Selling is Not Posting on Social Media

Just because you schedule Facebook posts doesn’t make you a salesperson

What you’ll learn in this article: How to Really Sell

Introduction

It seems like a lot of people are confused about what selling is and what it is not. Selling is defined as to give or hand over (something) in exchange for money or to persuade someone of the merits of something. Selling requires you actually convince someone of something.

What Selling is NOT

Selling is NOT posting on social media, responding to someone’s LinkedIn profile, or commenting or liking someone’s Instagram or Facebook post. Selling requires you to convince someone to agree to do something with you whereby the other party exchanges either time, money or support with some product or service you offer.

You aren’t selling when you send me an instant message on Facebook telling me you have this great idea and I should meet with you. I get a couple of hundred of those every day, most of which I do NOT read.

With the advent of social media, many people, even supposed authorities, have become confused to believe that posting on Instagram or Facebook is selling, when it’s not. Posting on social media is a prospecting activity. Prospecting is NOT selling, it is a requirement so you can sell.

Closing is not selling it is the finishing of the act of selling whereby you consummate the sale. Follow up is NOT selling but it is mandatory in order for you to close most of your sales, as most sales don’t close until between five and twelve follow up contacts.

Selling is persuading someone that what you have is worth their time, money and attention.

I wrote about this in my blockbuster Sell or Be Sold and then elaborated on it technically in my New York Times bestseller, If You’re Not First You’re Last and then created the most highly used sales system in the world, Cardone University.

Don’t confuse selling with prospecting!

These are different activities and many salespeople are deluding themselves to believe they are selling when all they are doing is going through people’s profiles on social media.

I have watched professional salespeople, even entire teams, turn themselves into spectator zombies for days never getting in front of a customer to make a sales presentation. If what you are doing is not getting you in front of customers it is not selling, it is something else. Numbers don’t lie.

Regardless of how technically advanced we become, you still must get in front of qualified buyers to make a sale. You are either in front of qualified customers presenting your product or service or you are not. Everything short of a presentation to a qualified customer may be a requirement to sell, but should not be confused with selling.

Prospecting is NOT selling.

Negotiating is not selling. Asking for an appointment is not selling. Liking someone’s Facebook post is not selling. Talking is not selling. By the way, closing is NOT selling and follow up is NOT selling. Yes, they are all probably requirements to make a sale, but don’t confuse them with selling.

Selling is persuading of another party to exchange something of value with you for something you have of value. It could be that the other party agrees to see you, or donate to your charity, or go to your event. If you don’t convince them to exchange something of value then you don’t make a sale.

 

I recently held a fundraiser for the inauguration of The Grant Cardone Foundation, which raises money to provide mentorship and guidance to kids without fathers. At my annual 10X Growth Conference, in Las Vegas, I started creating interest in the event for people who were attending the conference to attend the fundraiser. I marketed the event on all social media lines including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and LinkedIn.

We did a PR release on the event to let the public know we were doing this so we could create interest both within and outside the Vegas event. We didn’t confuse our marketing activities (a requirement) with that of selling. Marketing is marketing, not selling.

You can market and never make a sale.

We even did smart research online of people attending the events that might have a propensity for my charity. We checked the profiles of those who might be qualified or interested in helping me raise money. We made phone calls to people we knew who would be attending.

I asked for help from the other speakers to attend the event to help me create more interest and hype about the event. But again, that is not selling, that is prospecting and marketing, so we can sell. It is critical that salespeople, sales managers, and sales organizations NOT confuse sales activities with sales results.

We then persuaded (sold) two hundred people on showing up to this event for which they donated either $250 or $1000. I then took the time to take photos with every person who attended my fundraiser.

Be clear, taking photos with the audience was not selling, it was a way of thanking the audience. I then took the stage and raised another $500,0000 via auction. Now that was selling. I sold three originals paintings by Charles Matteo – here is one he did of me that brought in $55,000.

 

I sold dinner on my new plane to two couples for $130,000. By the end of the night, The Grant Cardone Foundation had raised over $1,000,000 from the audience. Some call it fundraising, I call it selling. In fact, I have personally raised over $200,000,000 over my career for philanthropic events like Make a Wish Foundation, CCHR, Drug-Free World, and Drug-Free America.

Summary

How to sell requires first that the salesperson doesn’t confuse activities on social media with selling. Selling is selling, and that requires the salesperson to get another person to exchange time and energy with you or the organization so you can present what you or your company has to offer. Making a phone call is not selling. Posting on social media is not selling. Following people on Facebook is not selling and liking a post on Instagram or LinkedIn is not selling!

Be great,

GC

 

 

Grant Cardone is a New York Times bestselling author, the #1 sales trainer in the world, and an internationally renowned speaker on leadership, real estate investing, entrepreneurship, social media, and finance. His 5 privately held companies have annual revenues exceeding $100 million. Forbes named Mr. Cardone #1 of the “25 Marketing Influencers to Watch in 2017”. Grant’s straight-shooting viewpoints on the economy, the middle class, and business have made him a valuable resource for media seeking commentary and insights on real topics that matter. He regularly appears on Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, and MSNBC, and writes for Forbes, Success Magazine, Business Insider, Entrepreneur.com, and the Huffington Post. He urges his followers and clients to make success their duty, responsibility, and obligation. He currently resides in South Florida with his wife and two daughters.

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