Digital selling: Are you ahead of your competition? Part II

Andy Preston

Sales expert, Andy Preston, continues his explanation of how digital selling is impacting the way sales is evolving.

In the first part of this article, we mentioned that digital selling is changing the way sales and prospecting is done. That doesn’t mean that older, more traditional methods no longer work; more that there are new tools and platforms available to the average salesperson that weren’t there five years ago, for example.

Digital selling is the process of engaging online with business and social networks, plus the using digital sales tools available to drive more sales opportunities that you otherwise wouldn’t be aware of.

Here are some more tips on making it work for you:

Tip 1 – How good is your profile?

For those salespeople or business owners that actually have a profile on LinkedIn or any of the other networks, the majority only provide basic information, like the person’s name and company name. They may contain brief company details, if you’re lucky.

If you’re going to bother to have a profile on any of these networks, make sure it’s a good one. That means at the very least having a photo (professional looking of course), summary of what the business does, ideal prospects or target markets you work with, links to your company websites and ways of getting in touch.

Remember, a profile on any of the online networks is like an online brochure for you and your company, so why aren’t you treating it as such? It can be a valuable source of generating extra sales leads if you take the time to do things properly.

Tip 4 – Make it personal

I’m seeing a huge shift in online communication, from the mass-emailing methods of offers and promotions, towards more of a one to one communication. 

This means if your sales team has been to a networking event or exhibition, mass-emailing people they met or came into contact with actually can switch off prospects, especially as they very quickly realise that if the communication isn’t personal or individual, they’re just one of a list.

If you’re looking to make contact with people and get engagement over any of the networks, then make sure your communication on there is more tailored as well. If people see a message that is impersonal it can cause more damage than not sending one at all.

Andy Preston is a recognised sales expert who specialises in working with mobile phone companies in particular, helping them generate more appointments, stand out from the competition, and close more deals. You can see and hear more about Andy at

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