Virtual Selling

32Social Media Is an Essential Foundation for Virtual Selling

Not since Guttenberg invented the movable-type printing press has something had such a profound impact on society like social media. The influence of social media on our behaviors is inescapable. Millions of people are linked together on social media sites—constantly checking and updating their status.

For the sales profession, social media is the most important technological advancement since the telephone. LinkedIn has profoundly impacted the B2B sales profession. Similarly, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter are integral to successful B2C sales approaches.

Social Media Is Essential

I've endured my share of salespeople who whine that they are not comfortable on social media, don't know how to use it, think it is a waste of time, and mostly complain that they don't have time for it. If you are in this camp, then you need to wake up, and wake up fast.

There has never been a time in sales when so much information about so many buyers was this easy to access. And not just contact information, but context. Through the social channel, we gain glimpses into our prospects' motivations, desires, preferences, and triggers that drive buying behavior and open buying windows.

It is critical that you include social media in your virtual selling arsenal and work to become a master at leveraging the social channel. As a sales tool, it is essential. No matter what you are selling, social media is no longer optional.