If there is any doubt concerning the contribution that social media can make to the selling process, those doubts should be put aside. At least that’s from even the most casual reading of business books that come across the Agency Sales editorial desk. Even the smallest sampling of these books indicates that authors, educators and consultants see social media as a critical tool and one that independent manufacturers’ representatives ought to carefully consider.

© Alexander Kirch | Dreamstime.com

For instance:

•   Technological trends that impact selling that manufacturers and representatives and others ought to be following include these: newsletters, video e-mails, website chats and Internet links. According to William “Skip” Miller, author of Proactive Selling, there are any number of ways that the salesperson can and should use the Web to generate leads. These are among the paths to follow on the Web, according to the author:

Video selling — “If you can iChat with your kids, why don’t you iChat with your customers? Salespeople are discovering the advantages of video calls on Skype, Apple, AOL and Google. Avatar discussion groups such as VenueGen are becoming more and more common.”

Cloud presentations — “The cloud is a technology that has overriding benefits to sales organizations and salespeople. As an individual salesperson, are you organizing your customers and your internal resources? Do you have a discussion group set up with your current customers? Can you get your internal resources to post items to the cloud, giving you immediate access and ensuring that you will have the right presentation at the right time? Are you helping to find solutions for your customers’ issues using cloud-based resources?”

Mobile — “You should always be current with mobile technology, whether it’s apps, messaging, texting, or even just time management skills. Logging your sales calls on your mobile device is becoming more and more common. Sales technologies are always changing and they seem to change right when you get comfortable with the application or device you bought last year. Top sales performers are investing their own money to stay ahead of the technology curve, and you should too.”

Finally Miller cautions that “It’s absolutely surprising to me how many salespeople don’t use social media. Don’t be one of them.” He adds, “Don’t be afraid of making an investment in software or hardware. You’re not losing your money or your time, even if the technology eventually becomes obsolete.”

•   “Technology has changed all industries…. If building relationships with affluent individuals is the marketing objective, then use of social media is one unique aspect of technology directly enhancing the…ability to achieve that in a much more efficient and effective way.”

In those words, David J. Mullen Jr., a retired managing director at Merrill Lynch, introduces readers to his view of social media in his book, The Million–Dollar Financial Services Practices: Powerful Lessons and Proven Strategies.

According to the author, “The best-known vehicles for social media are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, but the list grows exponentially every day.” More important than this stated growth, however, is exactly what the use of social media can do for providers of products and services. He continues, “Social media ties in with the old concept of six degrees of separation. This concept is grounded in the idea that any one person in the world is linked with any other person with no more than six people in between: you can meet anyone in the world through other people if you are strategic and purposeful.”

Here’s how social media works for Mullen — and obviously how it can work for others: “I am a frequent user of the social media Internet tool LinkedIn. I currently have 363 people that I am directly connected to. Through those 363 people I have access to all their connections, which is 100,000 individuals. In other words, within two degrees of separation I have access to 100,000 people, each of whom may be considered a prospect. The amazing thing is not only the volume of those connections but also how easy it is to gain access to them.”

•   Closely related to Mullen’s admonition to get connected, Mark Hunter seconds the notion in his book, High-Profit Selling. Hunter stresses that he’s not going to go into a “long explanation about how to leverage social media for the simple reason that the rules of social media are changing so quickly, it’s impossible to develop any plan and expect it to last for more than a couple of months. What I will say is that you do want to develop relationships through social media sites with other people in the company you are targeting. Use discussion groups and other social media tools to develop these relationships as professional relationships, allowing people to get to know your level of expertise.…There is a strong likelihood that, at some point, one of the people with whom you have developed a professional relationship through social media is going to be sitting in a meeting with the CEO, discussing a subject that matches what you can provide, so the person might mention you and suggest a meeting.”

•   Then there’s the advice to start using social media now that is contained in Selling ASAP. According to the book’s authors Eli Jones, Larry Chonko, Fern Jones and Carl Stevens, individuals and businesses should “Start adding value regularly on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or whatever social media platform you choose by becoming a content provider — an expert on a particular topic that might interest your prospects. Add links to connect with you on your e-mail signature and all other electronic communications. Find out where your target market congregates on social media and join them.”