{"id":1106,"date":"2016-11-03T20:37:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T20:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=1106"},"modified":"2023-11-05T10:54:42","modified_gmt":"2023-11-05T10:54:42","slug":"social-sells-the-mini-guide-to-social-selling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/social-sells-the-mini-guide-to-social-selling\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Sells &#8211; The Mini-Guide to Social Selling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Buying and selling? They\u2019ve always been social activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in the dark ages \u2013 before our lives were lit by a thousand screens full of Facebook, Twitter, and well, every other glowing corner of the internet \u2013 people still asked other people for buying advice, gossiping about gramophone brands over the garden fence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And they still wrote stinging letters to manufacturers when their products let them down and scratched their brand-new 78s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference here in the 21st century? Blogs, forums and social networks have replaced the humble garden fence, and everyone is everyone\u2019s digital neighbour. What\u2019s more, voices carry; <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/blog\/2016\/08\/8-ways-to-deal-with-negative-social-media-comments.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bitter complaints \u2013 whether they\u2019re justified or not \u2013 can be public<\/a>, and rapidly searchable. Just take a moment to trawl Twitter for <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?f=tweets&amp;vertical=default&amp;q=%23badservice&amp;src=typd&amp;lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#BadService<\/a> if you&#8217;re not convinced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result has been more powerful, more connected customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<i><b>There are no secrets. The networked market knows more than companies do about their own products. And whether the news is good or bad, they tell everyone.<\/b><\/i>\u201d &#8211; The Cluetrain Manifesto<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This has resulted in more customer-centric companies that understand the <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/blog\/2016\/07\/expectations-rising-can-your-customer-experience-keep-up.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">value of incredible customer experiences<\/a>. The same advances which have transformed buying, and empowered smart buyers, are now also transforming selling \u2013 and offering huge advantages to the socially-savvy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this guide, we\u2019ll answer: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is social selling<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why we\u2019re in The Age of Social Selling<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What is at risk if you don\u2019t invest in social selling<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to discover sales opportunities using social media<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to use social to get to know your prospects better<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to get the right help to make the sale<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to spot competitive moves early<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How to prevent customer defections<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-social-selling\">What is social selling?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Social selling is a <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/blog\/2016\/04\/dont-wait-on-marketing-5-lead-generation-techniques-for-sales.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lead-generation technique<\/a> grounded in social media. It allows salespeople to directly interact with their prospects on various social media platforms. By challenging the norm of how sales \u201chappen\u201d, salespeople, customer service agents, and even marketers can now reach out to customers through their preferred social platforms. The success behind social selling rests in the bedrock of the community network and the trust that is built off the back of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-we-re-in-the-age-of-social-selling\">Why we\u2019re in The Age of Social Selling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Right now, there are buyers the world over who want what you\u2019ve got to sell. They have a need, they have a timeframe for purchase, and they even have a budget. If only you could get in front of them, they\u2019d buy from you right now. If only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, to get in front of them you need to find out who they are, where they are and how to contact them. Traditionally, this has been anything but easy. Fortunately, in our online socially connected world, this has now become simpler than ever before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When social media first blipped importantly onto every business\u2019s radar, marketers quickly saw the value. Before long, most organisations were busily broadcasting on social channels in an attempt to load the sales funnel at the top end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, however, winning organisations are increasingly using social tools throughout the sale. Whether you\u2019re leveraging your professional network on <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/blog\/2015\/12\/ten-tips-for-using-linkedin-for-sales-prospecting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn for sales prospecting<\/a> or <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/blog\/2016\/02\/7-ways-to-use-twitter-for-sales-prospecting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">building your Twitter following<\/a> to build up relationships within the industry you\u2019re selling to, social selling is a powerful tool to have in your sales arsenal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-you-can-t-afford-to-live-in-the-past\">Why you can\u2019t afford to live in The Past<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Modern social selling isn\u2019t complex, and (mostly) it doesn\u2019t require any specialist skills. But it does require a different way of thinking about the sales process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2015, there were reports that only 1 in 4 sales reps knew how to integrate social media into their sales