Using social media to get more appointments in B2B sales

Social media is a great complement to, but not a replacement for, prospecting tools like phone calls and networking. Let’s apply David Sandler’s Success Triangle, comprised of Attitude, Behavior and Technique, to prospecting using social media.

Attitude – as one of my mentors in sales told me, “No one ever says thank God you showed up.” If you plan to use social media as a prospecting tool don’t expect prospects to start asking for meetings just because you posted a video introducing your business. One of the best questions to ask yourself is, “How do I build trust and credibility?” with your social media presence.

Behaviour – do a little social media prospecting every week. If you don’t have your social media activities building into your weekly prospecting plan (at Sandler we call this a “cookbook”) then you will:

a) Become discouraged quickly when results don’t magically appear and;

b) Have no way of tracking your return on your social media investment.

Technique

1. Does your LinkedIn summary help viewers understand the types of prospects you want to connect with or does it make you look like you’re job hunting? If the latter, how much confidence would a prospect have in your business?
2. Don’t initiate a request to meet on Twitter. If a prospect requests a meeting, suggest a quick phone conversation.
3. STOP asking for referrals. Instead ask for introductions. Asking for a referral subtly says to the person you asked, “You won’t send me a loser, right?”
4. If you wouldn’t introduce them, don’t accept their LinkedIn request. If someone asks for an introduction to one of your connections and you don’t know them, which kills your credibility (see Attitude above).

Hamish Knox, Sandler Training, Calgary, AB, CYBF young entrepreneur