Smart sellers can make social media work for them by building a personal brand, giving value, connecting with others, and growing their business. Andy Storch is a consultant and coach who is always learning new things about sales and who loves the freedom that selling provides. Though he says he still has a lot to learn, he has an advantage over many others because he's always trying new things. Because he has the confidence to experiment and discover what works and what doesn't, he has a leg up on a lot of other people. Personal branding Whether you're selling services or products, there are very few things that absolutely distinguish your offerings from other people's. In fact, customers can always find an alternative. In B2B especially, they are buying you. They want to do business with you. Relationships are so important for sellers which is why it's more important than ever to develop a personal brand. You must let people know who you are and create authority. To that end, Andy uses social media to let people know who he is, to create authority, to share knowledge, and to build authority. Attracting people As sellers, we initially think we want to get on a call with everybody, but there are a lot of people we just won't gel with. Social media attracts people who want to work with us and deflects others. In an era where everyone is creating content of some kind, we have to put our own content out there in order to build our authority. Given the amount of content that already exists, it's tempting to wonder why yours matters. Even if you're regurgitating information you learned from someone else, put your own spin on it. For some, it's blogging. Others use podcasting or YouTube. It depends on your style and where your clients are. Andy points to podcaster Chris Ducker and his business Youpreneur. In his book Rise of the Youpreneur, Chris says that if you build a personal brand, it's the last brand business you'll ever need to build because you can take it with you and evolve it into any kind of business. Five years from now, you may do completely different work, but if you've built a brand and a following, people will go with you. Building a brand Your personal brand is what you're known for. Having your own website and your own colors is the advanced part of it. Are you known for being knowledgeable, trustworthy, and someone that people want to learn from? Andy posts on social media with the goal of helping his friends discover the things that have previously worked for him. They tell him that he inspires them, and he has created a personal brand as someone who is an achiever, who helps and inspires other people. You want to be known as someone knowledgeable and trustworthy at the end of the day. People who need it Think of your content as giving information to a friend. You are putting it out there for those people who need it and want it at that time, not for people who don't. Don't worry about the judgment from people that your content isn't for. Most people are rooting for you. Even if the content isn't...

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