How Sales People Use Social Media

Using social media to drive the sales process

By Jeremy Miller

It's quite remarkable to consider that Facebook was only launched to the public in September of 2006. In less than four years Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms have had a profound impact on business. Marketing has jumped in with both feet and embraced it. And why not? These sites are remarkable platforms to connect with engaged communities, execute marketing campaigns, generate leads and build brands. But what about sales people? What is their role in this social media revolution?

As powerful as social media is for marketing, it's equally powerful for sales people. Rather than trying to connect with an entire market, sales people have a unique advantage to embrace social media to support their day-to-day selling activities. Sales people can embrace social media in three ways:

1. Listen
2. Network
3. Participate

Listen

Stay in the know. The first place your customers go to find out about your company is the Web. What are they finding?

Stay on top of all the activity happening in your industry by setting up Google Alerts. Every week Google will send you an email with all the latest results for targeted searches you define. This helps you stay in the know, and be the first to see any new content relevant to your business. Add search phrases related to your company, your products, your industry and your competitors. Consider all the phrases your customers might use to find information on your company, and use that as a starting point for setting up your Google Alerts.

After you setup Google Alerts, setup saved searches in Twitter and LinkedIn. This will take you beyond Web content, and plug you into the discussions happening in social media. This has an added value by directing your attention to the key influencers in your industry, as well as the key conversations your customers are having.

By plugging in and listening sales people can greatly expand their expertise. If you get a flow of information weekly you will be able to stay on top of trends, learn and develop your position as a subject matter expert.

Network

Social media was made for networking. Tools like LinkedIn are excellent for identifying and connecting with key contacts. But be purposeful in your online networking process. The same rules of networking apply online as they do in real life.

Build quality relationships based on trust and value. Simply adding contacts and accepting every invitation that hits your inbox is not networking. That's like going to your local chamber of commerce, handing out fifty cards and never following up with anyone you met. Make an effort to connect with people you want to know, and then work to understand them and bring them value. Remember "givers gain." Help your contacts build their businesses, and they will reward you in kind.

Connect and participate regularly. Trust takes time. You have to make your presence known, and make an active investment in your networking activities. Make an effort to login, engage and participate in your social media networking activities at least once a week. The more time you invest in the process the greater the results.

Participate

At its highest level, social media is about participation. Sales people should have an opportunity to be active, vocal personalities in their organization's online communities. They don't necessarily lead the charge, that's marketing's job, rather they participate as subject matter experts. Sales people can respond to questions, and share their wisdom on a strategic basis.

Participating in social media enables sales people to develop their personal brands while bringing value to the online communities. Sales people have a unique perspective that adds rich expertise to the community and supports the sales process. They have a lot to offer.

Participation is tricky though, because not all sales organizations are equipped to have their sales teams participate in social media. Really this boils down to questions of compensation and management. How will sales people be compensated for their online activities? What happens if they generate leads outside of their territories? Does management want their sales people involved in lead generation and community development, or working with active prospects and customers in the sales process? These are big questions, and need to be tackled head on. Otherwise these issues will pop up in unexpected ways, and cause unnecessary organizational conflict.

Levels of Engagement

Listening, networking and participating are levels. You start with listening and grow from there. Every sales person does not need to be an active social media participant, but they definitely have to be using the tools.

Take a key sales activity like strategic account planning. By listening and networking online you will have access to richer information on your customers, and better insights on how to sell to them. For example, you can use LinkedIn to figure out the key contacts in an account you are selling to, who they are connected with and who are you connected to that could provide you with introductions. You can then use Google, Twitter and other platforms to improve your understanding of your customer, their industry and how you can bring value to their business. All of these data points allow sales people to understand their customers, approach them strategically and bring value to the conversation.

Social media's influence is only going to grow. Sales people can't just sit on the sidelines, and let marketing do all the heavy lifting. They too have to get engaged and figure out ways they too can leverage the power of online communities to drive the sales process.

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If you want to learn more on this topic check out my podcast, Social Networking in Sales on Salesopedia.

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Jeremy Miller is a Partner with LEAPJob. LEAPJob is a sales and marketing recruiting firm in Toronto, Canada. You can reach Jeremy at Jeremy.Miller@LEAPJob.com or 905.281.3090, Ext. 22. For more information on LEAPJob please visit http://www.LEAPJob.com.