7 Tactics I Use To Stay Connected With Potential Prospects

Having prospects is one thing, but the ability to sell to them is another. How many times have you followed up after a call or a demo and not heard back? If you’re thinking ‘quite often,’ you’re not alone. As a vendor, you need to land the sale while the consumer is still interested. Prospects can lose that interest (or simply forget) very quickly.

Want to impress potential sales prospects? Use these 7 tactics: Click To Tweet

There are a few things you can do to keep the attention of your prospects without overwhelming them. If you believe your product or service will help your target market, you can nurture the relationship to be mutually beneficial. It’s possible to use social media to land sales and here’s how:

1. Search for them on LinkedIn and connect with them.

LinkedIn can be one of the best social networks when it comes to business, especially in the B2B world. One of the first things to do after a phone call or demo is to get on LinkedIn and let them know you enjoyed the call. You can even send them any follow-up notes you might have. It can be aggravating after a call when the salesperson doesn’t immediately follow up with the additional information you requested.

PRO TIP: Be sure you have followed up with them with any questions that they may have had prior to adding them on LinkedIn. Include in your note how you found them.

2. Find them on Twitter and start following them.

Another way to connect with prospects is through Twitter. One of the greatest benefits of Twitter is that you can follow and mention someone without their approval like LinkedIn. Twitter will also allow you to see what your prospect is interested in by looking at their timeline. Since Twitter is a very fast-paced network (an average of 6,000 tweets every second), content should publish constantly to foster conversation and interest in your company.

PRO TIP: We use Bufferapp and Edgar to continue our updates when we are not online. Every week look through your recent followers and engage with those who make sense, especially if they’re a potential prospect.

3. If they have a Facebook Page, like or follow their page.

Most people have their Facebook profiles protected; in fact, 46% of social media users said that all of their profiles are set to private. It’s not as easy to get information from Facebook, but you can still “follow” the prospect’s page. This allows you to see any updates they don’t restrict and their interests since Facebook tends to be more personal.

PRO TIP: If you can’t follow them, don’t add them. You don’t want to come off as creepy. If you are selling to a business, make sure to like their page as well and post a review if/when applicable.

4. Engage with them on their social networks.

It’s good practice to like, comment and share posts across all of your networks, especially with your posts from prospects. The idea is to add value to the conversation; show them you’re relevant and attentive. The point of social media is to be… social. Take the extra time and engage with their content. Did you know on social media 42% of complaining customers expect a response within 60 minutes? Don’t give them the opportunity to be disgruntled.

PRO TIP: You have to be genuine, but don’t overdo it. Otherwise, you’ll be annoying. Retweet a good article, respond to a frustrated client and manage all interactions with humor and politesse.

5. Share content that is relevant to them.

This is one of the most important pieces of staying connected with your prospects on social media. The quantity and type of content you share is crucial. By sharing, you add value and showcase your expert knowledge. The more content you have, the more likely they’ll read it.

PRO TIP: If you only provide boring sales-y content, be prepared to lose your followers fast. Come up with new, interesting content that will engage your users. Ask yourself, “Would I click on this?” Make it useful, educational and interesting or pass on posting.

6. Reach out directly and mention them.

If you see something that makes sense for them while you are social, tag them. Share new ideas with them. Let them know that you are thinking of them and you care about them.

PRO TIP: Add some of your favorite prospects to a list with a complimentary title or suggest to your followers to follow them. Flattery is great if genuine.

7. Sign up for their newsletter and comment every so often.

I think this is a great way to stay in touch with a company. Email is the best. Reach out. Foster that relationship with them.

When you make that effort to be involved with your prospects and add value to their life and their business, the chances are higher that they will want to work with you. Colleen Francis, a sales expert and president of Engage Selling, says that she has seen salespeople pursue leads using social media and end up with sales of between $30,000 and $250,000.

“The biggest sales have come from salespeople using Twitter to find opportunities and LinkedIn to find the names of the true buyers inside organizations.”

PRO TIP: If you have something to add be sure to respond to them. They will notice you are paying attention. The worst thing a connection can say is “no”.

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How else can you stay connected with prospects? Do you think that these tips can potentially turn off a prospect? Let me know in the comments below and I will be sure to answer!