Social Selling: Myth or Magic? (Guest Blog by Sam Bessant)

I’m thrilled to welcome back guest blogger Sam Bessant. Her first contribution to the Bennis Inc Blog, “Success Versus the Work-Life Balance” continues to receive top hits! Learn more about Sam in her bio following this post and be sure and visit her personal blog here.

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Social selling is a relatively new concept to the world as its dawn has only come through the dramatic shift we’ve all made to living our lives through social media in the last few years. The whole networking game has changed and we now have easier access to more people and more information than we’ve ever had before. But what are we doing with all this information and what impact does it have on our working lives?

The term “social selling” is being banded around left, right and centre by people who consider themselves forward thinkers in the field but few seem to understand what it really means and whether it really involves any actual selling. A new pothole for salespeople to stumble into is the idea that stalking prospects on LinkedIn and sending them a half-arsed message constitutes selling. Similarly, there is the idea that following an event on Twitter is just as good as being at the event; reading a blog about how to sell is the same as mastering the technique yourself…the list goes on. The problem is that actions taken by your “virtual” presence in the online world are just that – virtual and intangible. And the results will be too. At some point, that world of Web 2.0 needs to meet with more old fashioned actions because we aren’t living in a fully virtual society yet. People still rate people and personal relationships built up through phone calls and meetings; some people aren’t even part of this huge social network, preferring to remain aloof and test your persistence in reaching them.

So we circle back to the question of “what is social selling?” and is it something that has been created by the very people whose advertising revenue relies on us using their social networks? I would suggest not. Social selling is actually very powerful but it needs to be thought of as a tool; one singular tool in a whole toolbox of potential sales techniques. What social media allows us is the opportunity to understand more about the people we want to engage, more about the companies they work for and more about what other salespeople are doing to win themselves success. It gives us an “in” and helps to reduce the awkwardness of the initial contact because we have enough information to make contact with purpose. We don’t have to spend ages battling with switchboards to get hold of a name and we can send messages directly to C-level contacts we’d have spent months trying to target previously, but this is only the beginning.

As with more traditional sales methods, social selling takes time. You still need to qualify your prospects and build a relationship. The social media piece simply allows you to do some of the legwork before you make contact so that you can wow them with a compelling story tailored just for them. A mistake commonly made is thinking that all of the information a salesperson needs can be found online. This is not the case. What you can find is a great foundation to hop over the initial hurdles so you can spend your valuable time working on real sales opportunities rather than arguing with gatekeepers. So social selling isn’t a myth; it’s a real thing and there are real opportunities being found through social media. However, it isn’t magic either. Nobody will do the hard work for you and you’ll still need to be creative in the way you approach people and ensure you deliver the service you’d expect yourself. Social selling is a valuable tool which you can’t afford to overlook but remember…it is only a single tool and cannot replace your entire tool set.

Sam Bessant lives in Reading, UK. She currently works the standard office 9-6 while trying to finalize the direction she will take to start her own business. Sam’s blog, 20somethingfreak was created to help Sam and others understand what it is to be in your 20s and for Sam to share some of the millions of daydreams she has every day! Be sure and visit Sam’s personal blog: www.20somethingfreak.wordpress.com.

 

Technology & Honesty: Hiding Behind A Mask?

Oscar Wilde was once quoted as saying, “Man is least himself when he walks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth.” It seems that even back when “text” was what made up a novel and a “tweet” was the sound of a bird; we have always felt most comfortable fully expressing ourselves, truthfully and confidently, behind a mask. The masks we have to choose from today are aplenty. Some of us find masks to wear for only a few hours a day, for others its part of our job, but with the ever increasing use of technology and social media—the most interesting masks are the ones in which people choose to wear every time they communicate with the online world.

More and more I prefer email communication over any other. I like the shield it creates between direct communication like a phone call or a face-to-face meeting where immediate responses are expected. Email provides me with the luxury of answering requests at my own pace and on my own time. It also gives me a paper trail of conversations that is much easier to search and recall than anything merely spoken. I don’t argue that there are times where a quick phone call can clear up what would have become a lengthy email chain of confusion or that a sit-down meeting can easily knock off a laundry list of tasks in record time. But aside from these particular circumstances, email is my mask – and I feel most confident, professional and organized when working behind this visage.

Email is only the first of many technological masks we can choose to communicate from behind every day. Can you identify yours? Think how much easier it is to write out a difficult conversation over an email than to do it by phone or in person. I admit I still create an outline of a “script” when I have to communicate some difficult news that I know will upset the other person – even when I do it by phone. This mask allows me to say everything I want in the best way possible without forgetting or stumbling. I don’t do it with the intent to be insincere; I do it with the intent to minimize negative feelings and to organize my thoughts.

