Social selling relies on connections, so how do you make sure you’re connecting with the right people? Talking to the wrong people can mean wasted time and much fewer leads. The trick is to qualify your leads before you even talk to them, but how can you do that?

Use Customer Profiles

To talk to the right people, you need to know who the right people are. That’s where customer profiles or personas can help you. By building up customer profiles, you know who you’re looking to connect with before you even start.

A detailed profile of your ideal customer can help you figure out:

• Who they are
• What their needs are
• What specific problem you can solve for them
• What kind of language they use (not what you think…read on!)

Armed with this information, you can go about finding your ideal customers, and reaching out to them in a way that speaks their language and directly addresses their needs.

Customer profiles also help you segment your prospects so you can tailor your social selling to each specific group, rather than using a catch-all approach. A tailored approach is much more likely to bring you the results you want.

Customer profiles get you into the mindset of your prospects so you can see your business through their eyes, and better understand how to present it in an appealing way. 

Listen To Your Customers

Your customers are the best people to tell you what they need and whether you can provide it. Listen carefully to what they’re saying on social media. What do they talk about, ask or complain about? What are they looking for?

The deeper your understanding of your customers, the more accurately you can determine how likely they are to do business with you. Pay attention to their intentions too; the way you approach a prospect who is looking for information will be different from how you approach a prospect who is showing signs of being ready to buy.

Do Your Research

Always research your leads before approaching them. With a group of prospects, that means understanding their needs, motivations, and place in the buying cycle, as outlined above.

When it comes to individual contacts, make sure you know who they are and what they do. What makes them a good lead for you? Do they have the kind of purchasing power you need them to have? If they’re a business contact, what is their position in their company, and what power do they have to make or sway decisions?

When it comes to research, social prospecting is a must. Social prospecting means finding qualified leads from within your network and beyond, meaning that you’ll focus your efforts on the people who are most likely to convert.

Having a good grasp on who your leads are and what makes them qualified before you start will increase your chances of focusing your efforts on the right people, and converting leads into sales.

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