Why Social Selling is Like a Gym Membership

I'm not trying to be vain here, there is a reason why I need to admit that I have a personal trainer (PT). When one of the top doctors in the world sits at the end of your bed and says "If you don't lose 10 lbs, you will have a heart attack at 55". You have two choices, I like Ewan McGregor in the film, Trainspotting, I "choose life".

January is an amazing time for gyms, thousands of people sign up and for the first 3 weeks in January it's like a riot. Thankfully (for me) things get back to normal by the second week in February. It is of course, a gym's business model that 80% of the people pay money and don't go.

This January I said to Matt (my PT), January must be a great time for you and he said in fact it was not. Why I ask?

"Because everybody signs up to a gym and thinks they can do it by themselves"

If you are going to lose weight and or get fit then you need to do more than just go to the gym twice a week.

My Weight Loss Journey

To start my weight loss journey, I read a couple of books and signed up to a gym. The books meant I could sit on my sofa, eat the same food and feel good, because I thought I was doing something. Of course nothing happened.

It was then that I realised I could read as many books as I wanted, what I actually needed was to change my habits for a lifetime. To do this I realised I needed third party help and signed up for a weight loss course at my gym.

The course was great, it took me through a total transformation about what I eat, when I sleep, how often I train. It has in fact changed my life.

Also having a network of other people in a similar position to me, this helps to motivate me.

But more than that, I realised I was basically lazy in the gym and I needed somebody to help, motivate and guide me.

The good news (for me anyway) was that with some professional help, I was able to lose the weight and I have maintained the personal trainer. Why? He pushes me and after all, I need to keep from putting the weight back on.

What Social Selling go to do with Going to the Gym?

Some of the feedback on my book has been interesting. I've had a few people who have read it and come back to me and say "Now I am a Social Seller". To be honest I would be pretty amazed if you are. Yes, it's a pretty good place to start, (I'm biased) but like my weight loss, no book on training actually got me to put on a pair of trainers.

I've watched comments left on LinkedIn like "We just fired a guy, he played around on social all day and never sold anything".

No S&*t Sherlock!

What results did you expect? More fool you for thinking that "playing around on social all day" gets you results.

Social Selling is a change of behaviour and like going to the gym. Our view at DLA is that unless you get a personal trainer, you may see some change, but not the massive difference I bet you crave for.

Time to Move the Needle not Warm the Needle?

If you want to start moving from analogue to digital then why not buy my book on Social Selling?

Or if you want to make that seismic shift then maybe you need a social selling personal trainer? Give me a call 07823-534557 or email us tim@social-experts.net or website is here

Want to know how to sell to the modern, connected buyer?

If you're interested in a blueprint to help you in your move to digital and social then I recommend my book. “Social Selling - Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers”. Written in a workbook style, it's designed to help you implement a Social Selling strategy across Sales and Marketing.

To order follow this link to Amazon there is also a Kindle, eBook version.

Still undecided, then follow the link and read the 5 star reviews!

About the Author

Tim Hughes is co-founder of Digital Leadership Associates a company that provides support and guidance in all areas of Social as well as Social Selling. He has been called "an innovator and pioneer" of Social Selling and in the recent Onalytica list of the most influential Social Sellers globally, Tim was named as number 1.

Tim can be contacted on Twitter @timothy_hughes where he has some 175,000 followers or tim@social-experts.net

Digital Leadership Associates

Digital Leadership Associates is an agency to help companies move to digital and social. Set up by Social Media guru and bestselling social media author, Adam Gray @agsocialmedia and myself.

We are NOT a LinkedIn training company, we help companies undertake the change required to meet today's changed world. A recent customer got a 4,000% (Four thousand percent) increase to their Social Media presence. We also got 2 of the sales people onto to a Top 100 global influencer list; in only two months. Life is not about LinkedIn, it's about people understanding personal branding, the changes required in behaviour and yes you can turn sales people into thought leaders in their industry. Thus fundamentally changing your companies position in the market, and of course that impacts on revenue. While we cannot guarantee such a response for you, why not give us a go and see if we can but try.