How to Sell to People, Not Contacts eBook

The Definitive Guide to Social Selling

How to Sell to People, Not Contacts

The Definitive Guide to Social Selling: How to Sell to People, Not Contacts 2

Table of ContentsPart OneWhat is Social Selling?• WhydoesyourbusinessneedSocialSelling?• WhowithinyourorganizationsneedstouseSocial

Selling?• ThereturnoninvestmentforSocialSelling

Part TwoSocial Selling Basics• Findingtherightperson• Creatingtherightmessage• Knowingtherighttime

Part ThreeSix Tenets of Social Selling1. Nomoreislandsofinformation–yourCRMisnot

enough2. Peoplearenotcontactrecords3. Moredataisnottheanswer4. Nomorecookie-cutterprocess5. Impactperformance.Notreporting.6. Fromlook-uptointelligence

Part FourReal-Life Success Stories• Listening• Reach

Part FiveBest Resources to Learn About Social Selling• TopPeopletoFollow• BestBlogstoRead


Why does your business need Social Selling?

Content by Miles Austin, Sales and Marketing Technologist at Fill the Funnel, Inc.

Thisisaquestionthateverybusinessleaderorownershouldbeasking.TheanswerscanbeabitfrighteningbecauseSocialSellingwillrequireleaderstore-thinkandmanytimesrestructuretheexpectations,structureandtoolsusedbytheiremployees.

Three key reasons why your business needs Social Selling are:

1. Your customers are already there.Studiesareshowing,“Onaverage(andwithlittlevariationamongindustries)customerswillcontactaSalesrepwhentheyindependentlycompleteabout60%ofthepurchasingdecisionprocess.”1Ifyouwanttomaximizeyoursellingopportunities,youcannotaffordtoloseoutonthatsignificantsegmentofbuyingactivity.

2. Your competition is there, and if not, will be soon. YourcompetitorshavebeenaskingthissamequestionandaremakingthedecisiontointegrateSocialSellingprinciplesintotheirprocessandculture.Yourlegacycompetitorsmightbegrapplingwithhowtogetthisdone,butrestassuredrecentlylaunchedcompetitionisalreadyusingtheseprinciplesandgettingresults.Canyouaffordtowait?

3. Your employees and new hires expect it.Theyknowwhatisgoingonwiththeircustomersandprospects.Manyofyoursalesteamhavealreadycreatedasocialpresenceandaredoingthebesttheycantodothingsright.Youhavetheopportunitytosupporttheiractivityandtogivethemtheguidance,contentandstrategytosucceed.Companiesarebeginningtousetheirwell-developedSocialSellingprogramstoattractandrecruitnewemployees.CompetitorsareabletoprovideanenticingoffertoyourcurrentperformersifyouhavenotembracedSocialSelling.

What is Social Selling?

1http://mlcwideangle.exbdblogs.com/2011/08/31/the-most-important-number-in-b2b-marketing/


Who within your organization needs to use Social Selling?

Content by Barbara Giamanco, EVP Sales and Social Media at Social Centered Selling, LLC

The Conversation Has Begun…Without You!Buyerscomplete60%ofthebuyingcyclebeforeinteractingwithsales.Forsalesorganizationstosucceedintoday’ssocialbusinessenvironment,theymustfirstacceptthatbuyerbehaviorhaschanged.Buyer2.0iswebandsocialmediasavvy,informedandprobablyknowsmoreaboutyouthanyouknowaboutthem.Inthisnewworld,buyersstartthesalesprocesswithoutyou,whichmeansthatsellersmustshiftfromatransactionalapproachtothesalesprocesstoasolutionoriented,valuefocused,andsociallyconnectedapproach.

Rightnow,yourprospectsarereadingaboutyourproductsandservicesonblogsandinforums(onlinecommunitiesspecifictoabrandowner,LinkedIngroups,etc).TheyarescanningYouTubevideos,LinkedInprofiles,Focusforums,TweetsandsearchingonGoogleforinformationaboutwhattheywanttobuyandfromwhom;theyareignoringthetextonyourwebsite.Whileyourcompanyiscreatingmarketingmaterialsdesignedtoclosethesale,yourprospectsareusingsocialnetworksandsocialtechnologytodecideforthemselves.Thisisthenewworldof“socialselling.”

Are you ready? WiththeadventofWeb2.0technologies,thebuyingprocesshaschanged.Inasocialsalesworld,mostB2B(businesstobusiness)buyingdecisionsnowstart,moveforwardandareveryoftenclosedonlineoroverthephonewithoutasingleface-to-facemeeting.That’safrighteningthoughtforthesalesprofessionalwhohaslongbelievedthattheonlywayto“closeadeal”istobesittingacrossthetablefromtheprospect.Salespeoplemustalsorecognizeandleveragetheemphasisthatbuyersnowplaceonrecommendations,commentsandthereferralsofothers.Oh,andbytheway,youcanleveragetechnologyforface-to-faceconnectionsusingtoolslikewww.imeet.com.

Buyer 2.0 is web and social media savvy, informed and probably knows more about you than you know about them


Intelligence Is Key AsweusetoolslikeLinkedIn,FacebookandTwitter,thenumberofpeoplewhowemaintainsomedegreeofone-to-onecontactandconnectionwithviapeernetworksandgroupshavedramaticallyincreasedinthepastfewyears.Socialsalespeoplewillusethesetoolstobecomemoreadeptatsuccessfullynavigatingthefirstfewcriticalphasesofthesalesprocess:investigatingandearlyqualifying.Betterinformationleadstobetterqualificationofsalesopportunities.And,usedeffectively,socialnetworkingshrinksthephysicaltimeittakestomovetheopportunitytoclose.

Socialsellingisaboutrecognizingthatthebuyingprocessiscontrolledbyabetterinformedandmoreconnectedcustomer.Whilesalesremainsarelationship-drivenbusiness,thepowerof“whoyouknow”istrumpedby“whatyouknowaboutwhoyouknowandwhenyouknow.”Thenewsocialcustomerisdemandingrelevancefromsalespeople,expectingthemtoknowaboutthem,theircompanies,theirneeds,andwhentoengagewiththem.

Thishasheightenedtheneedforcomprehensivesalesintelligencethatbringstogetherbothtraditionaldataandsocialmedia.Itisimperativethatsalesprofessionalsleveragethesocialwebtoactivelylisten,engage,andaddvaluetothecustomerconversation.

What You Know about Who You KnowThenewsocialcustomerdemandsanewapproachfromsalesorganizations.YourprospectsarelookingforTrustedAdvisorswhoknowtheirbusiness.Theneedforcomprehensive,real-timedataisimperativetosalesprofessionalswhomustleveragethesocialwebtoactivelylisten,addvaluetothecustomerconversationandcreatesalesrelationshipsinnewways.Doyouhavethetoolsinplacetohelpyoursalesteambeeffectiveinthisspace?

The Return on Investment For Social Selling

Content by Anneke Seley, Founder of Phone Works

Withmoreandmorecustomersusingsocialmediatogatherinformationaboutproductsandtocommunicatewithvendors,manycompaniesaretryingtofigureouthowsocialmediatechnologiescanbeusedmosteffectivelytomeettheneedsofthenewonlinecustomer

While sales remains a relationship-driven business, the power of “who you know” is trumped by “what you know about who you know and when you know.”


–whilegeneratingrevenue.Companiesarestartingtoreportclear,measurableresultsfromtheirsocialinitiatives:

• AWisconsinhospitalandHootSuitecustomerisseeinga15%conversionofleadstosalesusinglivetweetingduringorthopedicsurgery.

• Inapilotprogramsellingtoibm.comcustomers,IBMclosed10ordersin30daysafterimplementingnewsocialinitiatives.Theyhada400%increaseinsalesinthefirstquartertiedtosocialmarketingprograms.

