Practical Sales Training™ > How to connect with your buyer > The Poll Effect

What is it?

If you want to work out which of your social media followers are engaged or even ready to buy, then polls are an effective tool to separate the suspects from the prospects.

Why does it work?

By asking a question in a poll – especially a question relating to the problem you solve or the solution you offer, you are essentially QUALIFYING people without them even realising it.

If I asked you if you felt confident when selling in a poll and you respond to tell me you don’t feel very confident, then I now know that maybe you would be in the market for some help and I could potentially send you a DM.

How can you use it?

There are a number of ways to use polls, a few simple examples:

Ask about what buyers want – then DM them and offer to help.
Ask about their biggest or current challenge – then DM them and offer to help.
Ask them where their focus is right now – then DM them and offer to help.
Ask about priorities when it comes to solving xyz problem – then use this to shape your offer.

The main thing is to not OVERDO the number of polls you have, but to use them sparingly and then to pay attenton to who responds and strike up a conversation where possible.

Example:

A sales coach posts this LinkedIn poll:

“What’s your biggest sales challenge right now?”

I don’t know what to say
I struggle with follow-up
I’m afraid of rejection
I don’t have a clear offer

After the poll closes, they review who voted for each option.

They send follow-up DMs like:

“Hey Sarah, I noticed you selected ‘follow-up’ as your biggest challenge – that’s something I help people with every day. Want me to send you a free resource that might help?”

Why it works:

It’s non-invasive and low-pressure
It starts warm, qualified conversations
It helps segment your audience by need
It gives insight into what your market cares about, which can shape future content and offers

See also