Entrepreneur Twitter Q & A
- By Jack Preston -
- Jun 29, 2012
This morning Virgin Media Pioneers held a live entrepreneur Q & A session on Twitter, with Andre Eaglestone of Ebuzzing.com handing out some expert advice.
Eaglestone focused on how to sell products and services, delving deep into his knowledge of the social media industry in the process. To see how it went, head over to their Twitter stream: @VMPioneers.
Alternatively, have a read of Eaglestone's top five tips:
1. Don’t just sell, educate.
Ebuzzing is at the very forefront of the social video industry. This means that selling the product is just part of the job. To yield the kind of results that you are looking to achieve long-term success, education is key. Your customers are likely to be creatures of habit, happy buying what they know, where they know what to expect. As a result you have to take more of a long-term view of the selling process. Help educate your customers via research, case studies, and show them why your product is the future of the industry. Make them feel like this is something they have to be a part of.
2. Understand your industry.
It is not enough to know your own company or product inside out. The online video advertising landscape is fiercely competitive and if you are to succeed you need to have an in-depth knowledge of what other players in your space are offering your potential customers. Focus on how you are different, what extra value do you provide that perhaps others don’t, offer something new.
3. Understand your client’s objectives.
Take the time to truly understand your client’s objectives and tailor your solution to these. It is unlikely that any two opportunities will have exactly the same objectives and therefore they won’t have exactly the same solution. It is important to approach each opportunity with a blank canvas rather than trying to stretch a previous solution to fit the new opportunity, even if it worked well. Continually deliver good results via original solutions and it will be a key-factor in winning new business.
4. As a sales person your job is not over once you complete a sale.
A sure-fire way to distinguish yourself from others and to ensure future business is to offer the best after-sales care possible. You have to remember that you are there to help make your client’s life easier. This means being responsive to their requests, getting them the info that they need before any deadline that they have given you. If you help them and deliver a superior service then they will want to work with you again in the future.
5. It’s okay to say no.
It is important to know what you can and can’t deliver. Saying ‘no’ to a potential customer is as powerful as a yes in some circumstances. It is important to let your customers know what is and isn’t possible within the field that you are operating in. More importantly, saying yes when you might not be able to meet your clients’ expectations could damage a professional relationship and cost you far more in the long run.
By Jack Preston. Senior Content Executive. Tweets at @JackPressedOn
