Here at Sales for Life, we talk a lot about social selling. It’s at the core of our business, processes and philosophy. That being said, we recognize there’s a lot of noise about terms around the and what they actually mean. Though we’ve internalized these terms and their meanings, we understand you may still need some clarification.
That’s why we’re introducing the digital sales glossary. Every week, we’ll define a new term we feel have lost its meaning in the heaps of content and noise of the web.
This week: social selling.
What is social selling?
Social selling is the process of developing, nurturing and leveraging relationships in a digital environment to sell products or services. While many equate social selling with social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, it encompasses a much larger strategy including sharing relevant content, interacting directly with potential buyers and customers, personal branding and social listening and surrounding.
“There’s a social selling hierarchy of needs, just picture Maslow’s hierarchy of needs a little bit in reverse because the most important element to success is management buy-in. It is with your executive of team truly inherently believing that social selling is going to positively impact your business. It’s going to drive leads, greater brand awareness, greater brand champions within your organization.”
-Jamie Shanks, CEO, Sales for Life
“Social selling isn’t about jamming the sales process down people’s throats; It’s about using social media to create better relationships with prospects and customers.”
-Jill Rowley, Social Selling Evangelist, #SocialSelling
“It’s a discipline. It’s unlearning, especially as a seasoned sales person. It’s training yourself on a new methodology and a new toolset to get the job done. Social selling isn’t just the idea that you want to connect with everybody, but it is finding the right connections, the decision makers you want to do business with and the right insights about them.”
-Koka Sexton, Senior Social Marketing Manager, LinkedIn
