Reader Beware

The Lead - Reader Beware

“Cold calling is dead.”

“Cold email doesn’t work.”

“LinkedIn is the best way to grow your business.”

“If you aren’t running Facebook ads, you’re doing it wrong.”

I’m sometimes baffled by the content I see out on social media about what works and doesn’t work in sales. You could say the same about many things I guess, not just sales. We’re consuming more content than ever, and it’s easier than ever to get your opinion on something out there to the world.

And yet, I continue to be struck by the filter we each have to place on our consumption day in and day out. There are many days I want to delete social media altogether. Just eliminate the problem. I think there’s pretty sound wisdom in that. But for some of us in sales, social media plays a critical role in our business development efforts. So if we wish to stay online, how do we proceed?

The first thing we have to understand is that “sales” is a broad category. If someone is making a bold and prescriptive claim about a particular approach or channel, the first thing we ought to ask ourselves is whether this person’s offer or audience is similar to ours.

The obvious example is someone selling a product, when we offer a service. High dollar vs. low dollar. B2B vs. D2C. These are real differences, and can quickly call into question whether we should expect similar effectiveness (or lack thereof).

The second filter is the data that supports a claim. It’s pretty common to see someone make a blanket statement around effectiveness without any real data to back it up. Even when someone has it, it can feel difficult to trust if we don’t know the person very well. More commonly though, there is no data. Just a bold statement based off someone’s experience, of an unknown sample size.

The examples I gave at the outset are the most common. Cold calling is dead, cold email is dead, etc. When I hear people say those types of things, my inclination is to ask questions. Who were you trying to reach? How many touches? What was the call to action? How long did you do it for? You won’t be surprised to know that the sample size is often very, very small.

The third filter is the potential motives of the person sharing this opinion. It’s really common especially on LinkedIn for people to use bold claims as a marketing tactic to direct people towards their product. I have no issue with that on it’s face. But it also means we have to be careful in how we apply information to our own strategy and approach.

On LinkedIn, there’s an advertising feature called “Sponsored Posts”. Basically it looks like a normal post that you might see from someone in your network, but there’s a subtle label that marks the post as an advertisement. Similar feature on Facebook.

There’s an email sending tool I use that does this quite frequently. I know it to be a good product. But I don’t want you to confuse what appears to be a thought leader’s genuine opinion, and a veiled advertisement. Again, I have no problem with advertisements even of this nature. It does however alter the lens.

Here’s my overall thesis around this - we’re going to keep getting bombarded by people making bold claims. It’s easier than ever to get your opinion out there in front of a LOT of people. That makes it more important than ever to guard your what you consume. As sales people, we have a tendency to chase the shiny object. We can also let someone else’s strongly held opinion knock us off course.

We also have to remember that the almighty algorithm rewards controversy. I’ve felt this myself. I thoughtfully write out a post and get fewer than expected impressions. Do I need to spice it up? Say something more bold and definitive? Channel my inner Stephen A. Smith and start shouting? People intentionally go this direction because it gets them more engagement, not necessarily because it’s what they really believe.

So be on guard. Don’t be easily swayed by the adivce you see out there from so-called gurus. Look to people you trust, and ask questions. Most importantly, go do. See for yourself.