The use of social media continues to grow. Not only consumers orientate themselves for the next purchase via social media. Business relationships are also increasingly being established through digital meetings. Sales managers can therefore no longer do without social media. It provides connecting power in the different phases of the sales process. Sales managers who are able to integrate social media into their daily activities can deepen the customer relationship and increase conversion. In this article I want to give you some advice that you can use right away.
Marketing vs Sales
For years we have been discussing the role of marketing and sales in the sales process. As far as I’m concerned, this one is pretty clear. Marketing generates leads and sales generates conversion. In addition, marketing provides support for the sales process (i.e. after lead generation) with a convincing contact strategy. Of course using new and social media. The sales manager has a pioneering role in this sales process. He is the point of contact and the guide.
Social Sales in the sales process
Not so long ago, ’the personal sales pitch’ and ’the brochure’ were the most powerful ways to convince the prospect with arguments that your product or service was the best; resulting in conversion. This changed with the advent of the internet. Prospects started to support you online in their information needs via websites with customer stories, videos, white papers and E-books on topics that interested them. Newsletters were introduced to convince and bind the ‘connected customer’. Then came the rapid rise of social media. This meant another change: the ‘connected customer’ began to communicate in a different way. Today, social media are used to easily enter into and weigh business contacts. In addition, the prospect is not only influenced by the (valuable) information from brands and organizations themselves, but also by contact with and information from other customers and industry experts. The personal sales pitch has not lost its power, but with the advent of new media, a whole new range of communication tools has emerged to discover, influence and convert interesting leads faster and better.
Tips for using new and social media
Through LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube and weblogs, we provide real-time influence, persuasion and interaction during the sales process. It is the combination of all media that ensures success. The sales manager has the opportunity to directly influence his target group with social media such as Twitter and LinkedIn. Time for some concrete applications based on the 4-stage sales model: entice, conquer, retain and increase. I give 5 tips:
Tip 1. Lead generation (seduce)
Although lead generation is a primary process for marketing, I see this as a task for the sales managers. A good example: I got into a conversation with a commercial director of a company on one of the many LinkedIn groups. He asked a question, to which I answered from my knowledge. The discussion progressed to such an extent that a week later I sat at the table with him. Now this company is a valued customer and we are talking about new joint business initiatives.
Leads can be found in many ways. LinkedIn, for example, offers thousands of subject-oriented discussion groups, in which your prospects are undoubtedly present. Set yourself the goal of attracting at least five prospects from these groups every week: by listening, answering questions, starting discussions and/or making contact. Social listening software allows you to ‘listen’ more broadly to the online activities of prospects that you find interesting. Chances are that you will find out angles for a good conversation.
Tip 2. The sales pitch (seduce)
The first sales call is important. You want to establish a relationship and be perceived as ‘valuable’ by the customer after the first conversation. After all, it is the basis for the next step. Use social media to research in advance who you have in front of you and make the sales conversation personal with that information. Add the customer you’re about to visit on LinkedIn and Twitter. Indicate that you’re looking forward to the conversation and share interesting, sales-supporting content. Think of step-by-step plans or practical cases. During the first conversation you will feel like you know each other. And that’s a great foundation.
Tip 3. After the sales pitch (conquer and hold)
Sales calls are scarce. Despite a good relationship, it is not possible to put the right buying arguments on the table every day. If this hasn’t already been done, connect with the prospect after the sales call via Twitter, LinkedIn and/or a LinkedIn group. Stay in touch weekly and don’t share advertising, just interesting, educational content. In this way you can build valuable, new contact moments and conviction into the sales process. It is also important to ‘listen’ (monitor) to what your prospects are saying on social media. This may provide you with new insights. This approach of listening and sharing valuable content applies both in the phase where you want to convince a prospect to convert, and in the phase where you want to nurture the customer and keep them for repurchase or additional purchases.
Tip 4. During the conversion phase (conquer)
Sales should lead to conversion. Research has shown that 80% of all professionals would rather take in knowledge than advertising. More than 60% indicate that content helps in making decisions. In this phase it is important to influence with arguments that matter to the prospect with personally-oriented communication via e-mail, social media, and of course personal visits. Conversion at the right time, using the right media and the right content and/or arguments. Social media can play a decisive role during short or long sales cycles.
Tip 5. After the conversion (increase)
Als de opdracht is gevallen, begint een nieuwe fase. Relatie 3.0 is niet alleen een persoonlijke 1-op-1-relatie. Door gebruik te maken van social media kun je relaties onderhouden met honderden prospects en relaties tegelijkertijd. Je deelt kennis, stelt vragen en beantwoordt vragen binnen communities waaraan meerdere relaties deelnemen. Klanten die hebben gekocht, delen online hun tevredenheid en gedragen zich als ambassadeur. Faciliteer het delen van reviews en beloon klanten voor het achterlaten van hun mening.
Klanten kunnen door middel van de juiste mediastrategie naar hogere niveau’s worden gebracht. Maak een koppeling tussen gegevens uit het CRM-systeem en historisch koopgedrag om klanten via social media opnieuw te inspireren en te interesseren. Monitor daarnaast wat je klanten op social media vertellen. Je kunt zo mogelijke koopsignalen opvangen en/of andere interessante bevindingen doen over het sentiment omtrent je product of dienst.
‘Likeability’ in grote aantallen
Het gebruik van social media kent een hoge ‘likeability’. Salesmananagers die social media gebruiken tijdens het verkoopproces worden als eigentijds ervaren. En dat stimuleert het verkoopproces. Inmiddels is 85% van alle managers actief op social media. LinkedIn heeft in Nederland bijna 4 miljoen gebruikers per maand en dit betekent verhoudingsgewijs wereldwijd de hoogste marktpenetratie. Twitter met 1,5 miljoen actieve gebruikers per maand en Youtube met 1 miljoen dagelijks kijkers zijn ook bijzonder interessante netwerken. Facebook en nieuwe groeinetwerken zoals Pinterest bieden enorme kansen.
Zorg voor een Social Sales strategie
Social media zijn geen eendagsvlieg gebleken. Ze zijn Social Business geworden. De komende jaren zullen social media volledig worden geïntegreerd binnen afdelingen, zoals klantenservice, HRM, marketing, sales, productontwikkeling, corporate communication en PR. Social Sales hoort een vast onderdeel te zijn van de salesstrategie. Simpelweg omdat mediagedrag en beïnvloedingsmogelijkheden snel veranderen. Nieuwe rollen, functies en processen zijn nodig om nieuwe denk- en werkwijzen binnen de organisatie in te bedden. Bedrijven die in staat zijn een goed doordachte Social Sales strategie te ontwikkelen kunnen salescycli verkorten en conversie verhogen.
