Is Making Money In Sales Still Important To You?

In order to be successful, the role sales reps need to play has fundamentally shifted. Given all the information available online, will the role of a sales rep be necessary in the future, when you have social media?

I read a great blog by Clara Shih, How Sales Reps Can Succeed In The Social Era. she talked about the importance of:

Being social
Being mobile
Being a trusted advisor.

I know what you’re thinking....

Where, or how do I start to engage in social media?

LinkedIn is huge! Especially for B2B. On LinkedIn, you should start by keeping your profile updated (and complete), share blogs/news, and comment in relevant groups where you’ll also meet new people.
Twitter: look at various hashtags and see what is being shared. Do your research. Search companies, topics, contacts.
- Here’s an example on Twitter. Look at all the info with #medicalindustry
- Three key points to remember: Watch, Observe, and Share!

How do I become that trusted resource for my customers/potential customers?

For me, I follow my company key words, industry topics and keywords, prospects, and clients. I share on Twitter and LinkedIn. If I see something of interest for other people or organizations, I share it with them directly, and I share it socially.
Remember, that human touch is important, this is a great way to share.
Your Customer and potential customer need you to be a trusted resource. GAIN THEIR TRUST!

How do I schedule time for social media? That’s just another thing for me to do!

Scheduling Time: I check my blog posts, and share early in the morning. I use Feedly to organize my blogs in one place, and share from there.
Commenting on blogs and LinkedIn discussions: I typically do this in the early morning, as well. I like to see what the topics are. I glance and if it grabs me, I comment where I can contribute. (I’ve earned customers this way.) If I see something come across in a message I may have commented on, I might pipe in or respond.
Blogging/Social media: I have a scheduled time for blogging. We made the commitment to blog, to practice what we preach. I use an editorial calendar, which we keep in Google Drive, and a time for interaction on social media. I have a time for prospecting for our business, and a time for managing my responsibilities for our clients. It’s all about scheduling and getting organized!

What happens if I don’t get involved with social media?

This may get your attention: In a recent survey, A Sales Guy found that of the 511 mainly B2B sales people surveyed, 22% said they didn’t use social media to close deals. On the flip side, 78.3% of sales people said they use social media to sell.