3 Steps to Social Selling Mastery

The writing is on the wall. Social selling adoption and engagement is no longer a “nice to have.” Simply put, the traditional way of selling has been replaced in the era of digitally enabled buyers. That means you need to embrace new ways of finding, engaging, and converting prospects to customers. Here are three ways you can master social selling and thrive as a modern sales professional.

Start with Relationships

Behind every closed deal is a strong relationship. As you interact with multiple stakeholders in a complex sale over a lengthy period, you can strengthen those relationships on social networks. On LinkedIn, you can interact with prospective buyers by commenting on their posts and by sharing your perspective in their discussions.

Whether you finally connect with them on LinkedIn, another network, or in person, you can then invite them to continue the connection by joining your LinkedIn network. You can also research their existing LinkedIn connections and call upon your co-workers’ networks to gain warm introductions to other stakeholders in your target accounts.

Position Yourself as a Go-to Resource

Establish yourself as a sales rep worthy of a prospect’s time by showcasing what you bring to the table. Elevate your own standing by showing that you can deliver the insights buyers crave. Cultivate your thought leadership by immersing yourself in relevant content and discussions on LinkedIn and shaping your own perspective of the industry that you share through posts and interactions.

Ditch your inclinations to pitch products and instead focus on helping prospects at every turn. This could come in the form of sending relevant content, introducing prospects to like-minded professionals, or even helping boost their own visibility by sharing their posts with your network. By focusing on giving, you boost the chances that prospects will reciprocate by engaging with you as their preferred sales professional.

Harness the Power of Information

Your buyers hold more power in the purchase process because of easy access to information. But that doesn’t mean you’re at a disadvantage. Access to digital signals and insights on LinkedIn can help you identify, reach, and engage prospects in new and effective ways. On LinkedIn, you can see account-specific details, including contacts by roles and how they are connected. You can also surface your prospect’s priorities and initiatives by following the clues shared by companies and their employees on LinkedIn. Combined, these allow you to map out strategies for making inroads with your target accounts.

It’s clear that social selling is becoming part of the standard toolkit for every B2B sales professional. While it may take time to become adept at social selling, it’s easy to jump in and start to live and breathe the ways of modern sales.

Like most sales professionals, you’ll likely find that the concepts and principles that made a sales rep effective in the past are the same ones critical to success today. The only difference is that you need to put them into play in a new venue. By following the three steps outlined here, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a master social seller.

Download this tipsheet, Proven Strategies to Find, Win and Sustain Business, for more ways to effectively use social media to find and win new business.