In Dr. Deming and Data We Trust

There’s a lot of talk about how social media can improve sales, but until now there hasn’t been the data to back it up. Jim Keenan, a social science specialist, is bringing sales people from the world of cold calling to the Twitter world. From the Old world into the social world. At least that's what a Forbes article, “Study:  78% of Salespeople Using Social Media Outsell Their Peers,” reports. Cold calling and follow-ups to bring a prospect to the table are being replaced by social media’s ability to engage and educate prospects with relevant content. Educate, excite, and draw customers to you. 

Keenan wrote about his discoveries in “The Rise of Social Salespeople,” and shows how social media can result in more sales and increased profits. The results of his study showed that in 2012, 78% of salespeople who used social media outsold those who didn’t. And the results were steady through many different categories. The sites that had the most impact? LinkedIn was number one, followed by Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Google+.

So, if you’re a salesperson who isn’t comfortable using social media or maybe haven’t even heard of those sites, what do you do? Interestingly enough, 75 percent of those using social media for sales haven’t had any formal training. For a younger sales force that spends most of its time on a Smartphone, the mechanics of social media are probably easier than for some who grew up in the sales game with more traditional methods of selling.

The beauty of selling and social media is the ability to engage a wider audience, targeting individuals and companies with your sales message. Take LinkedIn, for example. You can post updates, join in group discussions and build a network of contacts with a little time and creativity. You can gain a following on Twitter by sending out Tweets with useful content, links, and commentary. You can be in the community, actively participating and even gaining the reputation of a thought leader. 

This type of exposure and notoriety can be spread across the globe, increasing with every contact you gain.  Contrast that with driving to a sales meeting and conversing with two or three prospects. Social media multiplies the impact of a comment or contact, bounded only by the number of people paying attention and engaged enough to retweet or share your message.

It wasn’t too many years ago that sales people needed slick, professional brochures and other collateral to leave behind with a client or use in a sales meeting to impress with their professionalism and creativity. Then came the digital age and everyone had to have a website. While that’s still important, with mobile communications and Smartphones, people aren’t tied to a desktop PC or even a laptop anymore. Notebooks, iPads and Smartphones bring information and data to your prospect where they are at any time in real time. A blog, app, or Facebook page is no longer a novelty or a nice-to-have. It’s a necessity.

A popular quote from Dr. W. Edwards Deming from the Total Quality era of the 90’s was, “In God We Trust; all others bring data.” Keenan’s data may be disputed by other studies, but it’s hard to deny that social media is where people hang out. If you want to get in touch with one prospect, make a cold call. To access the world, Tweet. In Dr. Deming and Data We Trust.

Photo Courtesy of MorgueFile.com