SM_Zombies.png
You are here: Home / Archives for sales

Social Media & Sales: They’re both about giving

April 26, 2011 By 3 Comments

Sales and social media have more in common than you’d think. The best social networkers and the best salespeople aren’t just go-getters. They’re also go-givers.

During recent travels, I had the opportunity to read The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann. The book is a short, 144-page parable about a salesman that is so focused on short-term results that he overlooks the value that comes from building effective long-term relationships.

Although the 2007 book predates much of social media hype we’ve seen in recent years, it provides some valuable insights for social networking. The book introduces ‘Five Laws for Stratospheric Success in Sales,’ but they apply equally well to social media: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Facebook, LinkedIn, Misc T, sales, Strategy, Twitter, word of mouth Tagged With: , , , ,

Badges? We love those stinkin’ badges!

April 4, 2011 By 2 Comments

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand clicks –especially, if the picture is a 57 x 57-pixel loyalty badge:

Check into five of Chicago’s iconic movie locations, and you’ll earn Foursquare’s ‘On Location’ badge. Check into a Vancouver venue that was recommended by The New York Times during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and you’ll earn the ‘New York Times Olympian’ badge on Foursquare. Create an account on RunKeeper.com and check in for a 5K (3.1 miles) run to earn a ’5K’ badge. Or, check into five Zagat-rated restaurants to earn a Foursquare’s ‘Foodie’ badge.  Foursquare Badge List summarizes more than 250 Foursquare badges that can be earned. My favorite is still the  ‘Baggage Handler’ badge that is earned by checking into an airport with the text “TSA”, “grope” or “Don’t touch my junk, bro!”  When you do,  Foursquare responds with the badge and the phrase: “looks like you’ve had your baggage handled. Happy Holidays and have a safe flight!”

At SXSW 2011, alone, it was possible to earn more than 20 badges. including the ‘SXSW Hangover’ badge (perhaps after the ‘SXSW Bender’ or ‘SXSW Bar Crawl’ badges), the ‘Panel Nerd’ badge, the ‘Name Dropper’ badge, ‘Head Banger’ badge, ‘Karaoke RV’ badge, ’4sq SXSW Virgin’ badge, and ’10 Gallon Swarm’ badge.   Once people learn what it takes to earn a Foursquare badge, they’ll often check into wherever (and whenever) its required to earn it — whether they’ve actually traveled there, or not.  Foursquare doesn’t verify with GPS that individuals are actually present to win.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Misc T, sales, social objects Tagged With: , , , , ,

Two-Minute Tips: Local prospecting with Twitter

March 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This video walks you through steps for finding, following and engaging with local prospects in your community.

Attracting a large group of local followers on Twitter can be a great asset for a local business. It allows you to extend special promotions and aggressive offers in real time.  For example, if you operate a local restaurant and business is slow, you can tweet limited time offers for ‘free appetizers’ or ‘free dessert’ to attract diners.

Twitter mobile use has skyrocketed over the past year, along with use of iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry and other smart phones.  40 percent of all tweets are now composed on mobile devices — which is twice the amount of mobile tweeting a year ago.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: sales, Twitter Tagged With: , ,

Businesses to Facebook: Where are you taking Facebook Places?

January 19, 2011 By 13 Comments

Facebook Places remains promising. It allows Facebook users to ‘check in’ to local destinations on Facebook and it allows businesses to reward Facebook visitors with discounts, coupons and freebies.

However, it’s been more than six months since Facebook announced Places and many of the promises offered by Facebook regarding Places remain unfulfilled. Facebook said it would become easy for businesses to create, manage, and merge Places pages with the existing Facebook pages. It’s not.

When places rolled out, Facebook promised to provide a bulk management tool for brands with several locations. This hasn’t happened. Adding places remains a barrier for businesses with multiple locations. It requires being physically present at each location with a Facebook supported device. New places are immediately visible to Facebook users and are owned by Facebook until the business goes through a second, more arduous process to claim them. Each Place must be claimed separately and requires individual verification by phone or by providing related ownership.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: crowdsourcing, Facebook, google, Misc T, Mobile, sales, Strategy, Web Tagged With: , ,

The Power of Free Coffee: Starbucks gives the King its ‘Best’

December 8, 2010 By 1 Comment

A good cup of coffee makes a breakfast meal better. A bad cup can destroy one. That is why I tend to judge breakfast menus (sometime unfairly) by the quality of the coffee served.

Until recently, both were marginal at Burger King.

I drove past the popular drive-thru destination – until I learned about the chain’s ‘Free Coffee Fridays’ offering in November, 2010.  During the month, Burger King offered free 12-ounce coffee on Fridays before 10:30 to highlight the addition of Seattle’s Best Coffee earlier in the year.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: advertising, Misc T, sales, word of mouth
« Older Posts