• 95%ofpipelineand30%ofrevenueatSaaSvideo/gamification/analyticsstartupPAKRAGamescanbetrackedtosocialoutreach(LinkedIninvitesandtweets).

• Adobe Omniture doubled its opportunity-to-call ratios, resulting in more opportunities generated by its account development teams.

Thesearethekindsofmetricsanddata,backedbywell-knownbrandsaswellassmall-andmedium-sizedcompanies,thatcanchangeyourexecutiveteam’sperceptionofsocialsellingfromtime-wastertorevenue-generator.

75% of buyers are likely to use social media in the purchase process in the future


What are some ways to use data and metrics to succeed with Social Selling in your company?

1. Referenceindustrysurveysto“sellsocial”internally.Ifpossible,surveyyourbuyers…orfindevidencethattheyareengaginginsocialmedia.Business.comreportsthat55%ofB2Bsurveyrespondentsconductsearchesforinformationonsocialmediasites.SiriusDecisionssays60%ofthebuyer’sjourneyiscompletebeforeitgetstosales.Youmaybeabletoswayskepticalexecutiveswithhardfacts.Tojustifytheirinvestmentinsocialmarketingandsalesprograms,IBMsurveyedover1,000globalbuyersandfoundthat1/3havealreadyusedsocialmediatoengagewiththeirvendors.Furthermore,theydiscoveredthat75%oftheirbuyersarelikelytousesocialmediainthepurchaseprocessinthefuture.

2. Trackinboundleadsgeneratedfromsocialleadgenerationmarketingprogramsusinglinksbacktoyour(oryourrep’s)website.Trainyoursalesteamtopostorre-postcustomizedversionsofmarketing-generatedmessagesthataremeaningfultotheircustomersandprospectswhoareTwitterfollowers,LinkedInconnections,Facebookfriendsandthelike.Then,usingyourCRMorothersystems,tracktheseleadsthroughthemarketingandsalescycleandmakeaconnectionbetweensocialmarketingandrevenue.Keepinmindthatbest-performingcompaniesfindthatmixingthesekindsofdirectmarketing-orientedsocialinteractionswithother“nonselling”postssuchassharingarticles,opinionsandothercontentfromthoughtleadersandinfluencersinyourindustryyieldsthebestresults.

3. Usesocialmediatoresearch,target,andconnectwithyourideal(pre-qualified,mostlikelytobuy)prospects.Thentracksocialinteractionsalongwithphoneande-mail.Usingsocialmediainconjunctionwithphoneande-mailcanincreasesalescycleconversionmetricssuchasthecriticalconnectrate.It’sgettingincreasinglymoredifficulttogetbusypeopletorespondandengage,especiallyinoutboundprospecting.Knowwhichcompaniesandtitlesare

Connect with them using personal, customized, relevant messages


mostlikelytobeinterestedinyourproducts,thenconnectwiththemwithpersonal,customized,relevantmessages(notgenericscripts)–somethingmadepossibleandeasywithsocialtools.Usingthisapproach,PAKRAgets17outof20peopletoacceptLinkedIninvitationsandconnectwithin36hours.Asecondshortfollow-upmessage,alsopersonalizedtothatbuyer,includesalinktotheirwebsite.10outof20respondatthatstage.They’vefoundthatengagementcanbetiedtomentioning:

• Somethingwork-related(85%ofthetime)• Abooktheyarereading(5%ofthetime)• Otherpersonalinformation(2%ofthetime)• Contentprovidedindiscussiongroups(1%ofthetime)

Withsocialmedia,it’softenmorethanjustworkinformationandcanalsoincludehowsalesandmarketingcanleveragepersonalandcompanysocialgraphs.Network Hardware Resale (NHR) has also been using social media in conjunction with email and phone to generate meetings with the right prospects, and has quadrupled meeting acceptance rates from 15% to 60%.ForNHRsalesreps,thekeyistonotonlycraftrelevantmessagesforeach

prospectusingsocialmediaprofilesbutalsotogetwarmintroductionsthroughindividualandcompanysocialgraphs,forexample,connectingthroughreferencecustomersorfellowalumni.

It’stimetofacereality.Industrydata,metrics,andsuccessstories,suchasthosementionedabove,provethatprospectsareusingsocialmediatoeducatethemselves,connectwithsellersandmakebuyingdecisions.Leadingcompaniesarefiguringouthowtoappropriatelyuse,trackandmeasuretheirsocialsellinginitiativesandincorporatethemintoalready-existingprocessesusedintheirsalesorganizationswillseeperformance.

You can build and foster relationships with unlimited prospects, partners and influencers at very little cost.


The Return on Investment for Social Selling, Part 2

Content by Matt Heinz, President of Heinz Marketing, Inc.

Socialmediaisnotadirect-responsechannel.Ithinkwecanallagreeonthat.Butitabsolutelyispartofthesalesfunnelforyourbusiness.It’swhereyoucanbuildandfosterrelationshipswithunlimitedprospects,partnersandinfluencersatverylittlecost,addingvalueonadailybasisuntilapercentageofthoseindividualsandorganizationsarereadytomoveforward–eitherintoaconversationoranactivebuyingcycle.

Establishingaquantitativevalueforsocialmediaasacomponentofthesalesfunnelhasbeendifficult,largelybecausewerelyondisparatesystemstoestablishcausality.Thatchangedlastfallwith

updatedfeaturesinSalesforce.com.Forthefirsttime,youcanseeintegratedsocialmediaaccountsandinteractionactivityrightinyourcoresalesmanagementplatform.

Here’s why that’s so important:Let’ssayyouhave80,000leadsinSalesforce.com.Youknow40,000ofthemhaveTwitteraccounts.Ofthose,youalsoknowthat6,000arefollowingyourTwitter


account,andyouknowexactlywhichofthose6,000haverespondedorinteractedwithyouinthatchannel.Whenthatleadmakesitswaythroughthefunnel–toanopenopportunityandeventuallyacloseddeal–youcannowestablishthesourceoforiginationandprimarycausalityofpipelinemovementbacktothesocialmediaactivity.

Socialmediamaynotbeadirect-responseleadchannel,butwiththislevelofintegrationyoucanevaluateitseffectivenessandROIasaneventualsalesproducerinanapples-to-applesformatwithemail,directmail,events,etc.Andifprospectshavebeenimpactedbymultiplecampaignsandchannels(andmostlikelyhave),youcanstillmeasureandweighttheprimarycausalityfactorsallinasingleplatform.

That’spowerfulstuff,anditwillhelpmanyorganizationsfinallybridgethegapbetweentheirfocusonleadsandsales,andtheimportanceofinvestinginlong-termsocialandcontent-basedrelationshipswellbeforecustomersarereadytobuy.


Content by Miles Austin, Sales and Marketing Technologist at Fill the Funnel, Inc.

Dowereallyneedanotherwaveofsellingphilosophy?Someofuswillremember“spinselling,”“consultativeselling”andmanyothereffectivesalesmethodologiesovertheyears.Itseemsthateverytwentyyearsorso,salesthinkingevolvestoreflectthechangesinourcultureandtechnology.

