Is Audience Engagement The Key To Making More Sales?
When it comes to making more sales, business owners often focus on tactics like improving their website’s design, crafting a persuasive email sequence or creating a powerful social media strategy. While all of these things are important, what many business owners don’t realise is that audience engagement could be the key to boosting their bottom line.
In this weeks newsletter, we’ll discuss why audience engagement is so important and share some tips for getting your customers more involved in what you do. Are you ready to start seeing better results? Let’s get started!
"48% of UK sellers say they always put the buyer first. But only 12% of buyers agree" - LinkedIn State of Sales 2021
One of the main reasons audience engagement is so important is because it helps to build trust. When customers feel like they’re involved in what you do, they’re more likely to believe in your brand. Additionally, engaged customers are more likely to refer their friends and family members to your business, which can lead to more sales down the road.
Ultimately we are aiming to get your clients to know, like and trust you in the quickest time possible.
In the aviation industry, we have a 'safety first' approach to everything we do. This means that every time we make a decision, at any level we ask two questions:
Is this approach safe?
Does this approach contribute overall to the airline's safety culture?
When I deliver my signature sales programme, it takes place in a commercial aircraft simulator. This is so that my clients can really understand the importance of 'safety first' in order to translate it into a workable method in business.
In business, a similar approach should be adopted, but changed to be 'customer first'. Any business decisions that you make should be made with the customer front and centre. Ask yourself these questions:
Am I doing this for the customer?
Does this approach have a positive impact on our customer journey?
"The problems come in practice. By salespeople’s own admission, their organisations don’t apply buyer-first principles as a consistent philosophy. This means that very few buyers expect sales professionals always to have their interests at heart. Salespeople who are dedicated to putting the buyer first have to battle against these perceptions and demonstrate from the start that they are aligning themselves with the buyer’s agenda rather than their own. Those that are able to do so stand out as having genuine value to add." - LinkedIn State of Sales 2021
It's OK being able to talk the talk, but walking the walk is where this gets tough. Most businesses want to see a quick ROI, especially when it comes to sales. They forget that engagement and nurturing prospects is as much a part of the process as closing the deal is.
When we think about prospects, we think of them as potential customers... for me, this is where the problem starts. At this point, we start thinking about how we can convert them. you should divorce yourself from the outcome of making the sale and instead marry the process of nurturing this prospect. Think of all of your prospects as customers already whether they have bought from you or not. This will help you play the long game with them if they are not ready to hand over their hard-earned cash just yet.
So how can you go about getting your customers more engaged? Here are a few tips:
- Hold webinars or live Q&A sessions. This gives customers a chance to chat directly with you and ask questions.
- Make use of social media platforms like LinkedIn. In particular, utilise video to show your prospects the authentic you.
- Get customers involved in the product development process. Let them vote on new features or give their feedback on products before they’re released.
- Speak to your prospects on the phone and ask them how you can support them on a deeper level.
- Create an online community where customers can interact with each other and share their experiences.
Do you have any tips to share? Leave a comment below!
If you want to see how well your sales process is working, why not take our FREE sales audit here