This weekend the sequel to Mamma Mia! launched on the big screens here in the UK. Full of all the classics and some lesser known songs, it’s sure to be yet another box office hit. As I tapped away writing this blog, I figured there are a few lessons we could learn from ABBA when it comes to Social Selling – namely how to put modern buyers off with common Social Selling bad habits.
So, let’s get started:
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Knowing Me Knowing You
Too often, freshly trained Social Sellers can’t resist the temptation to dive right in once they’ve identified prospects. They’ve used the full force of LinkedIn Sales Navigator to fill up their lead list and then go for the copy/paste approach to cranking out the InMails.
Rule 1: Research your buyer first. According to TeleSmart Communications, only 13% of buyers believe a salesperson understands their requirements. Knowing your buyer (or as much as you can find out) is key to a successful engagement. Look at the content they’re engaging with, the blogs they’re writing, the posts they’re sharing – just a few of the things you should be doing to understand what your buyer cares about otherwise there’s only emptiness, nothing to say.
Money Money Money
If your focus is on closing the deal (which I understand is a natural trait and what makes sales people so resilient) you are missing the point – certainly from the buyer’s perspective. The modern buyer doesn’t want to be processed or moved through a funnel.
Rule 2: Think relationships rather than transactions. Shift to a buyer centric approach that focuses on building relationships rather than closing the deal. Social Selling takes time. It isn’t a tactic that will convert customers immediately but after a period of time, you will build a pipeline of relationships that will yield a return when they’re ready to buy. Your life will never be the same.
Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
Closely tied to the previous hit, gimmie gimmie gimmie needs to be matched with givie givie givie. Okay, that's not a word but selling via social media completely misses the point (even though the name suggests it). One of the biggest mistakes I see on LinkedIn is the “hi, want to connect?” swiftly followed by a sales pitch via a message.
Rule 3: There’s not a soul out there that wants to be sold to. Instead of making an immediate outreach, just accept that you’re moving along the relationship journey. You’ve made a connection. That connection will now see your activity. This, in itself, is a big deal. Once you’ve earned trust and feel ready to reach out, always add value by including something that is useful to them e.g. research report, article, recent blog.
Take A Chance On Me
If your LinkedIn profile reads like a CV then it’s time to revise with fresh eyes. Just imagine your target customer checking you out and you’re proudly showcasing your great negotiation skills and ability to drive and meet aggressive pipeline targets. It’s not useful to your next customer.
Rule 4: Don’t leave your digital footprint to chance. 74% of buyers choose the company that was first to add value as they are defining their buying decision. Use words and phrases that your buyer will recognise and seek out recommendations from existing customers to endorse your relationship focused approach to working with customers. It’s magic!
Ring Ring
It takes an average of 18 calls to connect with a buyer. It’s a trend that has been increasing since the buyer moved their journey online – researching, seeking referrals etc. What’s more, the buyer is influenced by another 6 people within the organisation. SDRs now need to make more relevant and personalised touches to more contacts within one account than ever before.
Rule 5: Get your phone to ring more. More outbound calls can work. It’s just a numbers game at the end of the day. But why work harder when you can work smarter? Investing time in Social Selling will start the phones ringing. Ring, ring – the happiest sound of them all, right? Because when your phone is ringing, you’re not dialling. Customers find you. At this point you become the first to add value (see Take A Chance On Me), you often eliminate the competition and deal cycles move more quickly.
At Tribal, we work with large and small organisations, working to mobilise their organisation to use social media – from leadership to sales to expert employees. Joining the dots between Content Marketing, Social Selling and Employee Advocacy.
So, if you’re ready to say I do, I do, I do, I do understand Social Selling, feel free to get in touch. As you can probably tell, we’re ABBA fans and if you've got this far in the post, you may have noticed lyrics embedded throughout the post - did you spot them?