Thinkaboutthechangesthathaveoccurredduringthepasttwentyyears.Wehavemovedfromsnailmailandvoicemailastheprimarycommunicationsvehiclestoemail,blogs,websitesandonlinepresentations.WeusedtoordertheAnnualReportforthecompaniesonouraccountlist;nowwesimplygotothewebtofindtheverylatestinformationaboutourprospects.Rememberthehoopsyouwouldhavetojumpthroughtogetinformationfromthe“gatekeeper”abouttheindividualswiththebuyingdecisions?NowData.com(formerlyJigsaw),InsideView,LinkedInandothersareabletoprovidenotonlythenameofthoseindividuals,buttheiremailaddress,phonenumberandmorewiththesimpleclickofyourmouse.Weallgotourdailynewsupdatefrom

DanRatherorourlocalnewspaper.NowwereceiveinformationthroughoutthedayfromTwitter,RSS,blogsandYouTubeastheyhappen,allonoursmartphoneorcomputer.Thesechangesrequireustore-thinkoursalesmethodologytoincorporatethesenewrealitiesintoourapproach.

SocialSellingisaboutrecognizingthatbuyersarenowincontrolofthebuyingprocess.Theyarebetterinformedandmoreconnected.Eventhelong-standingbeliefthatrelationshipisthemostimportantfactorinB2Bsalessuccessisbeingchallenged.2

Social Selling Basics

Buyers are nowin control of the buying process

2http://www.forum.com/blog/strategic-selling-how-to-sell-to-senior-executives/


Thegraphicbelowreflectstheresponsesof231senior-leveldecision-makerswhenaskedtorankthemostimportantcriteriatheyuse:

Thesechangesdemandtheavailabilityofdramaticallyimprovedsalesintelligencethatcombinestraditionaldataandsocialmedia,readilyaccessiblebyeveryoneinvolvedinthesalesprocesstoprovideinformationthatwillhelpsellerspossesstheinformationatthetopoftheirprospectsrequirements.

Here are three areas to consider when embracing Social Selling:

Finding the right person.Socialwebtoolshavetheabilitytoeliminatethislong-standingobstacleforsalespeople.Thereisnoexcusefornothavingcurrent,accuratename,title,emailaddress,locationandmuchmore.Younowhavetheabilitytolearnwhoinfluencescustomersbytheirsocialgraph.UtilizingwebtoolstogatherthisinformationisnowacommondenominatorforeveryonethatsellsinaB2Bmarketplace.Itisimportanttorealizethatyourbuyerswillfrequentlyknowasmuchormoreaboutyou,yourbackgroundandintereststhanyouknowaboutthem.Socialplatformsarenotaone-waymirror,availableonlytosellers.Itisexpectedthatyouwilldoyourhomeworkpriortoanycontactandwilltailorhowyoucommunicateandwhatyousharetonotwastetheirtime.

Creating the right message.Ifyouhavebeenusingsocialmediaasalisteningtool,youwillknowwhatinformationthebuyerisstillseeking.By“listening”totheirquestionsonLinkedIn,byknowingwhichpagestheyhavevisitedonyoursite,whichdownloadsandvideostheyhaveseen,youarewellequippedtofocusyourmessagedirectlytowheretheyareintheselectionprocess.Aretheylookingmoreatproductinformation,orbackgroundonyourcompany?Salesintelligence

http://www.forum.com/blog/strategic-selling-how-to-sell-to-senior-executives/


webtoolswilltellyouwhotheircurrentprovideris.Youhavetheabilitytolearnwhatexternalandinternalforcesmightbedrivingthisactivityforthem.Reportingstructure,decisiontreesandbuyinginfluencersareallnowmorevisible.Thisinformation,gleanedfrommultipletoolsandsources,willbetterequipyoutodirectyourmessagingandcommunicationdirectlytowardswhattheywillneedtocontinuetomovealongthebuyingcycleattherighttime.

Knowing the right time. Attemptingtoselltoyourprospectbeforetheyarereadytobuycanderailtheopportunitycompletely.Listentotheirquestions.Understandwhoinfluencesthem,andthereasonstheyareseekingasolution.Learnthedriversbehindthebuyingdecisiontimelineandincorporatethemintoyourtiming.Youareabletousesocialwebtoolstogatherinformationandformulatea360-degreeviewofyourprospect,theirinfluencersandtheircompany.Whentheyareatthestagethatadecisionneedstobemade,youwillhaveearnedtherighttobetheonetheychoose.

SocialSellingsuccessrequiresyoutoleveragethesocialwebandwebtoolstoactivelylisten,engage,andaddvaluetotherightperson,withtherightmessageattherighttime.

Add value to the right person,

with the right message at the

right time


Content by Craig Rosenberg, VP of Sales and Marketing at Focus, Author of Funnelholic

1. No more islands of information – your CRM is not enough

Neverbeforeinthehistoryofsaleshaveourprospectsandcustomerswillinglyandpubliclyupdatedwhattheydo,howtheyfeel,andwhattheycareabouteveryday.Everyoneasksme:Whatdoyouthinkofsocialselling?Myanswer:Whatistheretopossiblytothinkabout?Yourprospectsandcustomersarebasicallyouttherepublishinginformationthatyoucanleveragetobuildreal,meaningfulrelationshipswiththem.NOTtakingadvantageofthatisacrime.Rememberthatdumbquestion:Whatkeepsyouawakeatnight?Don’taskthatanymorebecauseyoucanknowitbeforeyoucallaprospect.Callitsocialsellingifyoulike,butreally,if

youarenotleveragingreal-timeinformationaboutyourcustomersbeforeyoureachout,thenyouaren’tselling.

The question becomes: How do you harness the incredible information available to you? CRM is not enough. There are two main reasons:

1. CRM data is very rarely updated–Ifacompanyisdiligentaboutit,theirCRMdataistypicallyupdatedatmosttwiceayear.We’retalkingabouttwotypesofdata–contactdatae.g.,name,address,email,andphonewhichoftenbecomesoutdatedquicklybecausepeoplechangejobsandroles,andtransactionaldatasuchastrouble-tickets,newactivities,etc.Thesecondtypeofdataistypicallyupdatedfrequentlybycallcenteragents,salesreps,andorderdeskswhentheytouchprospectsandcustomers.Butcontactdataisrarelyupdatedor,evenworse,thereisn’tareliablesourceofaccuratecontactdatatoupdateitwith.

2. CRM data can’t tell you the whole story–Contactinformationisobviouslyimportantinordertoreachsomeone.However,whatcanturntheneedlefora

The Six Tenets of Social Selling

Remember that dumb question: What keeps you awake at night? Don’t ask that anymore.


salespersonisfindingoutabigprojectyourprospectisworkingonisactuallygoingtohelpyoumakethedeal.Orsimplyevenknowingthefactthattheygotmarriedtwoweeksago.SalesExpertDaveBrock:“It’sverysimple.InformationintheCRMsystemislikelyoutofdateand,quitefrankly,doesnotreflectwhatisgoingonwiththecustomer.Itisname,email,address,etc,notwhat’shotontheirminds.”Davidhitsonitwell.

KevinGaither,hostof“ThisWeekinSales”andDirectorofInsideSalesatBetterWorks:“CRMwasn’tenoughtobeginwith.CRMyouhavetopopulatewiththeinformation.ThereissomuchinformationbeingcreatedthattheCRMcannotkeepupwith.”

Theansweristoprovideyoursalesteamwithreal-timeaccesstothedynamicdatabeingcreatedeverysecondontheinternet.CombinethiswiththefoundationofaCRMsystemandyoursalesteamisarmedtocompete.Itshouldbenotedthatresearchingaclientbeforeacallisnotnew;thereisjustalotmoreinformationnowthanthereusedtobe.

Gaither:“Backintheday,agoodsalespersonwouldhavemultiplebrowsersopenwithpressreleasesand10-Kstopiecetogetherameaningfulwaytogetcustomersonthe

phoneortohaveasubstantiveconversationwithcustomerswhenwedoconnectwiththemonthephone.Today’ssalespersonneedsoneplaceandmoreefficiencytocapturethedatatheyneedtomaketherightcallattherighttime.”

