How to Leverage Social Selling Research Without Being Creepy

I spent some time last month helping a friend get set up on LinkedIn so that he might start to leverage that platform in order to find a good B2B sales job. He’s a younger guy who has a fairly extensive background in B2C selling.

Once we got his profile set up to an acceptable starting level, we went on to discuss the importance of engaging with and connecting to, the right people on LinkedIn. This will often involve visiting profiles to learn more about that person. I have never had any qualms about any person finding out that I was on their page. In fact, I want them to know. Someone looking at my profile may be a buying sign.

One of the things that we discussed was the importance of him doing research on those people who would be evaluating his application. Particularly those who he might be interviewing with. Any salesperson knows how critical it is to get any edge and that includes gathering tidbits of info that could lead to establishing a rapport and advancing a conversation. Often these are referred to commonalities.

The next question was … “How do I introduce these discoveries in a conversation without appearing to be a creeper?” Valid question. I happen to be fortunate enough to have been blessed with a fairly high level of diplomacy, at least when I know that it will be required. I think about situations strategically, and how I might approach them, ahead of time and not during the heat of battle. Part of this is being aware of personal spaces or …

Boundaries

Since I can’t draw stick people and could not find a suitable graphic to borrow … my PowerPoint doodle is about as good as it is going to get and … pay attention to the colors (they get hotter … warning) and to the size of the circles (they get smaller representing the number of people who are allowed in).

One of the things that I am constantly harping about is that social engagements should be done progressively. Personal boundaries are the reason behind this admonishment. While these are typically discussed in terms of measurement (space) … there ain’t no rulers in social networking. Read on at Maximize Social Business …

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Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services

Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!