Social media is phenomenal for connecting with prospective opportunities, but at some point you want to do more than Tweet your way into business with someone.
Consider having a getting to know you phone conversation with 1-2 of your social media contacts each week.
This is a smart social media strategy for several reasons:
1. It stands out: people will remember you for reaching out and taking the time to get to know them.
2. You’ll leave each call with important information. It could be “Wow, I just made the most incredible connection” or “Holy crap, that person is a lunatic!” All information is good information if you use it to direct your next move.
3. You get to practice giving first and being a good listener. The point of connecting with your social media friends offline isn’t to bombard them with your latest sales pitch. It’s to find out more who they are, what their business is all about, and ways you can support each other’s success. Ask open ended questions and put your agenda aside so you can listen and take notes.
4. You’ll have a better understanding of what type of opportunity this person holds for you. Not everyone in your network is a prospective client. Find out if this person could be a source for referrals, a potential joint venture partner, a connection to key people, or something else.
Recap: Set a goal to reach out to 1 or 2 social media contacts each week by having a voice to voice conversation. Remember, your goal is to get to know people and identify if you have opportunity potential. Approach it with a “give first” attitude, drop your agenda, and see for yourself the type of results you get. People who do this regularly (including myself) have tapped into lucrative opportunities, gotten new clients, sold more products, and increased their value to their network. It’s definitely worth 15 minutes of your time.
Drop me a comment: Give this a try and share your results here or if this is something you do or have done, tell us what you learned and how it benefited you.
About Nancy Marmolejo
