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Professional Development Program Skills for Social Selling Success

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Professional Development Program Skills for Social Selling Success LEADERS IN FLIGHT Participant Workbook: Navigating Social Selling Professional Development Program Skills for Social Selling Success Table of Contents Table of Contents ...................................................................................................... iii The Emergence of Social Selling ................................................................................... 1 Optimizing Social Profiles for Social Selling LinkedIn ....................................................... 4 LinkedIn ................................................................................................................. 4 LinkedIn Profile Settings ........................................................................................ 4 1. Set your LinkedIn privacy settings to support your goals ................................. 4 2. Turn on/off your activity broadcasts .............................................................. 5 3. Select who can see your activity feed ............................................................ 6 4. Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile .................................. 6 5. Select who can see your connections ............................................................. 6 6. Change your profile photo & visibility ............................................................ 7 7. Edit your public profile ................................................................................. 7 8. Show/hide “Viewers of this profile also viewed” .............................................. 8 9. Manage who you are blocking ....................................................................... 8 10. Manage your Twitter settings: ................................................................... 8 11. Manage your WeChat settings ................................................................... 9 Communications ................................................................................................... 9 1. Managing the Types and Frequency of Email from LinkedIn .............................. 9 2. Set Push Notifications ................................................................................ 10 3. Types of Messages you are willing to receive ................................................ 11 4. Select who can send you Invitations ............................................................ 11 Account ............................................................................................................. 11 1. Privacy Controls ........................................................................................ 11 2. Settings ................................................................................................... 12 3. Manage your security settings .................................................................... 13 Creating a Buyer-Centric Profile .............................................................................. 14 Leverage your Existing Network .............................................................................. 17 LinkedIn Groups for Social Selling Success ............................................................... 18 Prospecting with Search ......................................................................................... 19 Handouts and Tool Kit ............................................................................................ 20 Tips and Tricks for Video on Your LinkedIn Company Profile ........................................ 21 Twitter .................................................................................................................... 22 Understanding Twitter ............................................................................................ 22 Optimizing Social Profiles for Social Selling - Twitter .................................................. 24 Training Evaluation Form .......................................................................................... 27 © Diversified Operations Corp. P a g e | iii iv | P a g e © Diversified Operations Corp. The Emergence of Social Selling Social networks and technology has forced a shift in the way we sell. Technology offers prospects with more information than ever before at their fingertips. A quick Google search can often provide them with insights into how your product works and an update on Twitter could even shed light on the cost. Recognizing this shift has become a hot topic at boardrooms across the globe. It’s resulted in a shift in thinking and a shift in our approach to sales. It’s resulted in the emergence of social selling – the practice of using tools and social networks to be more effective in the sales process. Social media has allowed us to know more about our prospects than ever before. We have an opportunity to know who they’re connected to, their roles and even their past employment history. Social media and the advancement of technology isn’t a problem for the modern day sales professional. Social selling isn’t a clean break from traditional selling; it’s an evolutionary step forward. Social sellers do not have to abandon email, phone calls or face-to-face meetings. Instead, their time on these traditional channels becomes far more productive when supported by deliberate use of social media. Social selling eliminates some of the most wasteful parts of the traditional sales process (like cold-calling) and enhances the activities that good salespeople already do to create wins and drive revenue. Perhaps the greatest misconception about social selling is that it entails making sales pitches through social media. In reality, a social seller uses networks like LinkedIn and Twitter to find potential customers, relate to their needs, and engage with them. When appropriate, they can move the process forward through email, a real-time medium, or in person. It’s an opportunity! Recognize that executive buyer behavior has changed. The traditional sales and buying process has changed. The internet offers buyers and sellers alike with access to information that was once unavailable. It’s easier to qualify your leads by researching their roles and it’s easier for buyers to research your products through videos, evaluations and reviews. Thus, it’s important to ensure that throughout the marathon you’re leveraging technology as much as possible to be both effective and efficient. This shift in the buying process has also resulted in a closer connection between marketing and sales. Your organizations marketing team must be committed to offering you the tools and content you need to be effective in delivering your pitch. Whether it’s through the development of webinars or the design of slideshows – marketing must take a supporting role as it relates to business development and assist with the sales process. © Diversified Operations Corp. P a g e | 1 Embrace & Focus on Relationships As cliché as it sounds, people buy from people. Whether someone is buying an item based on a friend’s recommendation or based on an introduction from an old colleague; relationships can make a world of difference in sales. The greatest sales people spend time building and nurturing strong relationships with others. Instead of simply networking for the sake of going home with the most business cards; the greats seek out people whom they can build meaningful relationships with and enhance their lives or careers. In sales, a professional's relationships with vendors, clients and organizations is one of their biggest assets. For an organization, there is a significant amount of value to be found in the number of strong relationships their employees have in their network. This web of relationships is often times the differentiator between businesses that barely survive and those who constantly thrive. Inject Storytelling into Your Sales Process The art of storytelling plays a major role in sales today. People like to believe they make decisions that are based on logic and reason. In fact, decisions are usually made solely based on emotion and personal connections. Studies repeatedly show that decisions in business are strongly influenced by our attitudes, fears, values, and hopes – of which, are built on a foundation of a unique and compelling story. Selling is getting harder and harder. While technological advancements are helping sales professionals be more effective and efficient with their approaches, the foundation of telling a compelling story is still important. If you can discover ways of integrating your story with your sales process on a regular basis, it’s a sure bet that you will be ahead of the curve. Combine that with an attitude that embraces technology and you’ll be ready for all the inevitable evolutions that will transform social selling today – and in the future. Tell Your Story through Personal Branding Branding is just for businesses? Wrong. Year after year, organizations spend millions and millions of dollars to develop their brand. A brand is the combination of a variety of ideas that translate into a cohesive story around something or someone. In many ways, your personal brand is how you’re perceived by others and ultimately your reputation. By taking the time to develop your personal brand and position yourself as an individual who can be trusted you will have an opportunity to stand out in a crowd? When developing your brand you should think about what it is you want to be known for and how you will deliver this story on a consistent basis. To develop a strong personal brand you need to be seen as an expert
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