Many naively confuse selling for marketing. Marketing differs from selling in that marketing is fundamentally based on fulfilling unmet needs; selling is centered on pushing a product or service.

Learning about unmet needs is necessary for effective marketing; it isn't for selling. And in our consumption-based economy, marketing is necessary for business success.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I absolutely use the social networks to learn, and that’s part of a strategy. I also enjoy sharing things I’ve learned. What’s amazing to me is to connect with others who find similar stories of interest, and their generosity in sharing. With an information stream that is so rich with content, it enables all of us to grow in collective knowledge must faster than ever before.

I frequently am asked what I like about “social media”, especially Twitter, and sharing information is one of my primary motivations. Unlike the misconception that people ‘tweet’ about what they had for lunch, my thought is that it’s more like a collection of headlines – where the story is represented by traveling to the link. That’s the way I read a newspaper as well – scanning the headlines, then diving in when I come across a story that I want to learn more about.

Excellent post. Thank you!

Thanks for your excellent insights as a salesperson. That’s an excellent point that the conversations themselves will lead to ideas and learning. I think of social media as conversation and community through sharing. The conversation feeds our human need to be connected and belong to a community. And sharing fulfills our desire to help others and frankly our need to be competitive and show that we’re smart. But nothing feels better than when we engage in direct conversation through these channels (like now). By making those conversations learning-based as you advise, we give customers and prospects a reason to continue the dialog and move toward a sale. Great stuff. Thanks!