Sales Progress Blog

The old method of using cold calling to prospect is well on its way out, and you don’t want to be left behind. While your inside sales team had to have excellent communication skills to engage with someone over the phone, they need to be even more refined online. They need to be able to connect with friends and clients and post blogs and whitepapers to get their company in front of potential clients. Managers need to become business coaches and teach their inside sales teams to harness the new social media tools for their own benefit.

Most of us know the outstanding stats when it comes to how many people are actually involved in sites such as Twitter and Facebook, but did you know that 41% of all businesses receive leads from social media? This is huge for most sales teams. However, not everyone knows how to take social media and turn it into profits. Managers need to step in and tailor sales training to the new tool. Social media is a great tool for sales people.  It can help easily gather information, increase lead generation, allow for warmer introduction calls and much more. The trick to successful use of social media in selling is to remember that despite the new channels of communication, you are still selling. You still have to get the right message to the right decision maker at the right time.

There are three main social media sites that can be used to increase sales and create more leads:

Click here to read more.

Click here for a free powerpoint and whitepaper.

admin Sales Training business coaching, cold calling, communication skills, effective coaching, Facebook, inside sales team, lead generation, linkedin, management leadership training, prospecting, Sales Managers, social media, social networking, training reinforcement, Twitter

Cold calling. Early morning flights. Long presentations. These are things of the past. A new business model is changing the sales game. The inside sales model allows us to reach out, contact and interact with our customers, all without ever having to leave the office. With new resources, such as the Internet, sales people can save time and connect with customers from the inside.

So, how do you save time, increase revenue and obtain more customers from your office? It is simple: turn on your computer and start using social media. Make yourself and your company accessible to consumers by creating a Facebook, a LinkedIn and a Twitter account. Then post your blogs and whitepapers and connect with an audience you think would be interested in your product or service.

Social networking gives us opportunities to build out our own personal network of confidants and associates that truly care about us. Social networking tools (fastpitchnetworking.com, linkedin.com, plaxo.com, and facebook.com) allow us to build teams of followers and people who hold our best interest at heart. It is critical to not that you should not build your network with people you do not know because these are the people we are going to go back to time and time again, to not only network but to potentially ask for help to communicate information coming from your company. Social networking allows us to tap into other people’s networks, sometimes to reach thousands of people in a matter of minutes.

Go ahead try it, and let us know what you think of this new way of selling.

admin Sales Training Facebook, linkedin, networking, prospecting, Sales Managers, social media, social networking, Twitter

With the rise in social media today, there also comes an inherent rise in misuse of networking sites. This misuse can come from an employee spending too much time on the website, or from cybercriminals who are looking to use information you put on your profiles to steal identities. Many companies have expressed a fear of social networking sites for these reasons.

One in four companies has reported attacks via social networking sites. Recently an IT security firm out of London called Sophos, did some research on the subject. The link that follows has a detailed article giving all of the findings about how companies truly feel about social networking sites and the amount of employees they have using the sites.

http://http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2009/04/social-networking.html

vfarnia Sales Training business, Companies, Cybercriminal, Misuse, social networking

Everyone has a friend who updates you on every detail of their lives via their Facebook status update.  Hide their annoying posts and make room for updates from those you care to actually read.    Patrick Omalley does a great job of describing the process in one of his recent posts. Take a look.

Bonus:  The same process also works for hiding annoying application and game updates.

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Training Facebook, facebook tips, social media tips, social networking

Fastcompany.com recently posted an article discussing a new CareerBuilder survey revealing statistics on employers checking social media profiles of job candidates.   The percentage of companies checking social media sites jumped from 22% last year to a whopping 45% this year, and they aren’t just checking your LinkedIn. More personal social media sites like facebook, myspace, blogs, and twitter are also being reviewed.

What’s even scarier? 35% of these companies reported rejecting a candidate due to what they found. Top reasons for dismissing a candidate included provocative or inappropriate pictures, drinking or drug use, badmouthing previous employers, poor communication skills, etc.  Relevant reasons, but it poses the question, "Is that content any of their business?"

Probably not. I personally believe that some sites should be kept private and open for personal and SOCIAL purposes. Unfortunately as the corporate world joins the social media band wagon it will become more important to censor your social media presence to make sure you aren’t jeopardizing any future career opportunities.

How should we censor?

If you are determined to keep you social sites social, set them to private. Sites like facebook allow you to go into the accounts and settings to set your information, posts, and pictures, to private so no one but your direct connects may see them. Make sure you are paying close attention to these personal settings and what you are opening up for strangers to see.

