The 5 cogs of Social Selling success

Spending hours online without seeing results? You’re not alone. Here are 5 simple cogs of social selling success.

Social media can feel like an endless, frustrating task. You’re posting, engaging, and nothing is working. You're not seeing the results you expect or deserve given how much time you are putting in. It’s exhausting. Social media is full of distractions that pull you away from your real goal—winning clients.

The truth is, working hard doesn’t always equal success. Without a clear plan and strategy, you’re just guessing and wasting time. It's draining to put in so much effort and see little return. Here’s a proven process to get more results from your effort:

1. Clarity

In social selling, you have seconds to engage and influence your network. This means you need total clarity yourself if you want to give clarity to others—it's very hard to succeed without it. Know what you offer, who you’re talking to, and what you want to say. Have a written plan. Without this, you’re just guessing and wasting time.

Clarity is the foundation of social selling. When you’re clear about your offerings, your target audience, and your message, every action you take is more focused and effective. This clarity allows you to create content that resonates with your audience and sets the stage for meaningful interactions.

2. Content

Your content should speak directly to your target audience. It should align with their needs, their feelings, and their priorities but also connect to what you offer. That doesn't mean it's all promotional, but it should be relevant to what you sell. Once you have clarity, share content that matters. It’s hard to be consistent, but a good content plan makes it simpler and faster.

Content is the fuel of social selling. High-quality, relevant content attracts your audience’s attention and keeps them engaged. A well-thought-out content plan ensures consistency and relevance, making it easier to maintain your audience's interest and build your authority in your niche​​.

3. Connection

It's easy to amass connections, but what matters is the relevance and depth of connection. Having 20,000 random connections is not success; you want a highly relevant network. More than that, you want to be known, liked, and trusted. That means making an effort to do more than just get connected; it means you need to connect beyond the connection.

Connections are the lifeblood of social selling. Building a network of engaged and relevant connections increases your reach and influence. It’s not just about the number of connections but the quality and depth of those relationships. Engage genuinely with your network to build trust and rapport​​. Don't just focus on numbers.

4. Curiosity

The only way you get leads is through curiosity. You need to find people who are intrigued by how you help clients and want to know a little bit more. You get leads not by giving every last detail but by creating the curiosity that people are prepared to give their time to find out a bit more.

Curiosity is a powerful tool in social selling. You can draw potential clients in and encourage them to learn more about your offerings. This can be achieved through intriguing questions, thought-provoking posts, or showcasing unique aspects of your business​​. Drawing back to the clarity point, you can't create lead magnets, webinars or any form of lead generation strategy without it. You ideal client will be curious about what matters to them, to get leads, you need to speak to their priorities and pique their interest, so they are prepared to send a message, give their email, or book a call.

5. Clients

Finally, you need to win clients. That means turning that curiosity into a conversation. Conversations with your ideal client are what this is all for. This means having the systems and processes to have a conversation, but that doesn't mean selling; it means helping people buy. Instead of thinking about it as a sales call, think about it as a doctor-patient call. You understand their needs, diagnose them, and recommend a treatment. This mode of 'selling' is easier and positions you as an expert, not a salesperson.

Turning connections into clients is the ultimate goal of social selling. Once you’ve engaged your audience and sparked their interest, it’s time to start conversations and make your offer. Personalise your approach to address their specific needs and demonstrate how your solution can benefit them​​.

Putting It All Together

These five cogs—Clarity, Content, Connection, Curiosity, and Clients—work together to create a cohesive and effective social selling strategy. When each cog is aligned and functioning well, they drive your social selling machine smoothly and efficiently.

You can do this. You’ve got what it takes, and with the right plan, you can achieve amazing results.

Let’s talk about how we can make my process work for you.