There’s an old saying in business…
“People love to buy, but hate to be sold to”
We’ve all had that gut-churning feeling when an overly pushy salesperson uses strong-arm tactics to try and make a sale.
On the other hand, we sometimes love to buy and enjoy the process.
Successful businesses are often the ones that make their sales process easy and enjoyable. They’ve figured out what makes their customers tick and how to make them feel good about making a purchase — both online and offline.
Today, I want to talk about the online experience, specifically via social media, and how to go about developing a “more enjoyable purchasing experience” for your customers.
The secret is developing “Know-Like-Trust”
One of the most powerful ways that successful businesses help people buy their products or services is to move their lead generation process from cold calling to using social media to target and nurture their leads. This way they subtly educate customers, build their trust and wet their appetite for what they have to offer.
When you develop Know-Like-Trust on your social media business page, the prospective customer is MUCH more likely to buy from you at some point in the future. Cold calling, on the other hand, is more likely to create resentment, alienation and frustration.
Developing Know-Like-Trust on social media means these leads have already been educated about what you do, who you are and they have started to like and to trust you too.
You’re turning your cold prospects into warm leads. And warm leads are much more likely to buy.
Why social media? Your target audience currently spends time on social media. Whether they use it to keep up with current events or the latest celebrity gossip, interact with thought leaders in their field, or keep in touch with friends and relatives, your audience spends time there. So it’s the perfect place to interact with them.
Also, social media, especially Facebook and LinkedIn, have made it so easy to target the exact people you’re wanting to get in front of. All you need to know are just a few characteristics of your ideal client.
It’s also extremely cost efficient to prospect for new customers online, especially when considering the cost of employing salespeople, cold callers or appointment bookers as headcount.
Now, knowing how to put together a strategy to engage with your ideal target audience is a specific skill set. As is the ability to write content that will resonate with your customer and move them closer to becoming a warm lead — or even a sale. And you guessed it, that’s where Likeable Lab can help.
If you could use our help developing Know-Like-Trust for your business we should talk.
~ Likeable Paul
