Selling via social media has been touted as the next big thing in sales, the “end” of traditional cold calling and dialing for dollars. But even though he’s written a book on the subject of social selling Jamie Shanks doesn’t believe those are accurate portrayals of the role social plays in selling. If you want to learn the right way to approach social media as a tool in your sales toolbox, this episode is packed with great insights that are just a taste of what’s in Jamie’s new book.

Selling via Social is not what you think.
Most new salespeople these days think that social media has done away with many of the traditional sales tools and sales approaches from the past. And while it’s true that the contact part of prospecting is simplified and made easier by social media, it’s not by any means a one-for-one replacement for traditional sales approaches. You can hear the RIGHT way to use social to reach prospects from Jamie Shanks on this episode of In The Arena, with Anthony Iannarino.
What kind of content should salespeople be sharing on social?
There are lots of things you could be sharing on social media to highlight your company or products. But should you? On this episode, Jamie Shanks points out that the appropriate phase of the sales process to direct your social shares at is the “why” aspect. Why would your ideal prospects want to consider your product? What are their needs that your product can solve? Your job on social is to start the conversation about the issues that lead people to consider your solution. The social aspect of social media can take it from there as you converse and consider the situation together. Hear more from Jamie Shanks of Sales for Life, on this episode.

How can you connect with prospects when you know nothing about them?
With the advent of social media salespeople have more ways than ever to discover the information needed to intelligently pursue prospects. You can find out so much about the people you need to speak to about your products or services before you ever “meet” them - online or offline. On this episode, Jamie Shanks shares some of the things you can do to research your prospects intelligently so that when the time comes to strike up the relationship that moves towards a sales conversation, you are well prepared.
Why and how you can shape the environment your prospects are in.
Part of your job on social media is to be an active, engaging presence in the social circles where  your ideal prospects are “hanging out.” Whether that’s on LinkedIn, Facebook, or somewhere else, you need to observe what’s going on in the space and bring a level of insight and depth to the conversation that positions you to strike up conversations with anyone who’s interested in interacting with you. Over time you’ll find others engaging with you more, and your expertise and sales solutions will become resources to people in the space rather than a “sales pitch.” Jamie Shanks has lots of other great insights like this one to share on this episode, so be sure you set aside some time to hear it.

Outline of this great episode

[3:22] Anthony’s love for the social platforms available and his introduction to this episode with Jamie.
[6:01] Why Jamie started his book with rules about sales and marketing.
[8:41] How to do the commitment gaining part of sales on social without seeing terrible.
[12:00] The importance of using “why level” content on social.
[16:41] Getting the right people in the room to talk about the right messages for social.
[18:04] How to get started in marketing and sales with little to no information about prospects.
[21:05] The FEED routine for sales: Find - Education - Engage - Develop - in under 30 minutes per day.
[26:18] Shaping the conversation within the environment of your prospects.