When we use an appropriate type of social media, this could benefit particular steps in the sales process. In order to do this effectively, a social media strategy is needed. The actual use should be managed by the collaborative efforts of both sales and marketing, which are considered to be the representatives of the firm that know the customers best.
Andzulis, Panagopoulos and Rapp (2012) define several steps in the sales process and the respective role of social media:
UNDERSTANDING THE CUSTOMER: This step is about gathering precise and timely information about opportunities from contacts in the marketplace to find potential clients. This can be achieved by participating in social networking sites. For example, joining field-specific LinkedIn groups.
APPROACHING THE CUSTOMER: Social media allows sales people to gain the prospect’s attention, establish credibility and build rapport by posting topics on 12manage, news stories on Facebook; inviting participation in new product
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