Written by Thomas Norris
With today’s ever-changing, highly competitive sales landscape, it’s important for salespeople to stay ahead of the curve. Every competitive edge can make a difference, and leveraging references in social selling can be one of those edges.
Social selling is a type of marketing and sales that utilizes social networks – such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook – to find leads, build relationships, and close deals. It takes advantage of the incredible reach of social media and allows salespeople to build relationships with potential customers and partners.
When used effectively, social selling can be a powerful weapon in your sales arsenal. One strategy that can be particularly effective when it comes to social selling is leveraging references. Here’s how it works:
1. Identify Potential References
The first step in leveraging references in social selling is to identify potential references. These are people who can provide a positive endorsement of you and your product or service. These could be customers, partners, or even colleagues.
When identifying potential references, think about who would be most likely to provide a positive endorsement of your work and your product or service. It’s also important to consider the reach that each reference has – the more followers they have, the more likely their endorsement will be seen and have an effect.
2. Reach Out to Your References
Once you’ve identified potential references, it’s time to reach out to them. You can do this by sending them a direct message on the social network of your choice or by sending an email.
When reaching out to your references, be sure to explain why you’re interested in working with them and why you think they’d be a great reference. You should also be sure to include any relevant information about your product or service.
3. Develop a Relationship with Your References
Once you’ve reached out to your references, it’s important to take the time to develop a relationship with them. This could include engaging with their content, responding to their comments, or even meeting up for coffee.
The more you can get to know your references and the more you can demonstrate that you’re an expert in your field, the more likely they are to provide a positive endorsement of you and your product or service.
4. Ask for Endorsements
Once you’ve developed a relationship with your references, it’s time to ask for endorsements. This could be as simple as asking them to share a post about your product or service on their social networks or to write a brief testimonial.
You should also be sure to thank your references for their endorsement and to let them know how much it means to you. This will help to further strengthen your relationship and ensure that they’re more likely to provide a positive endorsement in the future.
Leveraging references in social selling can be a powerful tool for salespeople. By identifying potential references, reaching out to them, developing a relationship with them, and asking for endorsements, salespeople can use social selling to gain a competitive edge.
Social selling is an incredibly powerful tool and leveraging references can be a great way to take advantage of it. By following the steps outlined above, salespeople can use references to their advantage and gain a competitive edge.