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One of the best ways to interact with customers and prospects today while avoiding cold prospecting is to leverage digital media through what is technically known as “Social Selling.”
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Readers will likely agree that prospecting by cold-calling a list of people from a database is no longer effective. We simply do not answer calls as readily when an unidentified or unknown number appears on our phones—thanks to our beloved call centers.
Social Selling is a methodology designed to facilitate sales interactions through a more empathetic and approachable connection, taking advantage of the proximity offered by social media. This methodology consists of four main steps:
1-Branding or personal branding to establish thought leadership.
2-Obtain insights about the customer or prospect—an elegant way of “stalking.”
3-Interact with content or establish personal positioning
4-Find the right people through technology tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
On this occasion, I want to explore point 1, which addresses personal branding, in greater depth.
In this era of rapid access to information, each of us is visible on Google and social media before a client ever meets with us. First impressions are extremely important here. In addition, every professional is—and should be—a brand in their own right. They therefore have a personal image to manage, equivalent to their packaging, and a body of knowledge that, when communicated correctly, generates positive perceptions. Personal branding means paying attention to the details that shape an image in customers’ minds. Interested readers should Google themselves and review the first pages that appear, as well as the images that represent them. We may discover more “social” photographs that do not reflect what we want to communicate.
The images, content, articles, videos, and other materials referring to us professionally must be consistent with the image of expertise or specialization we want to project. Achieving this requires navigating a very fine line between branding and the perception of vanity or an inflated “ego.” In my particular case, I find this difficult because I tend to be more reserved than I appear. Nevertheless, I have learned that digital platforms are excellent showcases for building perceptions that strengthen a personal brand. We should take advantage of them, even if some people perceive ego as a factor. What is essential is this: never overpromise, lie, or exaggerate by pretending to be something we are not.
Although it may look good from a branding perspective, it can eventually work against us. Consider the digital consequences of lying or falsifying information; they are anything but pleasant.
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