Being as I know something about social selling I always chuckle when I read articles on what people think it is.
Especially from people that don’t know what social selling, or guess what social selling is. Today I read an article from a highly respectable, multiple book written, cold calling guru. He spends all his time telling people what cold calling is, where as I spend all my time
transforming companies to social selling. Apologies if you think I’m being boastful, I’m not, social selling is what we do, day in and day out.Anyway, this person had written an article what social selling is ….. writing articles and then sitting back and hoping somebody will call you. Of course, no company would operate like this, but it scares his dwindling number of followers into to not checking social selling out. Why would you, no company would every operate like this?It reminds me of a car engine. You like me, probably know where your engine is in your car. You probably even know where bits are and what bits do. But I’m not an expert, if my car breaks down I get an expert. Somebody that works on car engines day in and day out. I take their advice because I trust they know what they are talking about. You wouldn’t take the advice from an electrician as to what is wrong with your car? The same, I wouldn’t recommend you take advice from a cold calling expert on what social selling is or isn’t.So let me set the record straight.Social selling is a prospecting method that we teach sales teams so they can become fully self-sufficient in terms of their prospecting. Obviously, this requires your sales team to want to prospect, but they have to prospect using a method. Of course, if you have a prosecuting culture.Social selling is not writing content and hoping somebody will find it. It never was and never is. It would be wrong to call this a bare faced lie, but it is an untruth to call it this.Related:
What Can the Beatles Teach Us About Social Selling?But things have moved on, as they already do in the world of the internet, social media and digital.We actually don’t see this as a cold calling versus social selling argument, it’s actually about efficiency and effectiveness. As you would expect with digital methods, social selling is more efficient than cold calling, which is why we are seeing companies getting 30% increases in revenues vs there cold calling counterparts. It’s a simple question of maths.
Do you want more leads and meetings? – Yes. Do you want a quicker sales cycle? – Yes. Do you want more Revenue? – Yes.Often we get asked, by people that decide to transform to social selling, should we do some sort of combination. Of course you can, it’s a bit like adding an engine to a horse and cart. Everybody we have seen take this route, soon drop the cold calling as they see the efficiency gains from using social.Maybe it’s time to stop listening to the untruths and find out the truth for yourself.
