Social media offer an innovative and unique opportunity for customers to connect with brands as well as CEOs, who once seemed "untouchable". According to the Huffington Post, Fortune 100 Companies are active users of the social media.

• 79% of Fortune 100s are present and listening, using at least of one of the main social platforms to communicate with customers.
   
• 50% of the Fortune 100 have a YouTube account and upload 10 videos, on average, a month.
   
• 82% of the Fortune 100 companies Tweet on a weekly basis, posting an average of 27 Tweets a week.
   
• Aberdeen Research group shows that companies that use social media sites are 17 times more likely to improve customer satisfaction.

Moreover, these major corporations manage their brand through social media so well that they are converting sales. Dell, for example, sold $6.5 million on Twitter. Authors of The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media Barbara Giamanco and Joan Curtis discuss how Fortune 100 companies are doing it and provide tips for sales professionals who work in both large and small businesses. They make it clear that the time has come for sales to join the social media team.

" A new world of selling is emerging. Buyers are creating relationships that drive the sales process and social media provides new opportunities to communicate and connect. It's networking without leaving the house," said Giamanco, co-author, sales and social media strategist and CEO of Talent Builders, Inc. "The exception is that you can target who you want to connect with whereas networking events can be hit or miss." She adds that this alone helps sales professionals better target quality prospects, build relationships and earn their trust, resulting in a more valuable sales lead and long term customer.

"We conducted a great deal of research to learn how the major companies are using social media for sales and customer service success, and compiled it for sales professionals in every level of business," said Curtis, co-author, communications expert and CEO of Total Communications Coaching. "The New Handshake is the first book of its kind offering tips, based on what the experts are doing, for using the social media to create a sales strategy designed to shorten the sales cycle and increase closings “

And the impact is huge considering the billion-dollar sales industry that includes everything from real estate to paper clips. The New Handshake offers tips and information for building a strong social media foundation with its applications to sales, including;

1. how to create and present a social media profile
    
2. what kind of content attracts followers
    
3. how to brand yourself as an expert using social media
    
4. how to approach prospects
    
5. how to manage social media time to be most efficient
    
6. how to "pitch" followers and social media friends
    
7. how to turn social media friends into customers

About The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media:

The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media is the first of its kind book to show how social media can be a powerful sales tool for companies of all sizes. Using research based on the success of several Fortune 100 companies, authors Joan Curtis and Barbara Giamanco provide a road map for sales professionals on using social media to connect with customers and generate more qualified leads. The duo currently have a free e-book available at www.TheNewHandshake.com . The book is expected to debut August 31, 2010 by Praeger and is available for early sales on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com. www.TheNewHandshake.com 

About The Authors:

Joan C. Curtis is the CEO of Total Communications Coaching, a full executive communication coaching firm and the author of three books. As a speaker she’s delivered seminars and keynotes to over 100,000 people in well over 90 programs over the last 25 years. All that knowledge and experience came together when she debuted the Say It Just Right™ Model of communication in her second book, Managing Sticky Situations at Work: Communication Secrets for Success in the Workplace. Good salesmanship requires excellent communication skills. Joan has worked with sales teams to help them improve their communication both internally and with their clients. Joan has written hundreds of articles on the social media communication revolution and helps sales teams build relationships through solid, transparent communication both on and off line. Her clients include major corporations as well as colleges and universities throughout North America. Joan received her Doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Georgia, as well as a Master’s in Journalism and a Bachelor’s in Sociology. Joan is a certified coach by the International Coaches Federation and by Mentor Coach, LLC. She is also licensed by the Center for Creative Leadership to administer the 360 assessments. She’s a member of ASTD where she has published in the Training + Development magazine.

Talent Builders, Inc. CEO, Barb Giamanco is an experienced sales and social media strategist, consultant, speaker and author who has a proven, 30-year track record in generating sales. She capped a corporate career at Microsoft, where she led sales teams and coached executives. In total Barbara has sold close to $1B in products and services and received numerous leadership and sales awards. In 2002, she founded Talent Builders, Inc., a sales consulting practice, and has since carved out a substantial niche as a Sales and Social Media thought leader. Barb earned her coaching certificate from the Coaches Training Institute-accredited by the International Coach Federation; is a Social Media University Faculty Member with SelfGrowth.com, a Sales/Marketing Faculty Expert with the Profitability Channel; an Inscape Certified DiSC® Trainer and recently became a certified Get Clients Now!™ Facilitator. She serves as the Atlanta Chapter President of Sales Marketing Executives International (SMEI), sits on the 2010 Advisory Board of Atlanta Women in Business and will Chair the 2012 conference. Barbara is also a recent recipient of the Atlanta Women in Business “Results Count” award.

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Jennifer Fortney
President
Cascade Communications
www.CascadeComms.com