By iPass Staff Writer
You’re out of town for the weekend when your phone lights up with the dreaded phone call from your teenage brother. Before you even answer the call there are a million different scenarios running through your head as to why he’s calling and what he could possibly need. You answer, fearing the worst – only to hear the words “Hey, the internet is down – what do I do?”
Whilst many of you will laugh and shrug this off as the ultimate first world problem, this very scenario happened to me not too long ago. So what did I do to rectify the problem of no internet? Well nothing, it was completely out of my hands, but I was faced with the issue of my brother being unable to finish his homework because all the resources he needed to access were only available online. And it got me thinking – about the importance of Always Being Connected.
Red haired boy talking on the phone
In today’s connected world it’s crucial to remain on top of things – whether it’s daily news, family updates, homework or work – but all of this is accessible online. As our reliance on remaining connected to the internet has increased so has our assumption that we’ll always be able to connect seamlessly no matter where we are. So when it doesn’t work, boy you’re in for a rude awakening. Need to send that all important last minute email to a client – forget it!
So what does being connected mean and how does it affect you? Let’s imagine you’re a salesperson – you’re trying to land your next big client and you need to research as much about them as possible. Where do you even begin? Well, first you need to understand the modern buyer and learn about them – where you can find them, what they like and dislike, what they’re reading online – even what they’ve had for breakfast!
But why has the modern buyer changed? We’ve always been social buyers – even before the days of the internet and LinkedIn. We’re used to asking friends, neighbors and colleagues for advice before committing to a purchase. Now that we have the internet at the touch of a button, buyers are still searching out recommendations – they’re just looking online for the answers instead. This is why it’s critical for salespeople to position themselves online as a trusted source.
What’s more, they need to cast off their ‘ME, ME, ME’ and ‘SELL, SELL, SELL’ mentalities – not only do buyers not respond to this anymore, it actually ruins the buying experience. The salesperson ends up too busy trying to close a deal instead of listening to what the buyer needs. Buyers are getting fed up with salespeople ‘ruining’ every form of communication they use – from the phone call to the email and eventually social. Salespeople need to overhaul their tactics, and they need to do it fast.
This new way of selling is known as social selling – and it works. Social is in real time, 24/7, forever ‘on’ and fast paced. You’re constantly listening to what your buyer is commenting on, sharing and liking on social networks to get that little bit more of an insight than you had before. You’re maintaining a consistent presence online, offering pieces of advice and crafting that buyer relationship until the time is right to introduce the sales pitch. So if you’re not connected to the internet, not only are you at a serious disadvantage, you’re losing out on precious insights into your buyers’ habits.
And this brings me back to the issue of Always Being Connected. Like my brother, practically disenfranchised from life by temporary loss of his internet connection, salespeople are dependent on connectivity to function in this new online environment. Not only do they need maturity, understanding and guidance to adapt, wherever they go in the world, whatever devices they use – they’ll need an internet connection that simply works.
iPass and Social Selling expert, Jill Rowley, will be presenting a webinar on how to get started with Social Selling on June 17, 2015. Click here for more details.