process. Yet, <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"http:\/\/www.salesforlife.com\/blog\/infographics\/the-state-of-social-selling-in-2016-infographic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">61% of organisations<\/a> engaged in social selling report a positive impact on revenue growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The upside of this skills gap? For the more forward-thinking sales professional (hello there, Salesforce blog reader!) there are huge advantages in getting into social selling today. Here are some inspiring social selling stats:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>78.6% of salespeople who use social media to sell out-perform those who don\u2019t (<a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/markfidelman\/2013\/05\/19\/study-78-of-salespeople-using-social-media-outsell-their-peers\/#5ef8c8c37c32\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forbes<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>98% of reps with 5,000+ LinkedIn contacts reach or surpass their sales quotas vs. just 52% of those with fewer than 250 (<a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/business.linkedin.com\/content\/dam\/business\/sales-solutions\/global\/en_US\/c\/pdfs\/linkedin-sbi-sales-research-report-us-en-130920.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Sales Benchmark Index<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A lead developed via social media is 7x more likely to close (IBM)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organizations using social selling have seen a 10-20% increase in win rate, a 20-30% acceleration in cycle time, and a 10-15% increase in revenue (KISSMetrics)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Now let\u2019s dig into a few how-to\u2019s for social selling so you can become one of those 1 in 4 reps who know how to leverage social.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-discover-sales-opportunities-with-social-media\">How to discover sales opportunities with social media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember the age-old challenge of finding the people who really need your stuff? Now, they may well be discussing their needs online \u2013 posting comments on forums, asking their followers on Twitter, and updating their status on LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You just need to be listening. Tools such as Tweetdeck and Google Alerts, not to mention our own <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/products\/sales-cloud\/features\/contact-management-software\/?d=701300000025Y0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sales Cloud Contact Management<\/a> and <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/products\/marketing-cloud\/social-media-marketing\/?d=701300000025Y0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marketing Cloud Social Studio<\/a>, can offer insight into what your customers are discussing online. Right now. Put them to good use, and you\u2019ll be able to understand individual customer needs, and broader market trends \u2013 stepping in to offer targeted, perfectly-timed advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>Here\u2019s a quick social selling example\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>James is a head of sales. He works for a company that sells business consulting to professional services firms. He\u2019s been working there since the day before his daughter started at school, right up till today when he\u2019ll spend the evening glaring at her first potential boyfriend. From hard-won experience, he knows that firms buy from his business when they face significant changes \u2013 like sudden expansion or contraction, a merger or consolidation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69d8be797fd16&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69d8be797fd16\" class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/09\/en-bnr-social-media-300x250-1.png?w=300\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1103\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/09\/en-bnr-social-media-300x250-1.png 300w, https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/09\/en-bnr-social-media-300x250-1.png?w=150&amp;h=125 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>James, like most fathers to modern teenagers, is socially savvy. He\u2019s able to set up a series of ongoing searches to look for trigger phrases in social media. He follows key target companies on LinkedIn and looks for new job postings and breaking news. And he comments on industry blogs whenever he has the insight to offer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The result? James is far more likely to be in the right place at the right time when a sales opportunity does come up. Even better, he\u2019s already hooked into the conversation and demonstrating value \u2013 a huge head-start over his competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn\u2019t take him long to set up those searches and offer up the first few words of wisdom. He\u2019s able to get started in social selling in no time, leaving him free to spend the evening terrifying his future son-in-law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-social-sell-salesforce-style\">How to social sell \u2013 Salesforce-style<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Social is deeply embedded into how Salesforce sells. Here\u2019s how we do it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We use Facebook and Twitter to keep ahead of what our customers and prospects are saying and to spot those who need service and sales help.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We run our own Social Media Command Centre. (It\u2019s just as important as it sounds.) We utilise <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/products\/marketing-cloud\/social-media-marketing\/?d=701300000025Y0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Studio<\/a> \u2013 our own social media monitoring, analysis and engagement platform \u2013 to continuously monitor what people are saying about our brand. It enables us to reply with comments, record sentiment (both good and bad) and try to help wherever we can, including flagging issues for other members of our team to follow up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We flow what we learn into our Sales Cloud CRM, creating a social customer profile. <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/products\/sales-cloud\/overview\/?d=701300000025Y0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sales Cloud<\/a> allows us to capture everything from Twitter handles, tweets, and LinkedIn profile pictures, to details of user\/customer connections \u2013 plus anything that\u2019s \u2018public\u2019 on Facebook. