We've all been there.

Somebody sends you a connection request on Linkedin, and then the next moment they are pitching to you whatever it is they sell.

This isn't social selling.  This is cold calling on a social network.

The problem with people continually doing is is that people will stop coming to the network.

Let's look at a number of elements here:-

1. Social selling isn't actually about selling on social.  People hate being pitched at.  Social is the place where you build a relationship and then you take that off line.  You then have a call or a meeting and that is where you can "pitch".

2. Social selling is based on relationships and permissions.  You connect with people and have a discussion.  Buyers are looking for experts and if you have a personal brand, a strong network and insightful and educational content you will find that people are attracted to you.  This is how you get inbound.

3.  Social selling is not throwing shit at the wall and hoping it will stick.  In the past, because all you could do was interrupt people and broadcast your message.  You had to interrupt as many people as you can.  I'm not sure what the going rate for cold calls today is, but 100 a day plus seems like a going rate.  With social selling you can focus on the people who will buy.  No more wasted effort, social selling is more efficient and effective than legacy sales methods.

4. Social selling does not take a long time, anybody who says it does, doesn't know that they are talking about.  There are many instances where we have contacted senior people and then a few days we have a meeting with them.

5.  This all feels like a bunch of tactics.  It is.  Currently we see sales people doing social selling as if it's cold calling.  Wrong!  Sales people are struggling.  One person sends and inmail then all of a sudden they have a book about that inmail.  Really?  Social selling should get you a 30% revenue increase and a 40% reduction in pipe, but you have to have a methodology.  A process.  Do A, do B and you will get C.  It's simple.

6.  People and companies are scared.  We hear it all the time.  We know that what us here won't get us there.  So we have to stop doing all those things that we know don't work.  Or at least dial them down.  A policy of less advertising, less cold calling and less emails, I know sounds scary.

But that is where we come in.  We have a repeatable and predictable process.  When I mean predictable, we know what the results will be.  Nothing to be scared of.

We know what we did doesn't work anymore and it's time to switch to social.