No Politics! – Part 5 of How to Sell Cars via Facebook – Real Social Selling
(This series is an edited excerpt from Assumptive Selling: The Complete Guide to Selling More Vehicles for More Money to Today’s Connected Customers, which is available on Amazon for $49.99. To begin with the first article in this series, visit How to Sell Cars via Facebook – Real Social Selling.)
No Politics! – Part 5 of How to Sell Cars via Facebook – Real Social Selling
As bad as over-posting can be to your follower count, a sure way to get unfollowed en masse is to post anything political – even if it’s funny – on your social media accounts. Social selling is about selling, and politics has no place there. When you dive into the political discussion, you’re bound to make someone angry. So, no matter how angry you are at the president, the congress, the governor, the mayor or even the local dog catcher, keep it to yourself! Politics and sales have never mixed, and they certainly don’t mix on social media.
Also, be clean. Keep your posts to G and PG rated material only. No one is ever going complain that you only post wholesome, fun, and interesting things. However, many will certainly object to foul language and posts in bad taste. So, for the sake of maximizing your sales from social, stay clean.
Stop Selling; Start Helping
Interesting fact, but social selling is not about selling at all. It’s about building relationships; it’s about letting people you’ve never even met know they have a friend in the car business. Friends in real life are helpful, not salesy; so, emulate this online.
Your job is to help people find the right vehicle at a fair price. They want your help and they’ll gladly pay for that privilege. They won’t, however, appreciate it if you appear to be selling them. This goes for your posts, as well. Before you post anything on Facebook, ask yourself, “Would my friends want to see this? Would my friends appreciate this post? Will this post help someone?”
You and your friends should be able to look back on your posts and agree that the content was compelling or funny or helpful. Social selling is about generating engagement that leads to a sale; and the more genuine you appear – that is, the more authentic you come across – the more likely someone is to contact you for help in buying their next car. More than that, they’re more likely to recommend you to a friend or family member.
Social selling is about transparency. You’re going to give outsiders an insider’s look at the car business. They’re going to see you’re a normal person with normal challenges. Your posts should be honest and full of mistakes; and, you should be ready to laugh at yourself as you make these mistakes. That’s authenticity; and we know once a prospect finds that first, you get the chance to build the value.
The typical Up fears sales pressure; they’re afraid of salespeople – especially car salespeople. Your honesty should come through in your Facebook posts (especially in your live videos) because this will reduce the fear someone has in dealing with you before they’ve ever even met you.
To carry out much of this, be sure to craft your overall message (and your online image) to convey the following:
- I’m your friend in the car business.
- My friends get good deals.
- I’m a humble expert when it comes to car buying.
- I’m not going to attack you when you get to the lot.
- I’m going to work hard for you.
- I’m going to be completely transparent and upfront with you throughout the entire process.
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Up Next: Part 6, Social Selling Warriors
