daniel hindin
Over the last couple of weeks, Jon and I have engaged in some friendly debate about conversation versus SEO as it applies to business blogging. After a couple of go-rounds on Spin Sucks and here at Jontus Media, Jon had really gotten me thinking. So when he asked me to guest post, I jumped at the opportunity to dig deeper.
I work as a community manager for a blog, so I’m naturally drawn to the conversational possibilities of online content. It’s clear from his writing on this blog, as well as his frequency of interaction on other industry blogs, that Jon appreciates conversation, too. But we both blog for business purposes, so while conversation is nice, both of our livelihoods ultimately depend on the generation of new business.
So, can conversation generate new business? Of course it can. Why do we attend networking events? To generate new business. What do we do at networking events? Engage in conversation.
That said, conversational selling is usually subject to a long sales cycle. At a networking event, you’re likely to meet people who might be interested in hiring you or buying your product, but it’s not likely that their need is immediate. They’re not in buying mode; they’re in networking mode. And maybe they’re really just there for the chatty company and free food!
The quickest sales cycle is going to happen when you come across people in buying mode. These days, when people start preparing to make a significant purchase, they’re likely to spend some quality time with their good friend Google. [Read more...]
