Jack shuts the door on the debate about social media with an authoritative slam. There is no ONE way, no magic bean-never has been. But there is a “Jack” who has found the golden goose, and slain the giants by chopping their beanstalk.
If you are in to personal growth and sales, then you have inevitably stumbled upon the battle raging by the “thought leaders” in our industry. In one corner, we have cold-calling enthusiasts; in the other, those who yell that cold-calling is dead. Knock on doors and pound the phones vs. Social media, drip marketing, and “the customer is already 90% through the sales process before you even talk to them.” Those on both sides are so passionate that they polarize the situation and make it seem as though these techniques cannot coexist. Since when did sales become a two party system?
In a conversation with Jack Kosakowski, Jack reveals that the answer to this multiple choice question is D-all of the above. (you can hear the the whole conversation on the Sales Heroes Podcast linked below.)
1) Lead with value. Give to the buyer way before you ask anything of them.
2) Get visible. Get Valuable. Get Connected. If you have to share your story (and you DO have to share your story). Social media is the best way for people to see how you interact with them. Your company is not going to do a whole lot to get your name out there, and social is a great way for you to do it.
3) The value of you is way more important than the value of your product. When they get you, they get a new team member. Be diligent to understand their needs BEFORE you call, and be more diligent to understand their needs DURING the call. When you do, you become an army of one-solving problems, not pushing products. People buy YOU, as Jeb Blount would say.
4) It’s about process. Don’t just sit there tapping your keyboard. Cyber-stalking is not sales. In volleyball, there are four ways to hit the ball: 1)serve 2)bump 3)set 4)spike . Here is how it goes: find your best prospects through LinkedIn Sales Navigator (serve). Start paying attention to their posts and interacting with them on Twitter and LinkedIn(bump). Connect with them- you pick up the phone or go meet them in person(set). Then you present and close the deal (spike!).
5) Learn about your client. Your client is a person. A real person, with real beliefs, dreams, likes, and problems. As a person, you may share some things in common with them. Those are good areas to identify and can be tinder for a relationship. Social media provides us with a more meaningful, modern day version of the fish on the wall, or the family picture to talk about.
6) It’s all about the relationship! You can start it online, but eventually, it has to move offline. I’ve never done any internet dating, but I can guarantee that it would not be fulfilling if everything stayed online. Eventually, you’ve got to meet and see if your destinies intersect. There are so many love and dating parallels, but I digress.
I have worked with more sales professionals than I can count. The best reps don’t just follow a cookie cutter method to success. The best reps take an open assessment of ALL of the assets and tools available and decide to use the best tools for the job. Do what works. Period. Cold-calling, social-media, and everything else are tools in the toolbox. A master craftsman uses them all, and knows how to use the right tool for the right job. Just like Jack used the axe to destroy the giant’s vine.
No more arguing about social selling vs. older forms of sales activity.
Make sales, not war.
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