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We treat ourselves to a guilt-free coffee break, safe in the knowledge we have a single, multi-dimensional view of each customer, and that it\u2019s available to anyone involved in sales.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When a sales opportunity is identified, we use <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/products\/chatter\/overview\/?d=701300000025Y0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chatter,<\/a> our employee social network, to help us leap into action \u2013 marshalling resources and keeping everyone up to date.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-use-social-to-get-to-know-your-prospects-better\">How to use social to get to know your prospects better <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may be <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/blog\/2016\/04\/7-steps-to-perfecting-your-company-sales-pitch.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pitching the best product or service around<\/a>, but that\u2019s no guarantee you\u2019ll win the business. Sales success depends on insight, and \u2013 even harder to quantify \u2013 empathy. That\u2019s why every good salesperson researches their prospects prior to making contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before social media, this could be tough. The best a salesperson could do was check out the company\u2019s website, wade through their annual report, and check for mentions on trade websites. But too often, they\u2019d feel like they were merely skimming the surface \u2013 with little hope of gaining the deep insight into a prospect\u2019s needs that it takes to really tailor a pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s socially savvy salesperson can dive much deeper. With relatively little effort, you can discover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Who to target within the organisation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Who do you know who\u2019s already in contact with them<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What\u2019s happening in near real-time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How engaged they are with their own customers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What those customers want from them \u2013 and what they\u2019re complaining about<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Armed with this information, it\u2019s a lot easier to put together an <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/blog\/2015\/07\/6-essential-skills-modern-salesperson.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">insightful, emotive sales pitch<\/a> \u2013 one that\u2019s less \u2018me, me, me\u2019 and more \u2018you, you, you\u2019. Salespeople can show how products and services directly solve the issues their prospect is facing, even issues that the prospect has yet to wise up to themselves. And they\u2019ll have a far clearer picture of whose buy-in is critical in making the sale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-\"><a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/form\/other\/blog-newsletter.jsp?d=7010M000000Z3Ch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/09\/newsletter-blog-advert-900x280-1.jpg?strip=all&#038;quality=95\"><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-get-the-right-help-to-make-the-sale\">How to get the right help to make the sale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some sales are gloriously simple. A customer comes onto your site or into your store, they choose a book, a sandwich, or an item of clothing, check out \u2013 and you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most sales, however, are much more complex. If you sell high-value items \u2013 cars, houses, fitted kitchens \u2013 or sell to other businesses, the chances are your sales take time and involve multiple interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such complex sales can also involve any number of people. There may be multiple buyers, each with their own role to play \u2013 and needs to be met, if you\u2019re to secure their signature. You might need to involve a lot of minds on your side too, as you gather the expertise and knowledge necessary to build a compelling case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here again, getting more social has much to recommend it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social collaboration tools can connect salespeople with in-house experts quickly and easily, letting them ask questions, publish insights and create documents on the fly. This means you can bring the full weight of your organisation\u2019s expertise to bear when making a sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They also offer a simple way to keep every team member in the loop; salespeople can \u2018socialise\u2019 an opportunity, letting people follow it in real-time, and gain instant status updates on their desktop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-spot-competitive-moves-early\">How to spot competitive moves early<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In sales, getting a drop in the competition can be the difference between a monumental deal and a crushing disappointment. And increasingly, you don\u2019t need to wait for your rivals to take out a banner ad to discover their latest play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s face it, major initiatives are generally the result of months of planning. Months in which core themes will be trailed in presentations and conference speeches, and may even be discreetly tested on chosen segments of the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social tools can help provide advance notice of such significant shifts in positioning. They can help you monitor what your competitors are saying \u2013 and crucially, what individuals within their company are saying, and the responses they\u2019re receiving \u2013 letting you spot competitive movement earlier and react faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-ways-to-monitor-competitors-with-social-media\">5 ways to monitor competitors with social media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Set up Google Alerts for terms related to the competition (brand names, products, key people)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Join key customer groups on LinkedIn, and begin monitoring what they\u2019re saying<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Monitor SlideShare and Scribd for new presentations and documents created by your competitors, their partners, and events they may be attending <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Follow customers, competitors and thought leaders on Twitter <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For additional insight, look at Q&amp;A sites such as Quora<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-prevent-customer-defections\">How to prevent customer defections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On average, companies lose half their customers every five years. But your company can do a lot to pull that average in the right direction. Very few customers leave on a whim \u2013 after all, moving your business to another supplier costs a heap of time and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, any loss (especially in <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/blog\/2016\/09\/the-role-of-crm-systems-in-the-b2b-sales-funnel.