IwouldaddtoKevin’squote:Today’ssalespersonneedsoneplacetocapturethedatatomaketherightcallattherighttimetotherightperson.Contactinformationalonecannottellyouthestoryyouneedtobesuccessful.Titlesareaclassicexample:Weusedtorelyontitlesfordecidingwhomweshouldcallandwhatweshouldsay,buttitlescanmeanlotsofdifferentthingstolotsofdifferentorganizations.Thekeyistofindtherightroleand,evenbetter,therightchallengestosellyourproductto.Socialdataallowsyoutogobeyondtitleandunderstand“who”thepersonissoyoucandetermineearlyonifyoushouldwastetimeandeffortonthiscontact.

Brock:“Thekeyistodeterminehowweintersectwiththecustomersmartly.What’shappeningtothisprospect,theircompany,oreventheirindustry?”

SalesExpertandauthoroftheblog“ASalesGuy”JimKeenan:“Leadsarenolongerjustsecondandthirdpartyreferralsorfirstpartyrequests.AleadtodaycanbeacomplaintonTwitter,aquestiononLinkedInordiscussiononaFacebookpage.CRMhastocapturethenewdefinitionofalead.”


Gaitheragainoninformation:“Salesrepsneedreal-timeaccesstodeterminetriggereventsforreasonsforcalling.Newproductreleases,fundingevents,andmanagementchangesgiveyoustrategicreasonstocall…youwantthatinformationatyourfingertips.”

Ithinkweallagreethatwedon’twantoursalesrepslosingproductivitybyhavingtolookallovertheplaceforcustomerdata.WewishourCRMdatacouldtellusthestory,butitcan’t,whichmeansweneedtolayerreal-timeaccesstocustomerdatatobesuccessful.

2. People are not contact records

Althoughatraditionalcontactrecordprovidesvitalinformationaboutopportunities,purchases,troubletickets,andcompanyactivities,itfallsshortofcreatingacompletepictureoftheperson.

Wehavealwayssoldtopeople,butouraccesstoinformationhaschanged.Threeorfouryearsfromnow,wearegoingtolaughathowwethoughtwecouldeffectivelyselltopeoplewithmerelytheircontactrecord.Wewillonlybeabletotellthem:“Backthen,itwasallwehad.”Intoday’sworld,yourprospectsandcustomersactuallypublicallypublishwhattheycareabout!Whenmywifegavebirthtomytwinsons,Iwatchedtherealsocialsalespeoplereferenceitintheircallswithmeand

consideredtheoneswhodidn’tunprepared.JimKeenan,bloggerfromASalesGuy:“Weselltopeoplenotcontacts.Name,phone,emaildon’ttellusanythingaboutthepeoplewesellto.Knowingthemiskey,knowingthemmeansengagement.Socialmediagivesusthatplatform.”Pleasedonotbemistaken.TheinformationyoucanfindinyourCRMsystemisveryimportanttounderstandingthehistoryofaprospectorhowacustomerhasgrownwithyouandyourorganization.Thereisrealvaluethere.However,whenwearetalkingaboutsales,wehavethe


opportunitytoaccessmuchmore.Takingadvantageofthatopportunityisthekeytosellingtoday.

Whenresearchingthistopic,wespoketoanumberofsalesexperts.Everyonesaidthesamething:theinformationisavailable,andyouhavetouseit.MikeDamphousse,CEOofGreenLeads:“AtGreenLeads,myrepslivewithdualmonitorsupalldaylong.Theydon’tthinkaboutpursuingcontactsanymore,theyarepursuingpeople.Peoplehavehistories,lives,andmoretothemthanjustphonenumbersandemailaddresses.Theinformationisthere.Useit.”

DaveBrockcalleditthe“360-degreeviewofthecustomer”andLoriRichardson,PresidentofScoreMoreSales,calleditthe“living,breathingsnapshot.”Loriontheinformationavailabletoday:“Theideaofcapturingstaticinformationaboutanyonein2012isonesmallpieceofwhatneedstohappenwhenitcomestoprospectivecustomers,activecustomers,andstrategicpartners.Yes,itisgreattohavenotesfrompastmeetingsandconversations,butcombinethatwithalloftheinformationthatcanbeculledinminutes(secondsreally)bycheckingupdatedsocialactivity.Moderntoolsaggregatethatactivitysothatyoucangetasortofa“living,breathingsnapshot”ofsomeoneyouareabouttomeetandthisneedstobedoneoften.Itshouldnotaddyouyourworkload,anditdoesn’thavetoifyoufocusonworkingsmart.(Spendlesstimegoingthroughemail,forexample,orscheduleitdifferently).”

Selling is about relationships, and relationships are about people – not faceless contact records


SteveRichard,FounderandPresident,Vorsight:“Isacontactrecordaperson?IsSteveRichardnomorethanamarketingautomationleadscoreinsomeone’sCRM?Ofcoursenot.Whatmakesme,meandmyneeds,myneedsisverydifferentthananyoneelse.Sowhydowethinkdatabasemarketingcandoourconsultativeselling?Therealityisitcan’t–andyourjobissafe.Thefirsthumantouchpointisthemostcriticalpartofthesalesandmarketingprocess.Itisthepiecethatcan’tbedonebyacomputerandcan’tbeoutsourcedtoIndia.Why?Becausehumanbeingscangatherallthepiecesfromthesocialspheretocreateabetterpictureofaprospectthananycomputerevercould.Humanscanusethosekeypoints–whatweatVorsightrefertoas3x3Research–tocraftuniquetalkingpointsandquestionstoresonateimmediatelywiththatoneuniquehumanbeing.Thebestsalesrepscancaptureattention,developneeds,andcreateavisionfortheirprospectsbetterthananyemailcampaignevercould.Socialsellingisallaboutpeoplesellingtopeoplebetterthroughinformationthatourpredecessorsonlywishtheyhad.Todoanythinglessthansocialsellinginthisdayandageistocommitsalesmalpractice.”

CRMExpertandCEOofInitiumLLC/Innovantage,BrianVellmuresumseverythingup:

“Sellingisaboutrelationships,andrelationshipsareaboutpeople–notfacelesscontactrecords.Business,and

progressofanykind,isbuiltonrelationshipsandtrust.Usedeffectively,CRMstrategiesandthetoolsthatenabletheirexecutioncanhelpindividualsandorganizationsmaximizeimpactandreturnonsalesandmarketingeffortandinvestment.Toooften,recipientsaredegradedintoobjects,facelesscontactrecordsinadatabasetablethataresimplytargetedforone-sidedcorporategain.Thisoftentriggersrevolt.PerhapsthiswasbestarticulatedintheCluetrainManifesto:‘Wearenotseatsoreyeballs,orendusersorconsumers.Wearehumanbeingsandourreachexceedsyourgrasp-dealwithit.’Takingthetimetounderstandandrespondinawaythatresonateswithyourprospectsandcustomersisaprovenandsustainingbedrockofsalessuccess.Today’sdigitallandscapeallowsustoincreasinglyleveragestructuredandunstructuredinformationavailablefromawidevarietyofsourcestohelpdiscovercontextandinsightaboutthehabits,behaviors,andinterestsofourbuyers,withthegoalofcreatingvalueforthem.”

Selling to people really works – Zuora has tripled C-level outreach and increased lead conversion rates by 132%. Xactly has tripled qualified lead volumes and lead conversion rates, and increased win rates by 10%.

WhenIwrotethispieceandreachedoutforquotes,Ianticipatedthereceptionofwouldreceive.IfIlearnedonething:everyoneagrees.Movebeyondthecontactrecordandunderstandyourprospectsandcustomers.Thatseparatesthebestsalespeoplefromtherest.(Italwayshas.)


