We’ve been talking about how social media today impacts the field of sales and customer service. We also know that the lifeline of any salesperson is repeat customers and referrals. In decades past, we relied on our customers to talk to their friends at work, parties or other social events. Today, however, “word of mouth” is much easier with the evolution of social media. For example, a customer is looking for the best place to buy a new car and they just don’t have the time to go from dealership to dealership, then they can simply turn to Facebook or Twitter. They are going to ask their friends their opinion about where they should go for a new car and they are going to get responses, I promise you that.

What does that mean for you as a salesperson? It means that salespeople are no longer just selling to the customer in front of them, they are also potentially selling to their friends and family. If that customer has a good experience with you, then there’s a good chance they are going to let people know about it on social media. Because you know what they say, “If it’s not on Facebook, then it never happened.” Word of mouth to two or three people at a party has now become 200-300 on social media.

On the other side, however, social media also makes it easier for unhappy customers to vent. Unhappy customers have always made more noise than the happy ones and now they have a larger audience to hear their complaints. One negative comment about your customer service on social media, true or not, may take months to overcome.

Treating every customer like they are going to tell all their friends about their experience with you has always been important, but it’s much more important today. If a customer today walks out of your store satisfied and feels like they have built a relationship with you, then chances are that they are going to use social media to share that experience.

At that point, it can spread like wildfire. Maybe you get two more customers from that first one, and four more from that and so on. Salespeople have always said that word of mouth is the best advertising in the world and now social media has made it easier for that word to spread. Make sure what they are spreading about you is what you want future customers to hear.

FINAO - Brad Huisken