Like the best conversations, social selling is best served over time. 

In 2026, like every year that preceded it, conversation is the answer to pretty much everything. 

Well technically communication is, but to the majority, the most creative form of communication is a good old fashioned conversation.

It gets things done, it’s clearer, quicker and more invested…..but how to start these conversations?

The outbound email is lost in cluttered unsolicited inboxes and a cold call to many is an act of hostility.

‘But I don’t recognise that number! It could be a murderer!’

Or worse yet a sales call. 

To be fair it probably is a sales call.  

So, before we all chuck in our jobs and retreat to a life of subsistence, cheese making and contemplative walks in the countryside, let us all be mindful of one thing. 

Selling is social.

While for some, getting an AI to write your emails is a blessing, many people are far from thrilled by the thought of AI replacing communication. Robots are bland arse kissers and their algorithmic responses are no substitute for the valuable relationships you worked hard to build. 

Parents are worried about the facsimile relationship between teenagers and their positive affirmation chatbots leading them down darkening rabbit holes.

No one likes any form of automated customer service that does wonders for the profitability for your sub-standard broadband company, but little for your sanity.

Every AI tool under the sun has something to offer you in terms of time saved and we’re all using them, so what are you going to do with that time? 

The rise of the robots should enable time for things like communication and human interaction, surely no? Because even though AI may tell you just what you want to hear, it is not enough, as studies show, ‘engagement lowers when people are aware of AI use.’

AI is great at building and analysing things, but makes for a tedious dinner companion. 

Your top guests at a dinner party? Bowie, Attenborough, Coren Mitchell and ermmmmm Claude. 

‘Yes, that sounds like an excellent dinner party. If you like, could I suggest a seating plan?’

‘No thanks Claude, let’s just see how the night pans out’. 

There is fundamentally something so hollow about AI messaging on Linkedin. 

Surely, we want to converse with people who are actually talking. Not passing on messages from a robot or outsourcing thought completely, but with 88% of marketers (pretty much all of us) relying on AI day-to-day according to a recent survey, this leaves us with often inauthentic messaging. 

And ‘realness’ sells. 

It’s visible in cold hard numbers. ‘Employee posts for example have up to 561% more reach compared to official brand channels’.

Linkedin is a great place to both converse and learn. 

So learn.

Or better yet, teach. 

Your business is spectacular at solving specific problems, so get out there and show your customers and prospects what you’re all about. Better yet, empower your employees or members to sell. 

Social selling is essential, and hasn’t changed anywhere near as much as you might think.