Relationships in business are what makes a company successful and its no different when it comes to selling on social. Gone are the days of cold calling and hard selling. 64% of sales professionals have said that cold calling has not improved in the last three years. We now understand the importance of establishing relationships online and using feedback from users to better customer service.
Traditional selling used to work but now modern selling has taken over. 93% of the online buying process starts with an internet search. Those looking to buy a product want the seller to offer unique knowledge and value which will make them want to purchase. Closing a deal through modern selling techniques happens 20% quicker because of online authority and relationship building.
Introhive found that 98% of sales professionals believe that building relationships is the most important part of selling. Thousands of businesses are losing clients daily because they are not focusing on relationships. The day you bring on board a new client, is the day you start losing one. Focus on building relationships with clients, built on trust and understanding that you as a product provider can satisfy your consumers need. You need to discover more relationships, nurture more relationships and create more relationships.
The best way to build relationships on social is to create and find great educational content to share. If you can position yourself as a thought leader in your industry, your customers will respect what you have to say, want to build a relationship with you and once you start a two way conversation, you will sell without even realizing.
You can do this by spending time on Twitter engaging and sharing great content with your clients or taking them out for dinner. Even better a combination of the two. You might be surprised how easy it is to improve your relationships with existing clients and potential prospects using content marketing techniques or an old fashioned phone call. It’s the little gestures that can help take your relationships to the next level and make your career and business prosper.
Use all the social media tools available to develop relationships online that will help you build a successful business. Without connecting, sharing content and providing customer service, you will not see any increase in your social selling so be aware of your online activity.
Here is a great infographic that explains why relationships matter more than ever in modern selling.