02 July 2009 | Miller Heiman

Ah…the Internet. The onset of this seemingly limitless tool may just be the best thing since sliced bread – and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of it, used it, or incorporated it into their daily lives.

It’s changed many a business model: altering the way the music industry operates, singlehandedly threatening the livelihood of print news, and opening brand new markets for advertisers and marketers. Most enticing for the sales community, it has offered numerous ways to get in front of prospects and customers. But while the deluge of new and exciting technology and software constantly affords new ways to communicate, there are still plenty of selling blunders sales professionals can accidentally perform on the front lines.

Keep these DON’Ts in mind when logging online to advance your sales objectives.

DON’T ping every Joe and Jane. The road to profit is not necessarily paved with a volume of touch points.  Targeting those individuals that will be a good fit for your company’s solution is more likely to foster conversations that will result in business.

DON’T invest in every medium. It’s a bit like eating. A glazed donut from the corner shop might not hurt, but a donut from every shop in your town is likely to have some very nasty side effects. Keep the list of communication methods refined – those that are credible and those that your potential prospects are using.

DON’T say just anything. Being a part of the conversation is all well and good… IF you have something credible to say. Use those opportunities to position yourself as the expert with your contacts.

DON’T stalk, research instead. Having visibility into what actions prospects and customers take can provide a multitude of insights. Stalking them simply because the Internet makes it easy is just poor professionalism (and creepy). Research the nuances and trends cropping up in customer and prospect industries rather than finding out what your contacts did last Saturday night.

DON’T talk about products or services. Comments touting the bells and whistles of your company’s product or service won’t cut it (nor will comments on last night’s reality TV episode). If you’re going to engage customers online, the conversation needs to provide value to them. Illustrate how you have solved problems similar to the ones their organization might be facing.

DON’T believe everything you read online. Unless your source is CNN or the New York Times (or other credible source), there are chances that information you digest might be altered, skewed, or bent  just a bit to portray a certain aspect of reality rather than the whole, encompassing truth. There is a lot of room for opinion online – stick with what can be factually backed or legitimately hypothesized.

DON’T comment on Facebook or Myspace pictures you’ve come across. (Talk about derailing the establishment of a trusting relationship…) Leave the personal vehicles where they belong – far, far away from the selling arena.

DON’T neglect to follow up on your promises. It can be very easy to get swept up in numerous conversations. But if you’ve set an expectation to provide additional information, time, or resources, make sure you don’t let it fall through the cracks.

DON’T neglect profile information. Establishing credibility isn’t always the easiest thing to do. A healthy and current depiction of how you have been performing on the job (i.e. helped a client increase their close rates by 5 percent; helped client organization reduce production costs by 10 percent) clearly illustrates to potential contacts and customers how your professional experience will be an asset to them.

And lastly…

DON’T spend all your time there. Effective selling requires a systematic approach and solid relationships. A phone call or face-to-face meeting (if possible, and within the budget) can be the most reassuring evidence that you are a real person, who, in fact, does care about your customer’s business challenges

Consider yourself a partner in your customer’s path to greater results. If your online activity adds value to your prospects and customers, then have at it.

Photo credits: Jeronimo Palacios, CarbonNYC