3. More data is not the answer

Moredata,withoutproperfilters,canbemoreofadistractionthanabenefit.Salesteamsonlywantinformationtheyneed–notallthatdata.Lessismore.

DavidBrock:“Successisnotaboutthequantityorvolumeofdata,itisabouttheinformationthatgivesyouthecluestoconnectwithprospectsinameaningfulway.”

StuSilverman:“Timeistheenemyofsalespeople.”

Mostmanagersbelievemoredataistheanswer.Notenoughpipelineorsales?Thecommonrefrainis:“Weneedmorenames!”Thedataisoftenpurchasedonawholesalelevelwithmuchoftheinformationoldandzeroinsightintoprospecttheyaretryingtosellto.Theresultisoftennegative.WhendataisdumpedintotheCRM,salespeoplehavetoessentiallystartatthebeginningandsiftthroughthebaddataandattempttofindtherightpersontosellto.CRMExpertandCMOofTerametric,ChrisSelland:“Moredataismeaninglessandcanbeanegativewithoutanalyticsandinsight.Pilingmorehayonthestackdoesn’tmake

findingtheneedlesofinsightanyeasier.”Net-net,pilinginthedataachievestheoppositeofyourgoals–youactuallyguaranteetheywillnothittheirnumber.

Oncesalespeopleexperiencethepowerofleveragingsocialdata,theywillnevergoback.JimKeenan:“Dataisdead,salespeoplewantinformation.Informationisdatawithcontext.”SalesExpertMikeDamphousse:“’Givemeoneaccurateleadwithdeep,interestinginformation,not100garbageones.’That’swhatIhearfrommyreps.”Stuffingnamesinthedatabaseacknowledgesthatyoubelievesalesisaroulettewheelandthatyouaremakingtheoddslonger.

Whiledatawithcontextiscrucialtothesocialsellingprocess,becarefulnottogetstuckinthesameoldhabits.Findoutwhatdataismeaningfulwithoutgettingboggeddownwithinformationoverload.Youcanruntheriskofspendingtoomuchtimesiftingthroughsocialmediachannelsandlosesightoftheendgoal,justasyoucansiftingthroughtoomuchdata.JillKonrath,authorofSNAPSellingandSellingtoBigCompanies:“WhensalespeoplegetGoogleAlertsoneveryconceivableprospect,theygointooverwhelmmode.They’lleitherwastetimefollowinguponirrelevantnewsortotallymissthegoldenopportunities.”Accordingtothe2011CSOInsightsSalesOptimizationStudy,salesrepsspend24%oftheirtimeresearchingprospectsonaverage,timethatcouldotherwisebespentonselling.

“ Once sales people experience the power of leveraging social data, they will never go back. ”


Focusonwhat’simportantandwhatwillhelpyoumaketherightconnections.Talktoyourreps.Findoutwhatisworkingandfilteroutwhatisn’tsoyoucanstriketherightbalance.Thenyoucanarmyoursalesteamwiththetoolsandtrainingsotheycantargettherightpeopleattherighttimeandhitthemwiththerightmessage.

4. No more cookie-cutter process

Thesalesprocessmustbeadaptedtothecustomerneedsandmappedtofindingtherightperson,communicatingtherightmessage,attherighttime.

There are some critical reasons for this fundamental change:

1. Thenewbuyerdemandsthatyoufocusontheirneeds--thebuyingdynamichaschanged.Intheolddays,thevendorscontrolledinformationandthuscontrolledthebuyingprocess.Today,theinternetallowsbuyerstogetthevastmajorityoftheirresearchcompletedonline.Thebuyerisnowincontrol.Theyalwayswantedyoutounderstandtheirpainsandneeds,butintoday’ssellingenvironmenttheydemandit.JimKeenan:“Therehasneverbeenaplaceforcookiecutterselling.It’sjusttodayyoucan’tgetawaywithit.”

2. Youhavenoexcuse–Theinformationisoutthereforyoutoleverage.Beforeyoucallsomeone,youcandetermineiftheyaretherightperson,whatthemessageshouldbe,andwhetheritistherighttime.

Asalesprocessisabsolutelynecessary,buttheprocessandthesubsequenttrainingneedtoallowsalestomakeadjustmentsbasedontheavailableinformationforthesalespeople.FormerYankeeGroupCRManalystChrisSelland:“SalesprocessandCRMisallaboutreinforcingprocessconsistencybutittoooftenignoresthefactthatcustomersappreciateconsistencybutareevenmoreappreciativewhenyourecognizetheiruniqueneedsanddifferences.”

SalesexpertDavidBrock:“Salesprocessisaroadmap.Itcanyoutellthestreetsbutnottheroadconditions,potholes,weather,etc.AdaptingtothechangingconditionsisthesecrettogettingfrompointAtopointB.”

The old sales process playbook was as follows:

1. Buy/buildalistbasedontitleandcompanydemographics

2. Givesalesaone-size-fits-allscript3. Startcalling


The new sales process playbook:

1. Determinebuyerpersonas–theorganizationshoulddefinerolesversustitlesaswellaspainsandneedsoftheirtargetbuyer.

2. Identifyappropriatebuyerpersonasleveragingsocialdata–intoday’sworldyoucandeterminewhothepeoplewhoNEEDyouare.Thosearethepeopletoreachoutto.

3. Tailoryourmessage–understandthebuyerpersonas’currentpainsandinitiativesleveragingsocialdataandtailorthemessageBEFOREyoucalloremail.SalesexpertMariAnneVanella:“Sellingisn’tpitchinganymore—it’sdiscovering,partnering,solving.Theideaofaby-the-booksalesprocessisreallyreplacedwithhavingteammembersthataresituationallyfluent,abletothinkontheirfeetandcanmentallymapwhattheprospectistellingthemtotherighttopicsreal-time.”

4. Leveragetriggereventstocallattherighttime–triggereventsareeventsinabuyer’sworkenvironmentthatwillnecessitatechange.Anexampleofthisisalayofforexpansion.Smartsalesrepsfollowtheirprospectsandreachoutwhentheycanidentifychallenges

BillBinch,SeniorVPofSalesfromMarketo,laiditoutprettywell:“Therearenotrafficjamsintheextramile.

Acollegeprofessorgavemethisadviceandit’sstuckwithmetothisday.Hispointwasthatyouneedtodifferentiateyourselfandcutthroughthenoise,sodoitbyexceedingtheprospect/customer/clientexpectations.Millionsofyoungsalesprosaretaughtmethodologies,skills,andhavetoolstohelpthemreachaprospect.Butthebestgobeyondthat:

Is my message calibrated to the person I’m calling on?Thisisprettyeasytotalkabout,hardtodo.Weallknowweshoulddothis,butmanytimeswegotomarketwithaone-size-fits-allapproach.InsteadofchangingthemessagefortheC-leveltarget,wehitthemwithproductfeatures;andviceversa–wefocusonvalueandROIwiththeday-to-dayuserwhosimplywantstoknowhowtheproductworksandhowitwillmaketheirlifeeasier.ThebestrepsI’veworkedwithtakethecompanymessageandfine-tuneittothescenario,level,buyerandmakeitcustom.

Thisprovokesanotherkeypoint,though–themethodologyquestion.Todaymanycompaniesprescribetoafixed,heavymethodologythatisn’tnimbletorespondtoscenarios.TheanalogyI’duse


istheNYGiantsinthisyear’sSuperBowl.Theywentinwithastrategy,i.e.we’regoingtokeeptheballonthegroundforthefirsthalf.Underthatstrategyareanumberofplays.Buttheplayshaven’tbeencastforwhenthey’llrunthem–todecidethattheywatchthedefense,thenadjustbasedonfieldpositionetc.,adjustbasedontheotherteamperformance.Today’ssellingneedstodosimilar–asingleone-sizeapproachtosellingisoutofdate;scorecardsandplaybooksthatallowforreal-timerespondingandadjustmentsarethenewrage.

