We humans, especially us sales professionals hate creating and maintaining contacts, opportunities and leads. The Facebook algorithm builds and maintains your prospect list for you. You simply assess your list. This is her (I call Facebook’s algorithm “Ali”) greatest value contribution. Ali must create and maintain highly enriched databases in order to do her regular day job. You get to benefit tremendously from her work.
Keep in mind she’s building and maintaining individual dossiers on over 2 billion prospects. Those dossiers are updated every second of every day. Since she is software, this unimaginable workload is quite doable. Her creating and maintaining your prospect list is a natural by-product of her primary function.
However, you must learn to read the prospect list in her language not yours. It’s analogous to the Matrix. In the beginning all you see are strange symbols and monochrome streams. After some practice you will naturally see red heads, blondes and brunettes (famous Matrix quote).
It is worth the effort to learn her language. You will never need to create or maintain a lead or contact ever again. Let that sink in for a moment.
Once you get used to how she presents lists to you, your job is to ASSESS those lists and continuously improve those lists using the P.R.I.C.E. and D.E.A.L methodology. You can measure your progress in your ability to speak her language by the “E” in both. Executing and Educating are the two (2) methods that demonstrate mastery. Mastery can be validated with revenue generation. If your sales revenues are not significantly improved year over year, you have not mastered the “E” in both.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software: Facebook
My years as an international sales executive have taught me the three critical success factors (CSF) for in-app purchases.
- Compelling Reason to Take Action
- The elimination of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt
- Easy, Easy, Easy
Any CRM system should have at its core the ability to continuously improve these three factors for each and every prospect listed in the CRM system. These three CSFs are so important to your success that each must be mastered.
Compelling Reason to Act (NOW)
My favorite in-app purchase is a what I call the “virtual ruby”. This year alone, Farmville will sell over $700,000,000 in virtual rubies that are completely worthless outside the construct of the game called Farmville. Humans all over the world with little to zero disposable income will BUY virtual rubies with real money! Why? FarmVille creates a compelling reason to do so. They manufacture out of thin air a compelling reason to buy virtual rubies right NOW! By the way, virtual rubies are very easy to manufacture, distribute, inventory, ship and provide customer service.
Eliminating Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt
Most prospective customers follow a simple rule. This rule is so predictable that most of us sales executives consider it a LAW. This rule is that most will NOT take action until the FUD factor has dropped below a certain threshold. As long as fear, uncertainty and doubt remain above this threshold, they will NOT buy.
Easy, Easy, Easy
Once a prospective customer has crossed their own threshold, they tend to follow the path of least resistance. Pave your path to your Buy button (or contract, or whatever action you need to register the sale) with a coast of EASY. Then coat it again with EASY. Then coat it again with EASY. Most sales people I talk with will tell me how easy they are then I look at their Facebook Page and I see “If you want to deal with us please call us or email us during our hours of operation”. More than likely you are guilty of this sin right now. More than likely you are justifying in your brain right now why this is valid behavior. The reality in which you operate states very clearly: If you can’t deal with Facebooker on the Facebooker’s terms while they are Facebooking then its NOT easy. Accept that as truth and you can start to simplify your selling experiences on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc.