Now is the time to digitize your selling efforts. Yes, you are used to selling in person, meeting prospects, and just building relationships. But did you know that as a salesperson you have the potential to reach and secure sales online too? The people you can’t find out on the streets or at some business place are usually online. All that’s there to do is for you to find them and start selling.

Selling does not mean trying to get people to buy products or services from you right off the bat. It doesn’t mean sending salesy messages to numerous people online in your first outreach. It doesn’t mean sending spam messages to mailboxes and inboxes. Social selling is connecting with prospects through social media channels, and building a relationship that may lead to a sale.

Here is a guide on how to do social selling.

• Create a professional business profile on social selling platforms.

Ensure that your business has a professional business page and profile on social media platforms. Selecting the best social media channel is heavily dependent on the type of business that you have and your target audience. If you are a B2C business Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok are perfect. If you are B2B you might want to seriously consider LinkedIn. Each social media platform serves a particular purpose better than another.

You need to curate and optimize your profile on these social media platforms in a way that represents the business brand well as well as is appealing to the target audience on these platforms. If you opt for using multiple platforms ensure that your brand image is somewhat consistent across each. So even if you end up posting different content on each, it still reflects well on the brand. 

• Find your niche and target accordingly

When you reach these social media platforms you have to either seek out or attract your prospects. Simple put, go to them or have them come to you. You can create and share content that is in tandem with your business. This will help with reaching and building your presence. For platforms like LinkedIn use it to connect with people you already know, prospects, and even competitors. You can also join industry-related groups for a wider reach. 

For other platforms like Instagram and Twitter you can monitor trends easily, follow hashtags and monitor conversations. Use this information to create lists, and check prospects and competitor information to see how best they can benefit you. 

• Build relationships & trust and then START SELLING!

Now, this is the tricky part. This is where you need to be present and intentional in your efforts in order to get the best result. When you have identified key figures and prospects within your niche. You have to engage with them. You have to now find a way to become a part of the conversation and be seen as relevant and credible.  

You will reach out to your prospects and offer them value in some way. You want to be seen as the real deal on the block. Only then you can make a sales offer to your prospects. 

Social selling is definitely an art. It requires timed and skilled efforts that lead to a sale. Just remember that if your business does not have a social media presence, your first step is creating a professional one. The next step would be locating and targeting your prospects and competitors. When you have established credibility and built strong relationships only then is it okay to start selling!