Am I calling the right role?Too high–we’retaughttocallhigh.ButdoestheCMOatCiscoreallyengageinthedecisiontobuywhatI’mselling?

Too low–amIsellinganexpensive,complexsolutiontoonlytheenduser?

Did I surround the account?IgetaprospectandIcallthem.MybossasksmewhyI’mmissingmynumberandIanswerIdon’thaveenoughleads.Really–didIcalljusttheprospectordidItrytosurroundtheaccount,learnwhotheprospectworksfor,andwhoworksforhim?Whoarethepeers?

Would I take call from me if I was on the other end?Thisisthetruetest.Afriendofmine,KeithHiggins,CMOatSymphonyServicessharedsomethingwithmethatIthoughtwasreallygood.Hesaidofalltheprospectingcallshegets,onemessageisreallygood.“Listen,Iknowyougetprospectcallsallthetime.WhatIwanttoknowis,howdoesyourcompanyevaluatebestpracticesandideasforXtechnologyandhowdoIgetmyselfincludedinthatdiscussion?”

It’sacallhetakeseverytimebecauseit’sreal.Hey,we’renotgonnalookatthatfor6months,butwhenwedowe’llcallyou.”

Attheendoftheday,itisimportanttorememberthatsellingtoeachbuyerindividuallyandsellingtotheirpainsandneedshaveALWAYSbeenbestpractices.Today,youcanapplythosebestpracticeswithconsistencyandlikely,withgreatresults.

5. Impact performance. Not reporting

Salespeoplearelookingfornewwaystosharpentheircompetitiveedge,notcreatemorereports.

DaveBrock:“CRMissoldtosalesmanagementandsonaturally,it’sbuiltforsalesmanagement,notforindividualsalesreps.”


IDCSalesAdvisory:“Only50%ofsalespeoplemadetheirquotain2010.”

IwonderifIDCSalesAdvisoryintheirresearchcouldreporthowmanyofthe50%whodidn’tmakequotausedaCRMsystemonadailybasis.Myguessisalmostallofthem.Wedon’tmeantounfairlybashtheCRMsystem;itisamission-criticalapplicationforrunningasuccessfulsalesforce.TheproblemistheCRMsystemdoesnothelpsalespeopleclosemoredeals.(Andifyouaskedthesalespeople,theywouldprobablytellyouthatallwithalltheclicks,thesystembogsthemdown.)

Theironyisinmanyways,theintentofaCRMsystemistoprovideknowledgeofthecustomerthatallowsyoutosellmoreeffectivelytothem,marketmoreeffectivelyto

them,servicemoreeffectivelytothem,andsoon.TheproblemistheCRMsystemfallsshort.ThereistoomuchdatabeingcreatedoutsideoftheCRMsystemthatsalescanusetopositivelyaffecttheirsellingeffectivenessthatCRMdoesn’tcapturetoday.Myfatherusedtotellme:“Ifyoudon’tget2xbackwhatyouputintosomething,it’snotworthit.”Forsalesreps,alltheydois“give”totheCRM.Theydon’tgetmuchback.JimKeenan:“It’sasalesperson’sjobtosell;it’sacompany’sjobtosupporttheminselling.Reportingdoesn’tsellanythingtoanyone.”

What’s the solution? There are a couple best practices in sales effectiveness:

1. Providereal-timecustomerinsightusingsocialcustomerdata–asDaveBrocksays:“Therich3-dimensionalperspectiveofthecustomercomesfromacombinationofCRMdataandliveinternetdata.”

2. Providethisdataeasily–theenemyofsalespeopleistime;iftheyhavetoclickmoreorgointotoomanyapplications,theywon’tdoit.

3. Ensuretheyunderstandwhatactionstotakeagainstthisinsight–today,thatmightcomeintheformoftraining.JillKonrath:“Notalltriggereventsarecreatedequal.Teachyoursalespeoplewhatthemostimportantonesareandwhy.Theyneed

“ It’s a sales person’s job to sell; it’s a company’s job to support them in selling. Reporting doesn’t sell anything to anyone. ”


tounderstandthebusinessimplicationsinordertocreaterelevantmessagingandmoveprospectsoffthestatusquo.“Inthefuturetheapplicationwillbeabletoprovidetheserecommendations.

Youwillbehard-pressedtofindasalespersonwhocan’tfindthevalueorcompetitiveadvantageinhavingreal-timedataabouttheirprospectsattheirfingertips.CRMexpertBrianVellmure:“Mostsuccessfulsalesexecutivesaren’treallyconcernedaboutallthenewthingsthattechnologycando.Atthefrontandcenteroftheirrealityismakingtheirnumber,showingupatoptheleaderboard,makingclub,andinsomecases,justkeepingtheirjob.Becauseofthis,theytendtobeagreatproxyforthevalidityofemergingtechnologies.

“Asasalesrep,ifIhave20,or200,or2000potentialinteractionsthatIcanchoosetoinvesttimein,Iwanttoknowwhichonesholdthehighestpotentialforthehighestreturn.Surfacingmeaningfulinsightsinthecontextofexistingpatternsofworkholdsthepotentialtohelpsalesprofessionalsbetterallocatetheirtimeandefforttomaximizerevenueforboththemselvesandtheorganizationsthatemploythem.”

ThemostobviousstatementIcouldpossiblymakeisactuallythefinalpoint:Thesalesmanager’sjobistomakehis/hersalesrepsasproductiveaspossible.Beforethey

“ Reports are meaningless if they are not actionable.”


requiretheirsalesrepstodosomething,theyshouldalwaysaskthemselvesthequestion:“Willthismakethembetter?”Enteringdataandhelpingyoucreatereportsisnotmakingthesalesrepsbetter.SalesguruJimKeenan:“Ifyouwantthesalesteamtoreport,thengivethemthetoolsandsupporttohavesomethingtoreport.”Throughoutmyresearchforthisproject,Icouldnotfindonesalesexpertwhodidnotemphasizetheimportanceofreal-timesocialintelligenceintheday-to-daylifeofasalesrep.Ifitmakesyoursalesrepsbetter,whywouldn’tyou?

6. From look-up to intelligence

Intelligencethatanticipatesneedsandprovidesrecommendations

ChrisSelland:“Reportsaremeaninglessiftheyarenotactionable-andifthoseactionsarenottaken.”

JimKeenan:“Predictiveanalyticsarewithoutadoubtthenewwave.Theyarealsoonlyasgoodastheinterpretation.Spendasmuchtimeonhowyouinterpretthedataasyoudorespondingtoit.”

Youhavethedata/intelligence,nowwhat?It’sinterestingthatJillKonrath’squoteontriggereventswasawarning:“Whensalespeoplegetsocialdataoneveryconceivableprospect,theygointooverwhelmmode.They’lleither

wastetimefollowinguponirrelevantnewsortotallymissthegoldenopportunities.”Themoralofthestory:Justbecauseyouhaveaccesstoinformationdoesnotmeanyouknowwhattodonext.Thereareacoupleofveryimportantfactorswhenleveragingsocialdata:

1. What information is actionable or not?–Justbecausethecompanyannouncedsomethingdoesnotmakeitimportanttoyourprospect’slife.Asocialmediaupdatealertingasalesreptoakeyprospect’sjob/rolechangecaneithersurfaceanewsalesopportunityorincreasetheriskthatanexistingsalesopportunitymightnotclose.Knowingaboutitattherighttimeiskey,withoutthesalesrephavingtospendlotsoftimelookingforit.Whatdoestheinformationmean?–Theinformationistellingyouwhattheclientcaresabout.Cantheindividualsalesrepdeterminethatthemselves?Therecouldbethousandsofpressreleasesandotherstreamsofinformationrelatedtomanyprospectsthatthesalesrepisworkingon.Itisnearlyimpossibleforthesalesreptoquicklyestablishthataspecificpressreleaseaboutamerger&acquisitionoranewcomplianceinitiativecouldeitherincreasehis/herlikelihoodofwinningtheopportunityunlessthesalesrepisautomaticallypresentedwiththeinformationintherightcontext.Thesocialinformationtobeavailableinthecontext


ofthelead,opportunity,oraccountinformationwithintheCRMsothatasalesrepcantakequickactiononit.

