If I never hear the phrase “social selling” again, it will be too soon. It seems now that the hippies have come around to understanding they can’t sell social media to the C-Suite based on joining the conversation and singing “Kumbaya” alone, they’ve gone out and invented a hip new catch phrase to cover their butts.
As terms or catch phrases go, “social selling” is almost as much nonsense as “collaborative economy,” though my thoughts on that one will have to wait for a longer, more detailed explanation, one I’m sure will get Jeremiah Owyang’s panties in a wad since he’s one of about one person on the planet talking about it.
But I digress.
What gets my goat about the term “social selling” is that it’s not some magical new thing or world that people have to explain or understand. When you uncover the hype and bullshit the “social sellers” talk about what you realize are these facts:
- Social media is yet another medium in which you can communicate with customers or prospects
- In order to successfully do so, you need to have active and attractive presences in or on those channels
- Selling is still selling, regardless of whether you’re grippin’ and grinnin’ or posting a status update
You still have to establish a relationship. You still have to build trust. You still have to illustrate the benefits. You still have to make the ask. You still have to close the deal.
Because you’re doing it either exclusively on a social network or with social channels, or intelligence as a supplement to your traditional information sources doesn’t make it special.
It makes it SALES. Period.
If you are not leveraging a prospect’s social updates or information when you contact them these days, you’re not a bad social seller. You’re a bad seller.
If you are not leveraging a prospect’s social updates or information when you contact them these days, you’re not a bad social seller. You’re a bad seller.
If you are not populating your own social channels with smart, thought-leadership or lead generation content so prospects or random people can see who you are, what you’re about and perhaps get interested in what you do, you’re not a bad social seller. You’re a bad seller.
Social media doesn’t make the sales process any different. It only enhances how good (or bad) of a job you can do.
Disclaimer: At the time of this writing, I was a bit cranky. You’re welcome.
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