people do their networking, information sharing and in many cases the
initial customer interaction. For sales teams putting the social into
selling is paying rich dividends. The internet and growth of social
media channels are providing sales people with a multitude of new ways
in lead generation, to identifying prospects and improving awareness to
buyers. Social selling sounds simple but maybe it is time to ask
yourself – are you using these new sales avenues as much as you should
be?
First, let us look at some social selling statistics to help reinforce why this sales activity is proving so rewarding.
Social Selling Statistics
- 72% of B2B buyers used social media to research their purchase decision.
- 79% of sales people that use social media outsell their peers.
- 53% of buyers said they seek peer recommendations before they make a purchase.
- 65% of buyers feel the Company content (content marketing) had an impact on their final purchase decision.
into the social selling world. To get sales team switch from the cold
calling world to the world of LinkedIn, Twitter and Social Networks.
Leaving behind “interruption sales” where sales people call prospects
indiscriminately to a sales model where the sales people share and
inform their prospects with relevant content to get there awareness.
Recent articles published in Forbes on social selling shows “78.6% of
sales reps using social media as part of their professional outreach
outperformed those that were not”. The same research shows how sales
people using social media as a tool were also more successful at
exceeding their sales targets. Sales teams using social media won more
often, and lost less. The top 3 social selling platforms were LinkedIn,
Twitter, and Facebook. However there are many more social networks and
forums where lead generation can thrive.
I often hear the line that “social selling does not apply to our business”
as the target segment does not use social media that much. The argument
is that not all businesses put a lot of time or effort into social
media marketing. They may not use social media but they DO consume it,
from articles on forums or LinkedIn, to white papers published online or
industry research shared. They read and are influenced by peer comments
which by default raise the awareness levels for brands or companies.
The above social selling statistics prove it. Business social networks
like LinkedIn is just one avenue as there are many industry specific
social platforms or forums that will work for most sales efforts
regardless of industry.
Social selling is about subtly directing buyers or
prospects to potential groups of interest to them, sharing quality and
relevant, and helping them expand their own social network use for
information. Putting the social into selling can go a long way in
increasing awareness, driving up the consideration levels for your
product, your company, and yourself as a valued connection.
Using the social networks to sell, requires sales people and content
marketers to stand out from the noise and low quality social
conversations. If your business segment is a vertical that is very
social (gaming, clothes, marketing, health, and recruitment) and you are
considering if it is worth trying to make an impression when there is
so much noise already? Why not take a different social approach and go
personal. Use a social media tool
to find contacts and decision makers at target companies that have
their own Twitter accounts or unique blog on Blogger, WordPress or
Medium. Maybe they are active participants on certain business forums.
Sharing relevant content, insights, useful information or replying to
questions on Quora, can make any sales person stand out from other
suppliers, and present you less as the “interruption” sales person of
the old world and more of a quality connection for the future
collaboration.
Putting the Social into Selling | Instant Lead Generation For Social Selling
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