Recently I was interviewed by Paul Diamond from the Vistage organization. We discussed the vast array of social media sites for salespeople and the fact that there are a lot of these sites out there, but not all of them are good. I think that Paul’s take on the topic and what he uncovered in his research is helpful. Check out his blog post on the topic on Bizmore.com.
By Gretel Going
When I asked Tom if he thought his audience would benefit from an article on b-to-b lead generation, his answer was an obvious “yes,” so here I am. I do a ton of web, social media and content work with Tom, and he tells me that people ask him all the time to share some of his savvy trade secrets. Against his better judgment, I’m going to do exactly that in this post. Enjoy…
Most people think of LinkedIn as a great place for networking, researching contacts and searching the job market, but it’s true value as a lead generation tool has yet to be fully realized.
With a highly-engaged community, quality discussions and the ability to generate an incredible amount of traffic and leads, LinkedIn can be an incredible sales tool for b-to-b companies when used strategically. I only wish it hadn’t taken me three years of using it to figure it out.
Before I go into my tips for using LinkedIn, let me clarify: I don’t believe that “So and so sent me a message on LinkedIn and now we’re talkin’ business” qualifies as a case study on using LinkedIn for lead generation. The event must be uniquely limited to the platform at hand, whereas in that example, the same thing could have easily happened over email (or Facebook, or Twitter, or…you get it). Now, if the person got a hold of you on LinkedIn because they happened to see your contribution to a discussion in a group there, or arrived as one of your shared connections, well, that’s another story altogether.
Anyway, I’ll cut to the chase and tell you a few ways we’ve used LinkedIn to generate leads and other business opportunities for ourselves and for clients…
When I was first exposed to Twitter, I was not just negative, I was militant. The idea that a 140-character message was an effective form of communication was ridiculous. The time-suck of all-day blathering about my life, my wife, my meals, my dog, and on and on was offensive to my mid-west work ethic. Worse, I found the constant reading of everyone else’s details and their pandering for micro-fame in the digital ether numbing and nauseating.
My marketing partner is a nag. A twenty nine year-old, social-media-addicted, drank-the-Kool-Aid® of social networking, NAG. She pushed, cajoled, threatened, and bribed me into getting engaged in Twitter (and LinkedIn and Facebook, but those are stories for another day). So, I jumped in and 90 days later, here is my report from the front lines of the question: “Can you really make money on Twitter, even if you are not a PR/Marketing/Advertising/Social Media-consulting company?” The answer is YES.
I have landed three consulting/presenting deals in the last 90 days in part or in whole because of Twitter. These deals have to do with my core business of helping companies grow through large account selling and have nothing to do with being a social media expert, which is good, because I am not a social media expert. As a novice who has now sold 6 figures of consulting in 90 days, let me tell you some things I have learned along the way…
Blog readers and enthusiasts,
I am going to give a Kindle 2.0 to the winner of the following contest:
I’m publishing three books (three!) between now and the end of summer. One of these books is on how to be more effective using all of the tools out there for prospecting large accounts. It is the much-expanded version of my most recent e-book, How to Get Into Bigger Companies for Bigger Sales.
My publisher and I agree that this particular title stinks. Not only is it tepid, but if you’ve read the e-book, you know that there’s a lot more to it, including an entire how-to on using specific social media platforms for prospecting and “listening.” That said, I’m looking for a more provocative and accurate title that elicits the reaction: “I want to buy this book for every single person in my company!”
So, you have one week. If your suggested title is the one I choose for the book, you win the Kindle 2.0. I have one, and it is flippin’ phenomenal.
Post your entries as comments to this post and, who knows, a week from now I might have a new title and you might have a new Kindle 2.0!
All the best, Tom
Hi All,
It occurred to me recently that we have a TON of free sales resources scattered throughout our site. From e-books to podcasts, and webinars to essays, we’ve definitely taken this thought leadership stuff to heart. And now we’ve gone one step further and wrapped it all up nicely into one lovely package we’ve aptly named our “Resource Center.”
So now, instead of registering for every e-book or download, you will simply register once for the Resource Center (it’s still free, of course), and you’ll never have to fill out another form again. (Registration is only required for e-books, webinars and podcasts.) Your email address will become your login, although our center should recognize you if you enter from a computer that you’ve previously used to login. I’m not one to brag (which is a trait that my marketing agency cites as a fatal weakness), but it is pretty snazzy…
In all seriousness, though, I invite you to check it out and take advantage of all of our free tools, including a brand NEW e-book that we just introduced today. (I’ll write about that separately later.) “How to Get into Big Companies for Big Sales… and What to Do Once You Get There” details a variety of new challenges that big sale hunters face and then provides extensive pointers, tips and insight that will allow them to greet those challenges head on.
I would love your feedback on the new resource center and e-book, so please feel free to email me or leave a comment if you have a chance.
Now, let’s hunt! Tom
There are so many “experts” in the world today—people from every angle and media source. They are friends, clients, vendors, family, talking heads on TV, bleeps on Twitter, posts on Facebook and on and on…
Every once in a while it’s good to dial the noise back and ask the question: “Which voices should I let through and listen to…?” Here are my answers to that question, at least for the moment. I guess I should add that some of these voices are as much guilty pleasures as they are credible sources… (more…)
I think we can all agree that people who update their Twitter statuses 100+ times/day are A) annoying, B) abusing the platform, and C) not possibly getting any work done. What’s even worse is that the thought of un-following them makes you feel guilty, when really, they should feel guilty about taking over your entire feed. Ah, the dilemma…
Well, I’m proud to announce that I’m not one of these people. As I get started on my new book about customizing your sales process to work hand-in-hand with social media marketing initiatives, I’ll be using Twitter as a means of sharing brief tips and anecdotes. I’ll also be updating whenever we put out new free sales tools—podcasts, e-books, and webinars—as well as offer information about new workshops and speaking engagements. I might even alert you to a great article I’ve read that I think you might also enjoy. If this is the type of stuff you’re interested in, feel free to follow me at www.twitter.com/tomsearcy. Of course, you’ll still get my more substantial posts here.
And as a promise to you, here’s a list of things I can assure you I WON’T be writing about on Twitter:
• My trip to the drug store to get cold medicine • My new haircut—a little too short, but it will grow! • My daughter’s day home from school • Rising and falling gas prices in a city you don’t live in • The fact that I don’t like vegetables that start with a ‘b’ • My new stapler (check out that ergonomic grip!) • The number of people following me—“Hey everyone, I’ve got 22 followers. Yeah!” • Spilling coffee on myself on the way to work (silly coffee lid) • Skittles’ new marketing stunt • How cool Twitter is—which is an oddly popular topic, wouldn’t ya say? • And anything having to do with my trip to Kinko’s, the weather or Ping Pong
Deal?
Not on Twitter, but want to be? Check out this quick tutorial.
