I really like this infographic from InsideView, but I like the post even more. There’s a rapid rise in interest among our clients in social media, and I think InsideView nails a few of the most important points for businesses to think about in framing their approach.
I say to clients all the time that if you want to get the business value of social media, just use it the way consumers do. Think about it: Consumers use social media to be smart. It only takes a few seconds to look up some product and see what people are saying about it, ask your colleagues on LinkedIn or Quora, or ask your friends on Facebook. Social media, whether you’re a buyer or a seller, is about leveraging the vast store of collective knowledge accessible through your network of peers. It’s your connection to the collective brain.
InsideView takes the same line on Social Selling. It’s not about getting your sales team all dressed up in social media so they can stalk prospects in new and interesting ways. It’s? about leveraging the available data to understand as much about your customers as they will understand about you within 5 minutes of Googling. Social selling is about using social media to be in tune with what’s driving your market, and leveraging that knowledge to connect authentically with the interests that motivate your prospects.
In other words, Social Selling about nurturing a shared interest upon which a relationship can be built, not just pursuing your own interest in making quota this month.