I was talking to a prospective client yesterday. He was describing one of his sales people as being unbelievably connected. He described how strong his network was.  Listening to him reminded me of how important networks are to sales people.

Sales people are deal architects. We get paid to get things done. We create, build, and craft deals everyday. The bigger our network, the more successful we are.

Another word for network is REACH. Reach is the distance in which our influence travels. The sales person my prospect was talking about has tremendous reach within the C-Level Denver area community. I wonder if his reach expands beyond that?

Reach used to be measured by a rolodex or the contacts on our computer. I can’t help but wonder if we are quickly moving past that. Is it enough to be extremely well connected to a geographic area?  For now, probably, but it won’t be soon.

Social media let’s us create networks that far exceed any Rolodex of the past. It allows us to have influence on a much grander scale. Sales people have a tremendous opportunity to extend their reach and grow their networks beyond anything before.

It’s a great time to be in sales. Extend your reach. Your quota will thank you for it.

Questions:

How far does your reach extend?

Does it extend beyond the city or geographic limits?

Do you deliberately use social media to grow it?