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B2B sales<\/a>) will be marked by weeks or months of debate about what\u2019s going wrong, as well as extensive research into the other options available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At one time, this activity might have reached you as gossip and rumour \u2013 nothing a supplier could act upon with any degree of certainty. Now, however, everything is a lot more public. You just need to know where to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peer recommendations have always been the trusted source of information for any business decision. But today, the definition of \u2018peer\u2019 has widened considerably. It\u2019s no longer simply those we work with, or have worked with in the past (though the influence of this group has grown exponentially with the likes of LinkedIn and Xing). Today, our peers include a vast range of people, connected in a wide variety of ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social networks glue these connections together. They make it easier than ever for people to share information and solicit recommendations about services and suppliers. And \u2013 here\u2019s the kicker \u2013 they\u2019re public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social tools don\u2019t just help you monitor the competition. They show you what your customers are doing and saying too, offering precious insights into issues you\u2019d fail to spot by any other means. Proactively address those issues, and you stand to save both you and the customer a costly break-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-key-social-selling-tools\">3 key social selling tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/learning-centre\/crm\/social-crm\/?d=701300000025Y0X\">Social CRM<\/a> \u2013 such as the social connectors for our own Sales Cloud. Social CRM helps you get through to the right person, pre-armed with the right information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/products\/marketing-cloud\/social-media-marketing\/\">Social Monitoring<\/a> \u2013 if you want to spot relevant social activities, some form of social monitoring is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/chatter\/overview\/?d=701300000025Y0X\">Social collaboration tools<\/a> \u2013 how do you ensure everyone can contribute to a sale, at the crucial moment? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-time-to-begin-social-selling-is-now\">The time to begin social selling is now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s never been a better time to embrace social selling tools \u2013 to find new customers, craft pitches to meet their deepest needs and bring the right people together to make the sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you\u2019ve found this mini-guide useful. Ready to take a deeper dive into social selling? Check out our e-book, <a adhocenable=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/form\/pdf\/social-media-for-propsecting.jsp?nc=70130000000Z083&amp;d=701300000025Y0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media for Sales Prospecting<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/form\/pdf\/social-media-for-propsecting.jsp?nc=70130000000Z083&amp;d=701300000025Y0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/09\/en-bnr-social-media-580x180-1.png?strip=all&#038;quality=95\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p> <b> <\/b> <span id=\"authorRoot\" path=\"\/content\/blogs\/gb\/en\/authors\/\"><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our mini-guide to social selling will enable you to harness social media to improve sales and discover new sales opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sf_justforyou_enable_alt":true,"optimizely_content_id":"47fc533b7e9643ab8bd70ca7c1173188","post_meta_title":"","ai_synopsis":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"sf_topic":[10,4,34,261],"sf_content_type":[],"coauthors":[93],"class_list":["post-1106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sf_topic-marketing","sf_topic-sales","sf_topic-social-media-marketing","sf_topic-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Social Sells - The Mini-Guide to Social Selling - Salesforce<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our mini-guide to social selling will enable you to harness social media to improve sales and discover new sales opportunities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/social-sells-the-mini-guide-to-social-selling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Social Sells - The Mini-Guide to Social Selling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our mini-guide to social selling will enable you to harness social media to improve sales and discover new sales opportunities.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/social-sells-the-mini-guide-to-social-selling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Salesforce\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-04T20:37:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-05T10:54:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2023\/09\/social-selling-mini-guide-600.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carl Henderson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carl Henderson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/social-sells-the-mini-guide-to-social-selling\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/social-sells-the-mini-guide-to-social-selling\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/12de554b0dba5b81748ed618507f31c1\"}],\"headline\":\"Social Sells &#8211; 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