While many in sales may use social media for personal purposes, what is holding them back from utilizing this new media to build sales? A great article by sales motivator David Steel makes the case for leveraging social media in sales.
Steel lists some great reasons, but one in particular stands out. A possible objection to integrating social media and sales may be that one’s clients aren’t interested. Steel addresses this issue:
“Not everyone feels like they are tech savvy, and there are likely people that you would like to reach that are in this position. When you begin using social media as a sales strategy, you may have to overcome some biases and roadblocks along the way. Take the opportunity to actively promote social media, in general, among your customer base. The more people that use these sites, the better your sales team will be able to do their job. Offer workshops and seminars discussing social media and how it can help you stay in touch. You might be surprised at how many people are interested, but don’t know where to start. Offering this instruction can be the first step to developing a long-term relationship with potential customers.”
This is a particularly good piece of advice because it suggests just how those in sales can use social media to build stronger relationships with clients who may be wary of this new media type. Rather than shy away from Twitter or Facebook, use these tools to not only maintain relationships with those clients and prospects who use them, but also those that just aren’t sure yet.
Friday, Mar 26, 2010
Jessica Helinski