But what about the most fascinating mask of all – social media? This is where communicating with friends, acquaintances, members of your extended family – and even exes and enemies – is made a lot easier than doing so in “real life.” With this mask we tend to share overly personal information, comment or message people we’d never pick up the phone to call and even develop what can feel like a personal relationship with someone we’ve never met in person. If you don’t believe me, just wait until your next high school reunion where someone you haven’t spoken to in years will come up to you and somehow know your job title, marital status and the last thing you ate. Social media is a masquerade ball after all. Just because you’re wearing a mask, doesn’t mean you’re the only one. People are also sharing more information with you on social media than they might ever feel comfortable repeating to you again in person.

So what’s the incentive to be so confident and honest behind this front? What are we hiding from? The answer to this might be as unique as the person who’s being asked. Introspectively I believe I’m hiding from the fear of appearing disorganized, unprofessional or misinformed. When I can write it out and proof read it before I click send, it gives me time to think through what I’m saying and revise it if I so wish. Real-life, instantaneous responses do not afford me this same luxury. For social media, I think it’s the fear of having to witness a reaction we didn’t expect or having someone reply negatively. We’re not as afraid to be honest because we never have to witness an immediate response. We can say something and walk away and not have to hope that someone laughs at our joke or supports our rant about a bad day at work.

What do these technological masks mean for the welfare of face-to-face communication? I don’t think anything can replace the meaning of a conversation held in person. For the most sensitive topics – whether negative or positive – the ability to look someone in the eye and take in the expression in their eyes, smile and body language is crucial. And while technology can make a person sitting across the world feel like they’re sitting right across the table, it has yet to recreate this important aspect of “real” communication. While Oscar Wilde’s quote rings so very true, I hope that during the key moments in life in which we need to, we can be so bold as to remove our mask and be just as honest walking in our own person.

 

The Social Norms: My Guide to Effective Social Networking

I’ll start by stipulating that this guide is based on my own experience with social media. It’s a vast and ever-changing ocean of information which affects each of us in different ways, so there’s bound to be different opinions on the subject. After being asked for my opinion on the Public Relations aspect of social networking, I thought it was a good time to share my own take on what I’ve found to be the most effective and appropriate uses for each of the following major social media. Have a different opinion? Please share by commenting!

Twitter: Create awareness, build a following

I won’t lie. I’m not a Twitter user—but that’s not to say I never will be. The amount of Twitter accounts I manage for my clients has afforded me versatile insight into its effectiveness for people, businesses, non-profits and elected officials. What I’ve ultimately discovered is that Twitter is best used for frequent and surface-level information sharing. You can raise awareness of your whereabouts, events and share quick reactions to a news story or announcement. You’re able to reach a very broad audience, but for a much shorter amount of time. I assume each of my tweets has a lifespan of one hour or less. Twitter is only the first step toward turning social media into more business; it creates awareness and builds a following which ideally pushes people to your web site and other social media for further, more meaningful interaction.

Facebook: Interact and engage

Facebook is all about interaction. It’s creates a platform where people can share their opinions and support in a public fashion—and be heard. For example, if you have a complaint with, say, Oscar Meyer and want to let them know about it, writing on their Facebook wall will get your message heard and responded to possibly faster than sending an email to corporate (maybe because such a public complaint allows the whole world to evaluate their customer service). Businesses and brands are also able to directly engage and interact with their consumers through discussion forms, two-sentence press releases and special promotions that can be shared with the click of a button. Rather than trying to lead you to their web site, they bring their web site to you. Overall, Facebook allows you to start a conversation with your networks, create a personality for your brand and quite literally put a face with a name.

Linkedin: Build your personal brand

This is where opinions may differ on the inclusion of Linkedin as one of the top social media. I’m a strong believer in Linkedin because I’ve seen it bring very positive feedback for my clients. It’s similar to Facebook in that you connect with people and can post status updates, but it’s a much more business-oriented forum. On Linkedin it’s more acceptable to connect with people you may not know—but want to know. I get requests from people who I’ve never met and maybe never will, but we’re in similar lines of work and may have future business to share. Because the information on Linkedin is limited to a resume-like profile, it’s more comfortable to connect with new people because you don’t have endless photo albums or a wall where career-killing comments are hard to control. I view Linkedin as an opportunity to grow your personal brand. It’s a platform where talking business is expected and encouraged. It also allows more image control than Facebook, where you can display your most professional face to future employers or clients.

Blogging: Be heard, build a community

One year ago, hell 6 months ago, I would have never pictured myself as a blogger. But here I am. I’ve developed a high opinion of WordPress because I feel that it offers a more accessible and interactive blogging community than other blogging sites. Blogging is the most formal and developed social media among the ones I’ve outlined. It allows you a microphone where you can share your thoughts, big and small, and be heard by people around the world. The blogging community is a very loyal one. We quite literally “subscribe” to each others’ schools of thought and provide comments and encouragement. This community is the great equalizer. Stay-at-home moms, professional authors and students all get the same size soap box to stand on and share what’s important to them. Blogging is, for the most part, anonymous and to have such loyalty and support for people whom we’ve never met makes blogging a truly unique—and possibly my favorite—form of social media.

Having said ALL of that, I know you must have some social media wisdom to share based on your own personal experiences. Please do! This hot topic is very subjective and I look forward to learning from your take on these “Social Norms.”