If you would rather keep these profiles and sites open make sure you have thought carefully about the image you are portraying. Delete questionable photos, check for correct grammar and spelling anywhere you have typing, and add descriptions, photos, and applications that positively reflect you from a professional perspective. One good way to see what a potential employer would see is to Google yourself. Check the first few pages of results and change or delete anything compromising your image.

As social media becomes more and more prevalent, censoring your image will become not just a good idea but absolutely necessary.

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Training censorship, online image, online profile, social media, social networking

With the entire world becoming connected with each other, seemingly overnight, many of you may start to wonder…”what is the best social networking site for me to join?”

Because so many people are beginning to “connect” for many different reasons I thought it might be a good idea for you to begin to narrow down your desired qualities for your social networking sites. This way you network with your desired prospects or groups of interest without opening up 100 different accounts all over the web.

I have attached the list which will give you the top 20 networking sites for those in the business community. You will see a few favorites that I am sure you will recognize, such as LinkedIn or Fast Pitch, however, I am guessing many of you will find something new that will fit the needs you are looking for!

http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/07/28/social-networking-sites-for-business/

vfarnia Sales Training Connect, Fast Pitch, Internet, linkedin, networking, social networking, Top 20

Social networking and social media are major buzzwords in today’s market place. While you may not be using or utilizing Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter I bet you have at least heard of them.  As these once innovative sites become more mainstream, you may be asking yourself… WHAT COMES NEXT?

New social networking sites are popping up everywhere. According to an interview in Fortune Magazine of Marc Andreessen, Ning is quickly becoming the new online hot spot. With impressive credentials like sitting on the board of directors for  Facebook, as well as stakes in Digg, LinkedIn, and other trendy sites, everything he touches seems to turn to social media gold.

What is Ning?

Ning is a new website which allows you to create or join your own social networking sites. Quickly find networks of people who share common interests and hobbies and connect to share ideas, photos, videos, etc.  According to the Ning website over 1 million social networks with greater than 27 million members are already checking out what Ning has to offer.

Why check out Ning?

• Join or create a specialized social network that fits your own interests
• Create a following of people interested in what you have to say
• Unlike typical social networking sites, Ning lets you customize the design of your page
• Full search engine optimization opportunities.
• Add RSS feeds to your profile to connect your blog, websites, etc. Essentially put all your social media into one place
• Embed slideshows of pictures or video right into your profile
• Utilize typical features of other social networking sites such as groups, chatting, discussion boards, and events.

Social networking is here to stay; it has become a part of many peoples everyday lives. As sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn become to big and all encompassing, more personalized social networks such as those created through Ning are bound to grow.

So ask yourself…Will you jump ahead of the social networking curve?

admin Sales Training Facebook, linkedin, Sales Progress, social media, social networking

Are you committing LinkedIn neglect? Or maybe overuse? With the phenomena of social media exploding, sometimes it is hard to find the right balance of helpful usage and wasting time. Sites like LinkedIn can provide a wealth of useful information to help grow your business but only if used reasonably.

Many people create profiles, and then neglect to update, participate, or use their account. Then suddenly, they need more business, to find new clients, referrals or their next job, but they haven’t put the effort in to reap the benefits. It is not enough to make a profile then sit back and wait. To reap benefits, make sure you are giving as much as would like to receive.

- Make sure you as many or more recommendations as you receive.

- Don’t expect many to join your discussions or posts, unless you participate in others yourself.

- Join groups to share your expertise and knowledge, not just collect logos on your profile.

What about you over- users? Since LinkedIn is considered a “business” social networking site, many will spend hours surfing people, groups, and discussions, while neglecting REAL work. Yes there are many benefits to using LinkedIn but it is important to make sure you are not using it as an excuse to not be working hard. LinkedIn will only go so far, you need to be working hard to push your company forward. So the next time you spend an hour surfing LinkedIn ask yourself, “Is this making me more or less productive?’

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Training linkedin, social media, social networking

When you think young adult, you think of an avid and experienced social media user, but are they using it to their harm or benefit? Young adults and college students think nothing of spending time everyday posting even intimate details on sites such as Facebook, Myspace and the newest phenomena Twitter. But what about more business oriented sites such as LinkedIn?

As a college student myself I can tell you most people my age have never even heard of LinkedIn, and haven’t put much effort into reaping it’s benefits. If they have started a profile, most did so with the encouragement (or forcing) of a boss or colleague at their internship or job.

What kind of opportunites do you think they miss out on by not spending as much time on their business focused social networking, as they do typical outlets?

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Training Facebook, linkedin, social networking, Young adults

Social Networking continues to grow and this is an easy tool to let people know what you are doing.  We are coming out with a full suite of products soon on tools like Twitter! It’s FREE!

Follow me here:      http://twitter.com/TimHagen

Tim Hagen Sales Training social networking, Twitter