
The site aims to allow users to maintain a list of people they know and trust in business. The people on the list are called Connections. A contact network is then built up consisting of direct connections, second-degree connections, and third-degree connections.
This can help gain an introduction to someone a person wishes to know through a mutual, trusted contact. LinkedIn Profile for Sales ProfessionalsThe LinkedIn Groups feature also allows users to establish new business relationships by joining alumni, industry, or professional and other relevant groups. I’ve been a user since 27 October 2006, and here’s how I create a LinkedIn profile for Sales Professionals. I have noticed that several of my clients prefer LinkedIn over other social media platforms.
Generating & Converting Leads Online | Social Selling To Generate Leads
The stats are undeniable when it comes to proving the effectiveness of social selling in generating leads. Almost three-quarters (73%) of companies that spend 6+ hours per week working on social media see increased lead generation. Additionally, The same percentage (73%) of salespeople say that they’ve outperformed their sales peers by leveraging social selling tactics.
While many companies struggle to generate qualified leads, more and more are starting to understand how to achieve this through social selling. One way is to encourage buyers to share their contact information and start a relationship with sales reps. Capturing e-mail addresses from prospects helps to fill your sales funnel.
You can do this through an opt-in page by offering and delivering something of value in exchange for their contact details. Another great tool for selling on social media is LinkedIn. Using LinkedIn, you can do a detailed search to find and message your prospects by connecting with them or paying for ‘InMail’ messages.
What next? | The Digital Sales Evolution
Buyers are constantly learning more about your company and competitors on social media. Social media has changed the buying process and, as a result, the selling process. Are you adapting your process to keep up with the evolution of sales? Discover our proven social selling process covered in this book, and you’ll soon begin to generate more leads and close more sales using social media.