PROSPECTING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, A 3-WEEK strategy GUIDE CPSA Meeting in a Box: A series of 15-minute guided presentations to help increase your team’s performance.

Pre-learning: Facilitator: One week prior to your meeting, please inform your sales team to prepare with these CPSA Learning Hub resources. Reading: Social Media Connections are not the Same as Prospects! 7 Social Media Tips from the Experts Listening: Social Media Influencers and How They Can Help You Grow Your Brand with Rob Catalano Webinar Recording: Personal Branding for Sales Drive Revenue by Improving your Online Brand

WEEK 2: introduction: Relationship Building with social media From the moment you first connect with a lead, a relationship is being formed. If you nurture and grow that relationship into something truly authentic it can result in a long-term, mutually beneficial connection. Neglect relationship building and you’ll not only be missing out on one sale, but many potentially interlinked ones in the future.

A RELATIONSHIP TRANSFORMATION Whereas in the past, leads and prospects had only a basic understanding of various business solutions available, today with the internet in their pocket, they often think they know everything. This can sound daunting but what it really means is that relationships matter more than ever. Your prospects want sellers who can give them more information than just what they find online and they want to talk to a real human rather than a machine. Make it easier for prospects to get to know you through a social media presence that’s more than just sell, sell, sell!  Once you’ve gained a prospect’s trust either through relationship building on social media or through traditional communication methods, they will be far more likely to buy from you.

Social media “connections”  Selling is about building relationships, not having the most LinkedIn connections. For social selling to work, it’s not enough just to grow your networks. You must also nurture them. That means putting in the time and effort online. It also means eventually taking those sales conversations offline and making in-person connections that count.

How to become a social selling influencer! Remember to bring your best self to your online interactions, and whenever possible to take those conversations offline. Talking to people strengthens connections in a way that just doesn’t happen when we’re staring at screens. Also, make an effort to identify influencers in your network. Reach out, comment, share their wisdom. Don’t be a secret. Become an influencer yourself!

Take action! Get Dedicated! While social selling does require regular communication, it doesn’t require lengthy interactions!  Making social selling a priority doesn’t require a lot of additional resources, money, or time. With a small amount of effort, you will eventually see more and better leads coming to you! Share your next steps with a partner – Which actions will you engage in first and why? Sharing Content Liking others’ Content Commenting on others’ content Adding LinkedIn Connections Following contacts and key businesses Take action! Encourage your team to carve out 15 minutes each day to focus on social selling. Most sales professionals will see results from spending a few minutes per day posting interesting content, replying to comments or questions, and participating in group discussions.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM CPSA TEMPLATES – CPSA is constantly building and upgrading our catalog of templates to make your job easier! WEBINARS - Our “virtual” training sessions led by industry experts, at your convenience. PODCASTS - Take the sales experts wherever you go! LEARNING HUB - Check out the latest sales articles, white papers, and ebooks

GO TEAM GO!