#16: Social Selling Part 1- What Do I Say?

Have you ever gotten a message/dm that goes something like,

 “Hey Girl! I know this is last minute but I’m running for a BIG GOAL this month and only need another $300 in customer orders to get there. Would it be ok if I send you my link?” 

So many of my friends and acquaintances are Social Sellers. And exactly as the name implies, “social sellers” are people who sell products, goods, and services through the internet; primarily focused on social media.  

It’s funny to me that whether it’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok, each platform has their own vibe, which makes it impossible to post on one platform and share it exactly as is on the others.  It just won’t work.

There is a common theme though, that translates across all platforms: offering value.

When I was with an MLM, I formed some terrible social selling habits.  Honestly, I was given the absolute worst advice: find your “why”. Share your “why”. Let people know what this business is doing for you. Share your goals and people will want to help you.

Ick. This is hideous advice.  

Your friends love and support you, of course, which makes it icky to ask them to buy something from you because of what it will do to help you. That’s manipulative and gross. It puts your friends in an awful position and creates weirdness between you (does it sound like I may be speaking from experience? 😩) This is a BIG part of why people think MLM is a scam-

 it’s a predatory business model.

Instead, try telling people what is in it for them. Novel idea, isn’t it?  Telling people why you are offering it to them and what it can do for them is what social selling is really all about. 

Instead of the “Hey Girl” message 🙄 maybe try something like this:

“Hey Maddy, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.  I have no idea if you’re in the market for skincare at the moment, but in case you are, I wanted you to know about the $15 sale we have going on right now. If you need anything it’s a fantastic deal. And if you’re not in the market then no worries- just wanted you to know! Feel free to let me know if you have questions about the sale.”

Not weird at all. It’s an offer. It’s not offensive,  and guess what- if the person you wrote to is in the market for skincare I’ll bet she asks for your link or more details. 

Sales is sales. You have to approach people and be willing to offer your products and talk about what you have. But if you do it in a way that solves problems for people, social selling will be a much easier, more rewarding journey for you. If you can think of yourself as a problem solver and approach every message you send or every product related post you make by first asking yourself the question- “what problem can I solve for my audience and how can I convey it to them in a fun/meaningful/creative way?” - I think you’ll find yourself building a REAL business.