75% of B2B decision makers use social media to learn
This from Gerry Moran (@gerrymoran), head of social media for SAP North America, in a piece this morning on 10 ways to sell socially – to be a teacher not a seller.
I have purchased over 10 cars in my lifetime and cannot remember any of the names, faces or other details of the people who sold them to me. However, I remember every car mechanic I’ve ever worked with. I remember each of them because we built a trusting relationship. They taught me and did not sell me. They showed me how to maintain my car and advised me on what to look for when buying a new car. They were my trusted advisor who helped me fix my current problem and frame my future purchase.
Don’t kid yourself by thinking prospective clients trust you as a lawyer more than they trust car mechanics. Not understanding how things work under the hood in either case, clients know its all about trusting you. To gain this trust you need to become a trusted advisor of theirs.
You can differentiate yourself from other lawyers and become known as this trusted advisor by effectively using social, per Moran.
- Build a large social network of people modeled after your customers and their influencers. 75% of B2B decision makers use social media to learn.
- Pass on valuable information. Don’t use your social media and networking channels to promote yourself. You want to be known for handing out knowledge and not brochures.
- Use social so that people will want to visit with you in person. 73% of customers are willing to engage with you on social media, so the opportunity is there.
- Use social media to teach, not sell. Selling is best done face-to-face. However, Social Media Today reports B2B buyers look at an average of over 10 digital resources before ever making a purchase. Since customers need to learn before they buy, use this opportunity on social media to connect.
- Teach and connect with today’s technology. Connect and get on the radar of your customers and potential networks by retweeting, sharing, commenting and favoriting others’ content.
- Develop Insights. Before you teach and connect with your customers, you need to listen to the customer and their customers. Social is an excellent listening tool.
- Be a publisher. In addition to curating and passing on the great content to your network, create your own assets on a blog. Organizations who blog get clients.
I don’t view what we do in business development at LexBlog as any different from what you do as a lawyer. It’s all about relationships and a word of mouth reputation.
Over the years LexBlog as been all about helping lawyers understand how to use the Internet in a real and effective fashion so as to grow their practices. By sharing information from third parties along our own insight via blogs and other social media we established a reputation as trusted advisors.
Even when I reach out to meet with lawyers and law firms I have never met face to face they usually know of LexBlog or I and our reputation as knowing a thing or two about networking through the net for business development.
Moran, who’s worked with some pretty large brands, is right. If you’re going to grow your business by other than overt selling (which will not work for a lawyer), you need to be networking socially.
With most lawyers paranoid of business development, social is a perfect fit. By sharing information, leading the discussion, and getting to know potential clients and their influencers, lawyers will find work coming from people they’d call friends.
For those lawyers who have used other means of face to face networking, social is a must do now with so many businesses using social to learn – including to learn to trust a lawyer as a trusted advisor.