What if you knew exactly how to create the ideal sales process on social for your business? What if you knew exactly how to generate leads by leveraging your social in a way that made customers feel engaged and appreciated? What if you could use your social to scale your business and get more customers?
We have the answers. And today, we're going to open the floor for discussion and give you the steps you need to create your own highly effective sales process on your social media channels.
Let's jump right in.
What's the Point of Having a Sales Process?
First of all, if you are making sales, no matter how you're making those sales, you DO have a process. The difference between making sales WITHOUT a process and making sales WITH a process is that you lack insight into the process. And believe me, this is insight you WANT to have.
A process for your social selling is important because it will establish the language, framework and ultimately the way you communicate between your employees and your clients in a streamlined way so that everyone knows the process of each lead on your flywheel.
Establishing this process on paper is also a great way for you to be able to spot problem areas in your process. Do you have a lot of leads dropping off after the attraction stage? Maybe after the engagement stage? Maybe they convert, but they don't become an individual that is loyal to your brand and they never come back.
By establishing a sales process, you are empowering yourself and your team to convert effectively on social media. Something you will certainly want if you plan on growing.
Stage One: Finding Your Ideal Customers
This will take research. You'll want to start by outlining your buyer personas. The type of people who you think would buy your product. You need to outline the why, the when, the what and who. Then go a little deeper. What are things these people might enjoy doing? What are the questions they might ask? Get your hands dirty and start researching the companies you want to market to on social. What do THEIR customers need from them and is there a way you can help YOUR target audience reach THEIR customers?
Over time, you might find that your buyer personas don't line up with your customers perfectly. That's okay! It's all part of the process. You can make adjustments as you go.
Stage Two: The First Contact and Engagement Phase
Whether they saw an ad on social and got in touch, clicked over to your site from an ad or you were taking advantage of the opportunities for messenger marketing, that first contact can be tricky. You won't always be able to help the people who wander over to your social or who initiate contact with you one way or another. And in the same way, you won't always be able to provide the right product. This does not mean your product or service isn't a good fit for anyone, it just means that that particular business or individual could not benefit in one way or another.
Use the opportunity to tailor your audience and better understand what your audience needs from you, while accurately portraying it in a fun, creative way on social media.
You can use ads to reach your target audience and also keep certain audiences out. Ads also will allow you to find lookalike audiences. You can read all about Facebook advertising HERE.
Just remember: a prospective customer is going to be doing LOTS of research about your company. Have you been good about protecting your online reputation?The INsiders Guide to Protecting Your Online Reputation The majority of people will turn to social to find out if they trust you, what your product is like and make a decision from that whether or not they are going to work with you. It is IMPERATIVE that you make sure your social media and customer relations are in a place that inspires customers to take the next step.
Things like not responding to customers questions, not being present on social, not responding to customers negative reviews and more can cause a customer to turn away in this stage, so keep in mind that its a growing process. You may not be on social yet, but there's always time to take the first step. Check out this article we wrote all about which social media platform is best for YOUR business.
Step Three: Finding the Problem, Suggesting a Solution
Your customers found you because they had a problem area. Whether they went actively searching for you, or your ad popped up in their feed, something made them click. And now they're here and its your job to figure out how you can best fill their need.
Maybe you sell clothing and Jennifer needs a new dress for an upcoming shower. Maybe you sell gym equipment and Miguel at Sports Plus and Fitness saw your ad and needs a quote for a room full of equipment before the grand opening.
Whatever it is, you have to pinpoint it. The problems above are more easy to spot, but you will stumble on some that confuse you. Be prepared to diagnose the problem and suggest a solution. But BEWARE because part of being a trustworthy company is only suggesting things you KNOW will help. If you can't, BE HONEST and suggest someone who can. They may not be a satisfied CUSTOMER but that is the type of relationship they're looking for and that individuals leave reviews for.
Step Four: Delighting Your Customers
Going back to what we said about not selling to someone you know you can't help- delighting your customers starts from the very first interaction. The very first time they see your brand and your online interaction.
Social media has made words more powerful than ever before. One awful customer interaction can destroy everything you fought to create in an instant.
This is why delighting your customers is imperative, both in the way you interact with them, the way you and your team communicate, your product, your service and more.
If you can purpose to delight your customers in every way, they'll be more likely to spread the word. Which brings us to our final step...
Step Five: When Customers Become Promoters
When you've communicated, delivered and delighted, your customers are much more likely to go out and tell their friends about your brand. Make them happy enough and they'll tell the world!
This is a billion times more powerful than paying a social media influencer because its authentic, unpaid promotion.
Creating your sales process, from the beginning to the end is vital if you want to be successful on social media. When you've outlined each step and how you can make it happen, you can start becoming wildly successful in how you approach your social media, which will in turn help your business to be successful in the long game.
Do you have some insight to share into your own sales process? We want to hear your feedback and what worked (or didn't) for YOU!
If you're looking to connect with other marketers about your social media, come join our social media marketing in the south group on Facebook and make some new friends! Just click on the link below. We look forward to seeing you!
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