Traditional Selling vs Social Selling Today

Location and timing should dictate your sales approach in both traditional selling as well as social selling. Social selling has been around since the beginning of sales, but social media is changing the way that is done. Cold calling isn’t dead, but social selling is taking over in a lot of ways. You need to practice your social selling skills more than ever.

The days of relying on the yellow pages to market your business are over. You also will be silly to rely on any single type of marketing. Marketing is something you need to create brand awareness as well as open a few doors. However, you also need to know how to sell to today’s consumer. If you’re not aware of the best way to approach today’s consumer you should expect to have a hard time making sales.

Traditional selling had a lot to do with cold calling, whether over the phone or in person. That was the way most people made sales because that is how we were able to find what we needed as consumers. The internet and social media changed the game. Now, we have to market our products, services, and ourselves in a much different way. 

There was a time when people wouldn’t be able to learn very much about the person that was selling them a product or service. Now, consumers can look you up in many ways. In fact, consumers expect you to have a strong online presence or reputation. Nearly 91% of people say that won’t buy from someone that has bad reviews or any reviews about their business online. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense for anyone looking to sell in today’s marketplace to market themselves online.

Selling through social media

Almost everyone knows at this point that you need to be selling through social media to make your business competitive. However, social selling through the internet is still in its infancy, so a lot of people haven’t figured it out. The same basic rules of traditional selling still apply in a lot of ways because timing and approach still matter. A very common, but terrible, approach is to instantly pitch new connections on social media. Don’t do that. It won’t work very well, and you only get one chance to make a first impression.

Think of social selling online as trying to earn a date with an attractive suitor that doesn’t know you. If they’re attractive and have plenty of people approaching them it would silly to come on too strong, right? The thing about online consumers is they’re all attractive because they can all buy your products or services, so they get approached a lot. You have to present yourself well if you want a chance. It also pays to have a few people that this person knows on the ready to vouch for your good character.

You have to look presentable, come with a decent approach, and pick the right time to make your move. The bigger the potential sale the better your approach and timing need to be. 

Make a friend and make a sale

Do you know the best way to get a discount from a plumber or any other service person? It’s not at 2 am when you need their help to fix your emergency. It’s at the local baseball game, church, or networking event months prior. A plumber that knows you and likes you is much more likely to give you a break. A consumer in need of your product or service is going to make their decision the same way. People buy from people those that they like or trust. In the old days, it was hard to know people in different industries or social groups, so it made sense that people were less careful when making buying decisions. Now, people can check out your LinkedIn profile, Google reviews, or any other social media channel to get a feel for what to expect.

If you do a good job of putting yourself out there online and making friends ahead of time expect people to do less checking. The better you do at making your social media profiles and getting your name out there the easier it will be to anything that you want. There are people that can make a living selling anything under the sun due to the strength of their online presence. If you’re good at what you do, then you don’t have to be a social media influencer. However, you do need to be online and you need to present yourself well.

Social selling and networking are becoming more important every single day due to the growing popularity of social media. Don’t be left behind because you’re not online. Get online and start making friends. That is how you find the most success with selling in today’s marketplace. It doesn’t matter what you sell.

How do I get started selling online?

There are many coaches and online sales gurus out there today selling different programs. There are also a lot of free resources like the 14-Step Crushing B2B Digital Strategy System that you can use to get going.

You can get a lot of free help and guidance with a little research. Get online and start working on building your social network. Contact us with any questions that you may have.

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