5 Facebook Tips For Sales Professionals

Making Social Networking Work For Sales Professionals

Have you ever met the sales professional that complains that networking events, “just don’t work”? I have. They make me laugh. Networking, whether it be off-line or online, works. You just have to know how to do it the right way. Most sales professionals I know have limited knowledge of how to leverage the Internet, let alone social networks, to develop better relationships with existing customers and prospecting for new ones.

I could write for days about how I have used the Internet and social networks like Facebook to build relationships that have resulted in hundred’s of thousands of dollars in sales, but I won’t bore you with the details; here are 5 instant tips sales professionals can use to increase sales through Facebook:

• Get a Profile - No, I am not kidding. Remember, your computer won’t work if it is not plugged-in. You can’t leverage Facebook if you do not yet have an account, so get one now. It also a good idea to get on LinkedIn…if you are not the yet. Make sure your Facebook profile is professional, but don’t be a square. Let people who you are as a person. People typically like buying from people more than a voice on the end of the phone.
• Add Your Top Customers (and the Others) As Friends -Facebook let’s you easily import your contacts and will automatically find them. Be careful though, if you have a lot of contacts as you could get banned. If you only have a couple hundred, you are safe. If you have over a 1,000, you might want to import them in smaller groups.Now that you have your customer base as friends on Facebook spend a night looking through their profiles - get to know who they are. Before you leave, though, send them a message or post on their wall to let them know you are there. Don’t make it a sales pitch, rather something mature that you might say to a good friend.
• Add Facebook Business Applications - Check out the Top 10 Facebook Applications For Business Professionals. These applications will make you more accessible and allow you to communicate with your customers inside and outside of Facebook with greater ease. The easier it is to find you, the better chance you have of getting that next sale.
• Join Relevant Facebook Groups - There are multiple groups for just about everything on Facebook. If there is not yet one for your particular industry or niche, start one. You will be happy you did. Facebook forums provide an awesome way for sales professionals to A) meet others within their industry (network), B) display/build their expertise through dialogs (brand), and C) find new customers for their products and services (prospect). Don’t even think of selling right away - spend a month or two delivering value through knowledge transfer to the “community” before even getting to the “pitch.”
• Work Your Newsfeed - The Newsfeed is an excellent way to push information to your friends (clients, partners, perspective customers). Have a new product/service? Offering a special price or promotion? Win an award or some other accolade? Don’t be bashful! Post it to your profile and see the information pushed to your “network” instantly. Now you can sit back and wait as the inquiries roll in.

Bonus Tip

Okay, I feel bad. The first tip really was not much of a tip at all - more of a “must do”.

The final tip?

If you really want to get in the good graces of one of your customers, become their evangelist. Who does one do this on Facebook? It is pretty easy actually. Remember the last tip, “Work Your Newsfeed”? Rather than publish stories, news and tidbits about you and your company, start doing it for your customers - they’ll love you for it. It is quick, easy and painless, but the returns are huge.

Have a tip? Leave it in the comments. I would love to hear what other sales professionals have done to leverage Facebook to increase sales.

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