You have a conversation with someone who seems to be doing really well in business. (I used ‘seems to be’ as opposed to ‘is’, for good reason). They tell you how they do it. It involves an early pitch. You do what they say worked for them. But it doesn’t work for you.

Does that sound familiar? I don’t need to go into details but can confess that I was seduced in such a manner in the past. I also confess to being embarrassed that I did this! I’m simply not a hard-selling type who can hop onto a call and get old-school salesy. Besides which, I know that most people simply don’t want that anymore – least of all from a relationship that started online! I did it for the promise of sales success

Megaphone Selling Was the Old World. Social Selling Is the New

What We Don’t Like

When we turn on the television, we expect to see sales messages. When we drive, we expect to see billboards. And by now, we’ve all become accustomed to the banner ads that follow us around. Being directly sold to is still acceptable in those, and probably a few other situations.

However, if you log into LinkedIn and see a few connection requests, you’re surely turned off if they include a pitch. You also won’t like it if the pitch comes minutes after you accept the invitation.

Use your own feelings as a barometer here. Few people have time for old school, connect-to-sell tactics on Social Media. That includes if it’s you doing the selling. If you’re lucky, no damage will be done. You may be admonished by a few people and some will drop you instantly. But if you’re unlucky, you’ll be reported to the platform resulting in possible bans. And your reputation could be tarnished. Social Media is tough if you have a bad reputation!

What We Should Be Doing

1. Get online
2. Send some connection requests
3. BE SOCIAL!

Social Selling

As I mentioned in the article ‘B2B Networking: Be The One Who Listens’, Social is about listening. It’s about doing the stuff you do with friends. It’s not only about talking. Make new relationships. Make new friends! Ask them questions. Be a human, not a salesperson. Yes, you can sell without overt selling. Try it!

Featured image: Copyright: ‘https://www.123rf.com/profile_bowie15‘ / 123RF Stock Photo

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Andy Capaloff

Andy Capaloff is the COO of Curatti. Prior to moving into the world of Content Marketing, Social Media Management and the day-to-day running of a Digital Marketing company, Andy spent over 3 decades in various aspects of IT. It is here that he honed his writing and technical skills, and his ability to ask uncommon questions.

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