Hey, did you hear about Melissa? Isn’t that great about Mike’s son, and what about Jessica’s new job? Oh, that’s right — you’re not into Facebook. That’s OK, your appointment is in six weeks — you can get caught up then.
© Burak Çakmak | Dreamstime.com
Do you really want to be that far behind the activity that’s happening right now? Can you afford to be totally in the dark when it comes to your client’s life? Think back — you used to go to a customer’s office, look around the room and see framed pictures of kids, spouse, vacations — and thankfully those photos gave you some common ground to talk about. Unfortunately, most of those pictures were years old and the kids weren’t playing T-Ball anymore — they had just graduated from high school.
Social media is here and it’s more effective than ever — if you’re willing to use it. Our firm slowly embraced the concept, and now it’s just part of our standard business process. Quite frankly, it’s amazing what you can learn and how productive you can be. The greatest lesson we’ve learned is that there is an entire generation that wants to communicate through Facebook — that is their interaction.
Personally, I can’t imagine there is a substitute for face-to-face calls and a good solid handshake, but some of our newer buyers are very happy to get their information through a variety of means other than sit-down meetings. Social media allows instant gratification, immediate information and you get to choose the time to participate — it certainly has its advantages.
One of the best tools from a rep perspective is accurate sales reports. Whether they arrive weekly or monthly, with commissions, it’s always helpful to see what activity is taking place in your territory. Think of Facebook as a sales report on a personal standpoint; you’re being kept up-to-date on activity, not only in your territory but across the country. If you embrace this thought process and learn to use and share information in this format, you’ll begin to appreciate its popularity.
Admittedly, my business partner is much more adept and active on Facebook and has become our self-appointed social media officer. However, we’ve all learned to contribute, and it does make a difference. From a business perspective, we post everything from current promotions to pictures from sales calls. Last year we sponsored a cruise promotion, and this year we’re starting a “Where are we Now?” contest featuring pictures of our travels. Guess our location and win a gift. The key is keeping people interested in your page and wanting to return regularly.
It’s not just about Facebook — think Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest — there are plenty of options, and it just depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Before your next appointment, try Facebook and see what’s happening in that person’s life — they may be pleasantly surprised that you showed some interest.
BTW: Melissa broke her wrist trying to snowboard, Mike’s son was named MVP of the Tri-State Tournament and Jessica is the new VP of Sales (who you will now be calling on)!
