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Johannesburg - The rise of social media brings a new dynamic to the sales environment of any organisation, says senior vice president for sales at Sage ERP Africa and the Middle East, Keith Fenner.
Sales, at its essence, is all about connecting with people and building relationships.
“The rise of social media brings a new dynamic to the sales environment of any organisation and those wanting to be part of a new generation of industry leaders should invest in social corporate responsibility management," said Fenner.
According to Fenner, using popular social media networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook makes businesses more accessible, more personable and enables them to maintain long term connections.
Social corporate responsibility management is the process for monitoring, engaging in and managing conversations and relationships with existing or prospective customers and influencers across social media channels.
“By integrating social media with your social corporate responsibility management software, you will be able to foster communities and engage in conversations that will build meaningful relationships, so existing customers keep coming back and new customers keep coming in,” says Fenner.
His top social media tips for sales people:
Establish a presence on Twitter
Doing keyword searches on Twitter helps you to find people talking about the issues your business is interested in and this could lead to a potential sale. The geographical search function on Twitter can help you to find potential customers who live in your area.
Unlock sales opportunities within LinkedIn
By engaging with LinkedIn members, companies can achieve a wide range of sales and marketing objectives. The professional characteristics of the LinkedIn membership base and the content of online member profiles can be used effectively to identify qualified prospects, generate leads, research prospects prior to sales calls and establish a company’s presence.
Gain customer insights from Facebook
It allows for instant information about customers and possible sales opportunities, which enable sales people to better understand and know their customers for better relationship management.
Establish a Yammer group for sales teams
This internal social network allows for structured business conversations amongst sales teams concerning opportunities and leads and gives sales teams the opportunity to support each other in a way that is more social and transparent.
- Fin24
* Share your experience of setting up a business or simply ask a question. Our business panel can put you on the right path.
Sales, at its essence, is all about connecting with people and building relationships.
“The rise of social media brings a new dynamic to the sales environment of any organisation and those wanting to be part of a new generation of industry leaders should invest in social corporate responsibility management," said Fenner.
According to Fenner, using popular social media networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook makes businesses more accessible, more personable and enables them to maintain long term connections.
Social corporate responsibility management is the process for monitoring, engaging in and managing conversations and relationships with existing or prospective customers and influencers across social media channels.
“By integrating social media with your social corporate responsibility management software, you will be able to foster communities and engage in conversations that will build meaningful relationships, so existing customers keep coming back and new customers keep coming in,” says Fenner.
His top social media tips for sales people:
Establish a presence on Twitter
Doing keyword searches on Twitter helps you to find people talking about the issues your business is interested in and this could lead to a potential sale. The geographical search function on Twitter can help you to find potential customers who live in your area.
Unlock sales opportunities within LinkedIn
By engaging with LinkedIn members, companies can achieve a wide range of sales and marketing objectives. The professional characteristics of the LinkedIn membership base and the content of online member profiles can be used effectively to identify qualified prospects, generate leads, research prospects prior to sales calls and establish a company’s presence.
Gain customer insights from Facebook
It allows for instant information about customers and possible sales opportunities, which enable sales people to better understand and know their customers for better relationship management.
Establish a Yammer group for sales teams
This internal social network allows for structured business conversations amongst sales teams concerning opportunities and leads and gives sales teams the opportunity to support each other in a way that is more social and transparent.
- Fin24
* Share your experience of setting up a business or simply ask a question. Our business panel can put you on the right path.
