Know Where Social Fits and Where It Doesn’t

Despite the social media boom, many sales reps treat social selling like a magic wand—post once and watch the leads roll in. Reality check: social is a tool, not a miracle.
A Fortune 500 rep once told me he spent his mornings scrolling Twitter and chasing likes, then wondered why his appointments stayed flat. Meanwhile, peers who spent 15 focused minutes daily sharing insights, commenting on prospect posts, and asking for permission to call saw their response rates double.
Social excels at building familiarity, mapping decision-makers, and delivering meaningful context before you pick up the phone. It isn’t designed to replace cold calls or take up all your selling time—it supplements and amplifies your outreach.
Top performers weave social touches into multi-channel campaigns. A brief LinkedIn note, a like on your prospect’s post, an emailed resource, then a call—each step nudges them closer to yes. Social’s power lies in that gentle, persistent engagement rather than single hit.
Channel mix matters: don’t chase every platform. Pick two that your prospects use, build consistent, value-driven habits there, and integrate those interactions with your phone and email initiatives.

Tomorrow morning, list your prospects’ top two social networks and reserve 20 minutes before or after your Golden Hours for social nurturing—curate a helpful article, comment on a post, or share a quick tip. Then space those touches around a brief email and follow-up call. Keep track of which social move triggers a callback, and tweak your mix week by week.