There’s more to social media than gossip and fluffy cat pictures; it can most definitely help you win your next job. Google+ Consultant Martin Shervington explains how.
Have you ever heard the story when a sales trainer asks you, “What is the most important factor when it comes to selling?” From the audience you will see hands keenly thrusted into the air, with suggestions it is about having “great skills on handling objections” whilst someone else says “closing techniques”, and a third saying something akin to “good products or services”. Whilst all of these are relevant this sales trainer may say, “Sure, they are all important, but there is one factor that will determine far more sales: a hungry crowd.”
This is where we are right now, there is a hungry crowd for salespeople. How do we know? Well, not only has there been a 12% increase in the number of jobs posted recently, there’s been a steady 3% increase in the number of jobs being advertised year on year, making the sales industry a stable sector in which to work. The crowd, so to speak, is hungry; and you dear madam/sir, are the commodity, the tastiest burger, or ‘the finest Croque Monsieur’ of sales if you don’t mind the gustatory metaphor.
This has to be good news for the seasoned sales professional, right? Well, the sales sector has not only seen an increase in vacancies, but also a 16% increased interest from potential applicants who want a sales career. This could lead to heavy competition among jobseekers as the figures show an average of 20 people applying for each sales job. You are undoubtedly better than ‘them’ but how you will tell the crowd of your greatness, and this is where you can get social.
By now you know ‘social media’ is not just about discussing your favourite breakfast cereal, it is about connecting people and enabling conversations. Isn’t that a lot of selling too? Don’t you want to find that hungry purchaser, then support them make a decision in your direction? Well, let’s return to you being the commodity and how you can use social media to enable people to both find you and be ready to purchase when the time is right.
1. Start a blog – tell the world what you can do. Tell them your story. Help them to fall in love with your personal brand. Yes, I mean ‘you’.
2. Build your brand identity online. This is the brand that moves from job to job and transcends all of your day to day ‘selling’. When you allow the world to come to you, you will may well find the hungry crowd is on your doorstep.
3. Include your social information on your c.v. and use your blog address in signatures on your personal email.
4. Seek out and target people using LinkedIn groups and Twitter; start looking at getting people’s attention. This will build your personal brand.
5. Be patient – this is not a quick ‘how-to wow them in an interview’. This is about putting yourself, your personality, your brand all together in a package that makes you the master of your future much more than the ‘yay or nay’ of anyone looking at your c.v. alone.
6. Use a voice recorder or simply jot down all the ‘things you know’ about selling – don’t just be brilliant but tell people what you know, how you found it out, and who have been your influencers. There is no need to worry that people will rip off your ideas, people don’t have your experience, they don’t have your scars or your trophies. Give a taste of your greatness!
7. Write up your experience with brands and companies with whom you would like to work. Why not? This way people may start to see these views when they are searching about their brand generally.
8. Get on Google+ – I know, I know, you think it is just another social network, but you are wrong. Google+ is Google. They ‘own’ search and it will work in your favour if Google can see you are increasingly influencing the people in your network’s search engine results. The online world has changed and you need to realise people can access your story very easily now.
9. Using Google+ you will also be able to connect to the most influential people in the world in ways you never imagined. If you want to get the attention of your next boss, then this is the place to be over the coming months and years.
10. If your boss asks you why you are not doing this in your own time, then say you are looking to become the best and this is what it takes. After all, wouldn’t he want to employ the best?
Hey, maybe he will even give you a raise in the meantime until the hungry crowd come beating on your door.
Martin Shervington is a blogger and consultant with a passion for Google+ If you want to know more then check out www.martinshervington.com and search for “What is Google Plus?” and you’ll probably find him!
This article was co-created with TotalJobs, Martin took part a recent Google Hangout with Total Jobs? Here is the link to the Hangout
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