Social selling is an approach in which salespeople build relationships and professional reputation on social media, generating demand from them, instead of cold contact. The focus is on the personal profile, not the company page, because people follow people. The process has three parts: a profile edited so that it is clear who the salesperson helps and with what, regular sharing of practical insights, and targeted networking through comments and personal messages without an immediate offer. It works best in B2B and in services with a longer decision-making process. The company should support this by giving salespeople time and materials, or by training them. Attempts to replace this approach with mass messages from automated tools usually damage reputation more than they bring in deals.
See also: Employee Advocacy, Social media in B2B, Cold contact.