2. What is your next move?–Oncethesalesrephasthedata,whatshouldtheydonext?ThenextsourceofcompetitiveadvantageforsalesorganizationswillcomefromsystemsthatcananalyzesocialmediaandonlineconversationsaswellasCRMdata,torecommendthenextmoveforsalesreps.Forexample,ifsocialsellingsolutionscanrecommendtherightprospect(s)tofocusonatanygiventime,basedonhistoricalwinratesofsimilarprospects,thatwillproviderepsanimmensecompetitiveadvantageovertheirpeers.Inshort,thinkofitasaNetflixmovierecommendationbasedonyourpreferencesaswellasyourfriends’recommendationsthatsavesyoutonsoftimefindingtherightmovietowatch.

Thebaselinehasbeenestablished.Yoursalesrepsdeserveanapplicationthathelpsthemquicklyandefficientlyfindreal-timesocialintelligence.Thenextstepisfortheapplicationtorecommendwhattodonext–thatisthekillersalesapplication.DanWaldschmidt:“Gonearethedaysofusingsocialtoolsastriggers.Today’ssocialtoolsshoulddriveinterpretation.Theyprovidemeaningtothebehavioroftheprospect.GonearethedaysofCRM

tomanagesalescustomeractivity.Today’sCRMshouldmanagecommunityactivity.Ideallytheseplatformswilltriageconversationsandprovideintelligence.”

Theonlywaysalesorganizationswillbeabletobuildtheirsalesteamstoleveragesocialdatainscalablewayswillbetoensurethatsalesrepshaveanapplicationthatcaninterpretandproviderecommendationsforthem.It’snotaseasyasitusedtobewherewehadonemessage,onebuyingtypeandwesolvedeverythingwithscripts.SteveRichard,Co-FounderofVorsight:“Justlikeanexpertplumberknowshowtousehismanytoolsinuniquewaystofixthepipes,somustsalespeoplebetrainedonhowtointerpretandusesocialsellingtoolsinordertoreachtherightpersonwiththerightmessageattherighttime.Trainingaloneisn’tenough.”Wemustequipoursalesteamstobeagileandreactontheirfeet.Thatisthefutureofselling.


Intheory,socialsellinghastremendouspotential.However,inpracticeitmayprovedifficulttotranslatesocialmediaeffortsintodistinctROIandcashflow.Whilesomecompaniesmayboastabouthowtheyhave40,000followersonTwitterand10,000Facebooklikes,whatdoesthismeanfortheirbottomline?Howcanweactuallyvisualizeandsolidifythesocialsalesfunnel?

B2Ccompanieshavebeenthepioneersinusingsocialmediatomonitorcustomerconversationsandidentifyopportunitiestonotonlyaddresscustomercomplaintsaboutaproductorservice,butalsotofindnewleads.Almosteveryonerecallsexamplesofairlines,hospitalitycompanies,andmanyotherB2Ccompaniesusingsociallisteningeffectively.

B2BcompaniesareimitatingthebestpracticesdevelopedbyB2Ccompaniesnotonlybecauseoftheresultsthey’reachieving,butalsobecauseevenB2Bcustomersareexpectingthatcompanieswillfollowtheirconversationsonsocialmediaandtakeaction,insteadofexpectingthemtointeractwiththecompaniesthroughtraditionalchannels.

Perhapsthebestwaytoexaminesocialsellingapartfromgeneralsocialmediaeffortsistolookatsuccessesthatbrandsandsalespeoplehavehadinwinningcustomersover.Thefollowingsocialsuccessstoriesfallintotwocategories:salesthathavebeenmadethroughlisteningandmonitoringsocialmedia,andsalesthathavebeenmadethroughthereachofsocialmedia.

Real-Life Success Stories


Listening for Social Sales

Liketheage-olddeskphone,socialmediaisanothertoolinthesalesperson’sarsenaltobringincustomers.However,socialmediahastheaddedbenefitofallowingforopen,transparentconversationsthatsalescancapitalizeon.

Let’simagine,forinstance,thatyou’reasalesmanatacarcompany.Onedayyoupickupthephonetomakeacall,onlytooverhearacompletelyrandomconversationbetweentwostrangersabouthowthey’relookingtobuyanewmodelofthecaryou’reselling.Sociallisteningallowsforthetargetingofprospectsinanimmenselypowerfulway.AaronEden,FounderofGarious,outlineshowJayThompson,arealestateagentinPhoenix,usedthistactictobringinnewcustomers:

1. Effective targeting:HesetupHootSuitetoreceivenotificationsoftweetsincludingkeywords“moving”and“Phoenix.”

2. Soft Selling:Whenhereceivedthetweet,heofferedhispotentialclientsunconditionalhelpandmadeitclearthathewaswillingtoansweranyquestionstheyhad.Nopressure!Noobligation.

Otherrealtorsstarted“harassing”thesamepeople.So,whentheyneededhelpforfindingahometobuy,theyaskedforJay’shelp.

[Onetime,he]wasaveryclosetoasalebuthisclient’smovingplanschangedandtheyendedupnotcomingtoPhoenixbuttheyreferredmassivenumberofpeopletohim.(Hisgenuinehelpturnedcompletestrangersintobrandadvocates.)”

Byusingasocialdashboardtomonitorspecifickeywords,Thompsonwasabletoidentifyandbringinnewcustomersthatwerealreadywarm,qualifiedleads.Weseethesamemethodsappliedtowinovercustomersfromcompetingbrands:

RalfVonSosen,VPofInsideView:“Inseveralinstanceswehavefoundprospectsthatwereinconversationswithcompetitors,orlookingforinformationwherewewereabletoinsert(tactfully)ourselvesintotheconversation.Wehavedonethisonthemarketingsidetoteeuptheprospectforthesalesrep,aswellassenttheinfotothesalesrepforthemtoinsertthemselvesdirectlyintotheconversation.

Social listening allows for the targeting of prospects in an immensely powerful way


“Ifwemaintainedaninformationalandhelpfultone,wehaveseentheprospectsbeveryresponsiveandappreciativeonourinput.

“Thegreatthingabouttheseopportunities[is]thatbydefaultthetimingisrighttohaveameaningfulconversation.WhathasbeencriticalforusistoalsosupplementtheinfowegatherfromTwitterwithmoreinformationabouttheperson.”

AlexShootman,ChiefRevenueOfficeratEloqua:“JustacoupleofmonthsagooneofoursalespeoplewasonTweetDeckandnoticedapersonreallystrugglingwithacompetitiveofferingtoours.Therepreachedout,helpedthepersonwiththeirissue,theybegantobuildarelationshipandwetookoutacompetitorfromthataccountwithinthelastfewweeks.”

Byremainingvigilantaboutconversationsthatarehappeningacrosssocialmedia,salesrepshavetheopportunitytoreachouttotherightpersonattherighttime,ratherthanblindlycastingoutalinetoseewhobites.

