BUILDING YOUR ONLINE PERSONAL BRAND AS A SALESPERSON: WHY IT MATTERS

Social media isn't just the future, it's the present. Gone are the days where social media is just for the influencers or the entrepreneurs, but for day-to-day people in day-to-day life... especially salespeople.

And let's face it, as a salesperson:

• Your reputation matters and your job is to influence people - so you're technically an influencer

• You're constantly thinking of new ways to bring in business - so you're technically an entrepreneur 

This means social media is more for you than you may think.

But what does personal branding have to do with it?

Personal branding is essentially your professional reputation. So building your personal brand is the process of defining:

• Who you are as a person

• What you stand for

• Who your ideal audience is

• What your expertise is

Everyone has a personal brand, social media or not. But social media is one of the best ways of promoting it.

But we get it - it can not just be daunting but feel unnecessary. Sales is already a busy job so you want to know if building your personal brand is worthwhile. 

Well - we've got you covered.

Here are 5 reasons why you should get on LinkedIn now and build a personal brand.

Develop a reputation as an expert and thought leader

As a salesperson you obviously have expertise. You understand the market, you have endless conversations with people, and you're endlessly building knowledge about your industry. These are the things that potential clients want to know. They want to establish trust, know you're legitimate, and rest assured that you have a genuine understanding of their needs.

Traditionally, these are all things you establish through a phone call. And although you should constantly be working on your verbal sales approach, building a personal brand online creates an additional layer to your credibility that before people even contact you, they're already being sold to... and without actually being sold to.

You could build a name for yourself without even truly selling your services or adding a call to action and still sell to people. Why? Because you're showcasing your expertise and that you're capable of delivering.

And when you're constantly showing yourself as a thought leader, you're innovative in your approach, and you show that you understand your clients - you'll be at the top of everyone's mind.

IT OPENS UP OPPORTUNITIES FOR PASSIVE INCOME

Being at the top of everyone's mind means being approached by clients, or when you approach them, they're already familiar with you.

If you want to build a truly successful sales career, you want to set yourself up to have a large portion of your work come in passively. Of course, this won't be the case straight away because anything impactful takes time - but a personal brand gives you another avenue to make income for both you and your company.

IT MAKES BUILDING A NETWORK EASIER

If you're looking to build a network, a strong personal brand can make all the difference.

Most people think that building a network is just about requesting and messaging people, but that's not going to make much impact. Building genuine connections is what really counts. And one of the best ways to do that is by having a profile where people see you as an expert in your field.

Anyone can request to connect, but not everyone has a profile that makes people say "Wow".

You want people to know that you're knowledgeable, trustworthy, and someone who can help them solve their problems. By building a personal brand, you can position yourself as exactly that. 

Whether that's through blog posts, videos, or simple text posts, all these things help to establish you as an authority in your field, and that's exactly what people are looking for when they're trying to build long-term, beneficial connections.

It's not enough to just be a passive observer - you have to actively participate. Be part of the conversation, engage with other relevant people's posts and constantly show your expertise.

Your personal brand will enhance the people that connect with you and increase the chances of the connection becoming a relationship.

it opens up career advancement opportunities

Whilst you're at a company (especially a company you're happy at) it makes logical sense to only focus on your company. This is a big reason why people don't use LinkedIn because LinkedIn is wrongly assumed by some that it's only used when job seeking. And although you would've realised by now that it's not, don't underestimate the power that it has for your career.

You may not be looking now, but your LinkedIn is basically a more colourful version of your CV. It shows more personality and it's a far more active representation of your skills and knowledge.

Or even if you're not looking to leave, a salesperson who is using social media to get new business and build relationships is going to be trusted, respected, and invested in for the long run. 

And not to mention, you're shining a positive light on the company you work with, whether that's through sharing company posts, talking about training you've received, or even just being a friendly face that represents the company culture. You're essentially promoting them which will look great to any company and show that you enjoy working there.

IT HELPS YOU TO ShowcaSE yourself as a genuine person

We all know that a large part of sales is about personality. If people hear bad things about you, they'll be reluctant to speak with you, but if they hear good things (and see it through LinkedIn), you'll find it far easier to speak with new clients.

If you've used LinkedIn in the past, or seen other salespeople use it, it can seem like people only use it to sell and it can come across as spammy or ingenuine. But using it the right way can give people an insight into not just your ability, but you as a person.

People buy from people, and an online personal brand is one of the best ways to make yourself known as a person, not just a salesperson.

- Written by Shannon Matthews

NEED SOME FRIENDLY ADVICE OR MORE TIPS?

If you are looking for more advice or help finding your next job, we can help, please give us a call on: 0117 301 8495 or take a look at our jobs page. Alternatively, if you’re an employer in the South West and South Wales looking to recruit and need someone with real recruiting expertise then we can help – let’s chat.