Get Critical Mass Influence Working for You Now

More than ever, you need a proven approach to sustain your business now and position it for success in the economic recovery that’s coming.

Even with everything difficult that is happening in the world right now, there’s some good news on the business front.

Today—right in the middle of a global pandemic—you just happen to be positioned in the right place at the right time to capitalize on the most powerful strategy for long-term sales growth.

It’s one that makes smart use of something we have more of now than we ever did before: the ability to connect with a large number of people in a minimal amount of time.

I call that ability Critical Mass Influence.

Here’s why it needs to be a mission-critical part of your sales operation today: this is now a marketplace where we sell to millions by reaching populations measured in billions and in economies measured in trillions. That’s only going to intensify in the times ahead.

However, this is also an age of low tolerance for risk, along with a heightened desire for trust. Making more connections backed by social proof is how you mitigate the former and amplify the latter.

Just as important is the intensity of conversations that people are having in this hyper-connected marketplace. What your customers and prospects are talking about—accurate or not—directly affect your ability to sell. There are four ways you need to get Critical Mass Influence working for you and for your business.

1. Connect with who you know.

The number one step to building Critical Mass Influence is to connect with your existing buyers. These are your loyal customers who want to see you succeed and they will help you connect with more people. But only if you ask them. Just as important, seek out buyer reviews online, as well as Facebook posts, tweets and YouTube comments: get engaged in conversation. The only way to leverage people-generated content is to participate in those conversations on the platforms where they’re happening.

2. Connect with new people.

This is an extension of what you do in the first step. As you connect with new people, they quickly go from being strangers on the periphery to becoming familiar faces. These are people your buyers pay attention to. That includes associates in business networks, contacts on social media, as well as journalists, consultants and analysts. It also includes those who comment online on products and services that are within your wheelhouse.  

3. Use an all-hands-on deck approach. 

Every member of your organization needs to be a part of your push to boost Critical Mass Influence. Not just your sales team. You must include everyone from installation to accounting in the task of engaging more customers meaningfully in less time.

One client of mine in the industrial supply sector instructs their delivery drivers to listen carefully during house calls to what their customers talk about, and then report back on what they heard. The sales department then takes that information to shape how they do follow-up work to better meet the needs of that territory.

4. Put compounding power to work for you.

The fourth way to get Critical Mass Influence working for you is to harness the compounding power of all the internal influencers that affect your buyers. Remember: every influencer inside each of your prospective accounts is someone who has the ear of those who have decision-making authority over your sale. The more of these influencers you reach, the more you gain the benefit of the compounding effect: multiple sources of positive word-of-mouth about your products and services.

As you can see, now is the time to get serious about Critical Mass Influence! As soon as someone says anything complimentary about the work you do, ask them to tell you more. Just as important, go look for others with whom you can strike up new conversations about the work you do and the products you sell. There has never been a time when people have been more connected than right now. You owe it to yourself and your future success to capitalize on this opportunity today.