Does social selling feel more like a shout into the void than a slam-dunk tactic? Are you being held back because you don’t even know where (or how) to start? It can be tough to get going, but for a lot of sellers, it’s worth it (more on that in a bit). You can find […]
Does social selling feel more like a shout into the void than a slam-dunk tactic? Are you being held back because you don’t even know where (or how) to start?
It can be tough to get going, but for a lot of sellers, it’s worth it (more on that in a bit). You can find more prospects, land more deals, and crush your quota when you use social media as a selling tool. The trick is all in the technique.
If you want to test out social selling, you don’t have to wonder how – we asked some of our very own sales team to spill their secrets.
Why even bother with social selling?
You might wonder why it’s worth going through the effort of social selling. After all, you’ve already got plenty on your plate. And a lot of times, puttering around on social media doesn’t feel like it does anything.
Despite the challenges, it can be worth it, and you don’t even have to become an influencer. People who actively social sell are 51% more likely to reach their quota than those who don’t and 45% more likely to exceed it.
When you think about it, it makes sense. Trust is a huge part of purchase decisions, and individual people are seen as more trustworthy than brands. In a survey of 1000 consumers, Sprout found that 87% feel more connected to a company (a.k.a., more willing to trust it) when they see the employees sharing information online.
And with social media being one of the main hubs for information exchange, you need to get in on where the conversation is taking place.
Where to start: set up a strong profile for a solid impression.
Jill Fama, US Account Executive at Lusha, isn’t just a stellar AE. She’s also become the defacto expert on social selling. Her efforts on LinkedIn alone help her form important connections which lead to several conversations with potential customers each month. One of her biggest tips? Start with a strong LinkedIn profile.
“There’s a lot to gain by setting up or fixing your profile just once. Your profile can go a long way. Even just taking the time to set up a good profile picture is effective: you can get 21 times more views on your profile when you use a great, up-to-date photo. Make sure you have a cover photo too because it can tell the viewer something extra about you and what you offer.”
Get your messaging right.
If you’re reaching out to people on LinkedIn, your profile is one of the first things they’ll look at. You want them to be impressed with what they see, and building up a strong (and complete!) profile is a big part of making that good first impression. But don’t even though you want to impress, don’t be fake.
One of Jill’s biggest pieces of profile advice? “Keep it real. One of the main pillars of social selling is building trusted relationships. You won’t create that trust you need for a sale if you aren’t transparent.”
Your profile is also a great opportunity to share a bit about your value proposition. Giuliana LaRose, a BDR at Lusha, offers up some advice: “I keep BDR out of my headline and instead focus on the value that I offer to my connections. That way, the first thing they see isn’t my job title, it’s what I can do for them.”
If you’d like to do something similar, how can you identify the value you offer your prospects? It starts with pain points. What are the most resonant pain points for your prospects? What comes up again and again in your conversations…and how can you help? Change your headline from your job title to an active phrase that shows how you can correct those customer pain points.
To use Giuliana as an example, instead of “BDR,” the space under her name reads, “Driving more opportunities and improving data quality.” That way, when people see her on LinkedIn, they know right away what kind of conversation they’ll have with her.
How to build valuable connections
Everyone knows connections are important on LinkedIn. It’s key to showing your professional capability and expanding the reach of your messaging (and selling potential).
“It’s important to build your network on LinkedIn,” says Jill. “Your network is the target audience of your personal brand.” That means you shouldn’t just add everyone you see; be strategic about it. Connect with people you have things in common with or who have titles that fit your target personas.
But how do you actually find those connections?
Look for the right conversations and join them.
“Commenting on posts makes your profile visible to others,” says Jill. It’s a matter of finding the right conversations to join.
Don’t know where to start? You can always look up relevant words with quotes in the search bar, like your customers’ biggest pain points, your key product offering, or (if you’re feeling spicy) your competitors. Then just scroll to find the ones that have the most likes or comments – that’s where the hottest conversations are happening.
And what do you do once you’ve found the right kind of conversation? Sarah Bagge, BDR at Lusha, recommends a two-pronged strategy of comment and message. “I’m always adding comments, that way it shows up in other prospects’ timelines who might not even be in the post. I also scroll through the comments to find people who might get value from what we offer and send them a message.”
When it comes to finding the right people to message in a comment chain, there are a few things to look for. The first and most obvious: does their job title match one of your main personas? Then go for it. But there’s another layer you can dig into, too. What does their comment actually say? Are they asking for help with a pain point you can solve or looking for recommendations?
Keep an eye out for job changes.
One of Jill’s top tips for commenting? “I look for people posting about a new position and comment on those posts congratulating them.”
People who are fresh in a role are often looking for ways to make improvements, solve challenges, and make an impact. It’s a great time to connect with them – once they’re ready to consider purchases, you’ll already be right there.
You could pair this strategy with a tool like Lusha’s job change filter on the prospecting platform: search for people who are relatively new to one of your target roles, then find them on LinkedIn and send your congratulations their way.
Personalize your messaging when you reach out.
You’ve built up your personal brand and found some prospects to message. Now it’s time for the hard part– actually talking to them.
Luckily, with social media, there are a lot of ways you can break the ice in that initial DM. Did you both work for the same company in the past or attend the same college? Or maybe you’re both interested in Marvel movies. There’s a lot you can find out on social media and use to ease into the first conversation. And that’s just the filler— you should also look for more substantive stuff, like company news and financial reports from their employer. That way, you can understand the pain points of their business and know exactly what problems they might be trying to solve.
One of the easiest ways is to send a message based on a post your prospect made. Jill has a great example: “I saw a post complaining about how SaaS never share their pricing without having a demo first. I sent him a message that said, ‘I saw your post about SaaS companies telling the price straight up and wanted to share some things with you and introduce you to Lusha…here’s a link to our pricing.’”
Prospects tell you exactly what they’re thinking about when they post – so use that to your advantage.
Know when to move the conversation offline.
Social selling is great, but be wary of getting stuck in the “friend zone.” Your conversation will eventually need to go offline and into the real world if you want to build a real relationship with a prospective customer. Be transparent from the get-go about what you can do and how you can help them. That way, you can cover enough ground in the first few messages to quickly figure out if you’re the right fit for what they’re looking for.
After that, offer to take the conversation to a phone call so you can have a meatier conversation about their pain points, solutions they’ve tried, and how your product or service might solve their problem.
Social selling is key to finding prospects and warming up the conversation, but once you can land a meeting, that’s where the real magic happens.
Key Takeaways
- Build up a strong profile that entices prospects and makes your value proposition clear.
- Find relevant conversations and engage with them.
- Take advantage of the personalization power of social media.
