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How To Use WhatsApp As Your Vehicle For Sharing Insights With Buyers

Jamie Shanks
Jamie Shanks

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If you have a global sales force, at some point, you’ll encounter WhatsApp in your sales conversations. It’s absolutely the #1 communication platform in markets like Europe, Africa, The Middle East and Asia. 

It’s so prolific in these regions that it has become “just selling,” which is to say, no different that phone calls and emails. I’ve seen sales professionals in Singapore, Dubai, Russia and Turkey use all kinds of secret tips like this:

“Change your headline daily with a content article that keeps your network up to date with new ideas, and drives a call-to-action.”

– Team in Singapore

Last week I was in India, and sellers had an entirely new way of combining the communication efficiency of WhatsApp, with the rich (trackable) content of LinkedIn.

Essentially, WhatsApp is the vehicle to sharing LinkedIn PointDrives or videos to customers, and tracking their engagement. And the read/response rates in these local markets were astonishingly higher than email!

Step 1: Develop A PointDrive That Can Push Buyers Off Their Status Quo

Be bold, be different. Create a PointDrive that will teach people something new.

In this example, I’m crafting an outline of testing your sales team’s “digital competency” against your competition and best-in-class companies.

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Step 2: Craft A Message In WhatsApp With A PointDrive As A “Call-to-Action”

In multiple regions in the world, the customer is much less engaged with LinkedIn InMails. So, instead of trying to reach buyers through that medium, turn to the one that is most effective in your region and “be where thy buyer is.”

In this example, I’m communicating with a customer and partner in Sydney, Australia, with 5 minute turnaround time of communication.

As you’re starting to see, WhatsApp is just a communication vehicle (a shell of a car without the engine), but the rich content on LinkedIn PointDrive is my V8 horsepower engine.

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Step #3: Track Engagement

LinkedIn PointDrive helps you determine:

1. Which accounts are engaged, and which are not (this helps with time management);

2. Who is in the buying committee I’m unaware of (risk vs. opportunity).

This data will come to me via LinkedIn and email, and keeps me engaged in the right accounts in real time! Take a look at these insights below from our partner Rahul Kumar.

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In summary, using WhatsApp can be a powerful tool for driving prospects to LinkedIn, where you or your team can capture additional insights and analytics. These will help you determine if your buyer is in the right place to be sold to.

The point here is to engage with your buyer via the channel they use the most, rather than trying to meet them on a platform they never use. 

What are your thoughts about using different tools specific to each region? I’m curious – leave a comment below!

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