Itgoeswithoutmention,too,thatwhilesociallisteningcanaidinbringinginnewcustomersandwinoverclientsfromthecompetition,sotoocanitnurtureexistingcustomers.ByusingnetworkssuchasTwitter,LinkedInandblogstofosteranexistingcustomerbase,companiescanestablisharelationshipthatspansbeyondsimplysigningthedeal.Thisfollow-upnurturingcanaidincustomerreferralsandproductrenewals.Sowhilelisteningandmonitoringcancertainlyhelpinmakingtheinitialsale,therelationshipcannot,andcertainlyshouldnot,endthere.

Brand Reach for Social Sales

Socialsellingcastsawidenettoprospects,customers,third-partybloggers,evangelists,analysts,andadvocates.Throughthesuccessstoriesbelow,you’llbeabletoseehowsocialmediaprovidesasupplementtolivesalesconversations,howitallowsforextendednurturingofprospects,andhowyourcontenthastheabilitytogeneratesales.Andthebestpart:oncetheattentionofoneuseriscaptured,wordspreadsorganicallythroughtheirnetworks.Manyofthesuccessstorieswe’veseenthroughreachand“talking”(asopposedtolistening)happenbynurturingusersorpotentialcustomers–drawingthemtoabrand’ssocialnetwork,postingrelevantcontent,askingthemquestions,andthenfollowingup.

“ By default the timing is right to have a meaningful conversation. “


It’simportanttonotethat,whilemanycompaniescantracetheirsalesoriginallybacktosocialmedia,thesechannelscannotanddonotreplacephoneconversationsandin-personmeetings.Socialmediamaybetheoriginationpointofthesale,butitisnottheplacewherethesedealsaretypicallyclosed.

DaveBrock,PresidentandCEO,PartnersInEXCELLENCE,emphasizeswheresocialmediasitsforhiminhiscompany’ssalesprocess:

“Socialmediahasbeenanimportantpartofanumberofsales,buthasneverbeentheexclusivecomponent.…Ithinkwhatwe’velearnedisthatsocialmediaisjustoneelementofaprospectingapproach,butweneedtobuildtheengagementthroughmultiplechannelssimultaneously.Weneverexpectsomeonetotweetusanorder–becausethat’snotthewaypeoplebuyourtypesofservices.Butsocialmediaisanimportantcomponentofextendingourvisibilityandawarenessinourtargetmarkets.Forus,lastyearcloseto70%ofournetnewnamebusinessoriginatedthroughsomesortofsocialmediacontact--butnoneofthemwereclosedthroughasinglechannelorthroughsocialmediaexclusively.”

Socialchannelsareagreatwaytogeneratebrandawareness,andtheyarealsoanidealnurturingchannel.Whiletheycannotsupplementthesenseoftrustonefeels

atmeetingsomeoneinperson,socialmediacanservetostrengthenandextendrelationshipswithprospectsovertime,withthehighprobabilityofaneventualsale.MattHeinz,presidentofHeinzMarketingInc,detailsasuccessthroughthislengthy–butultimatelyrewarding–nurturingprocess:“Acouplemonthsago,IgotacallfromtheCEOofafast-growingtechnologycompanyontheEastCoast.Wehadmetataconferencetwoyearsago.Atthetime,IdidwhatIusuallydowithpeopleImeetatevents–followedupimmediatelyafter,invitedhertojoinmynewsletterlist,putherintomynurturemarketingsystems,andprettymuchmovedon.

“Then,outoftheblue,shecalled.Herbusinessisexploding,andshewantedhelporganizingandacceleratinghermarketingefforts.Lessthanaweeklater,shewasarecurring-revenueclientforourbusiness.“Ononehand,that’soneofthefastestdealswe’veclosedandtheleastamountofworkI’veputintoapitch.Ontheotherhand,Iworkedthatdealhardfortwoyears.TheCEOhadbeenreadingmynewsletter,followingmyblogandTwitterfeed,andknewIcouldhelpherwithexactlywhatsheneededdone.

Atleast33%ofournewbusinessnowcomesfromsocialmediaandcontentmarketing.”


Contentmarketingandsocialsellinghavemanykeypointsofintersection.Bycreatingcontentthatistargeted,relevant,andeasytoconsume,companiescanestablishthemselvesasthoughtleadersinaspace,whichinevitablyleadstocustomertrustandsales.

CandyceEdelen,CEOofProperGrowth:“Wewritecontentforourblog,whichwepromoteinseveralsocialchannelsincludingTwitter,LinkedIn,andonindustryforumsandknowledgecommunities.We’vewonseveralclientsinpartbecausetheyfollowusinthosechannels…Welinkourblogtoourprofiles,anddostatusupdatestopromoteourcontent.Peopleregularlytellmethattheyfeellikethey’reuptospeedwithwhatwe’redoingbecauseofthestatusupdates.Inmostcases,publishingthecontentonindustryknowledgecommunitieshasalsohadastronginfluence.Wepublishonasitethathasstricteditorialstandardsaroundthecontent-noadvertorials.Thatsitehasastronginfluenceinourtargetmarketandhasbeenapowerfulresource.”

Hereliesthepowerfulintersectionofcontentmarketingandsocialselling;bymakingcontentavailablethrough

socialchannels,yourcontenthasthepotentialtobespreadforgeneralawarenessandconsumption…It’sthe“viral”factor.Then,whetherornotyou’recapturingviewerdemographics,theopportunitiestospreadbrandawareness,nurturecustomers,andselltheproductareallthere.Bylistening,conversing,andrelayingcontenttoanaudienceofprospects,brandscaneasilysetthewheelsinmotiontoestablishmeaningfulconnectionsand,ultimately,makethesale.

“ At least 33% of our new business now comes from social media and content marketing.“


ExpertsBarbara Giamanco,SocialCenteredSelling,LLCMiles Austin,FilltheFunnelAnneke Seley,PhoneWorksMatt Heinz,HeinzMarketingCraig Rosenberg,FocusDave Brock,PartnersinEXCELLENCEKevin Gaither,BetterWorksJim Keenan,ASalesGuyMike Damphousse,GreenLeadsLori Richardson,ScoreMoreSalesBrian Vellmure,InitiumLLC/InnovantageSteve Richard,VorsightStu Silverman,SalesRampChris Selland,TerametricJill Konrath,SNAPSellingMari Anne Vanella,TheVanellaGroupBill Binch,MarketoJill Rowley,EloquaAlex Shootman,EloquaRalf VonSosen,InsideViewNigel Edelshain,TurnToNetworksJosiane Feigon,TeleSmartJeffrey Gitomer,AceofSalesMichael Lodato,NetworkHardwareResaleKoka Sexton,InsideView

Blogswww.fillthefunnel.com

www.phoneworks.com/learning-center/blog/

www.tele-smart.com/blog/

Websiteswww.socialmediaexaminer.com

www.slideshare.net/heinzmarketing/secrets-to-successful-social-selling

www.socialmedia-academy.com/index.php/resources/social-selling/

www.socialsellingu.com

Books“The Now Revolution”byAmberandJayBaer“Social Boom”byJeffreyGitomer“No More Cold Calling”byJoanneBlack

Other places to browsewww.slideshare.net

Best Resources to Learn About Social Selling


About InsideView

InsideView,theleadingproviderofsalesintelligence,increasesproductivityandrevenuebydeliveringrelevantbusinessandsocialinsightstothepointofneed.Ouraward-winningtechnologygathersandanalyzesinformationfromthemostrelevantsocialmedia,user-contributedandtraditional/proprietaryeditorialsourcestoprovidecompellinginsightsaboutcompaniesandcontactsdirectlywithinyourCRM,browser,ormobiledevice.Morethan100,000salesprofessionals,andover1,000market-leadingcompaniesincludingAdobe,AIG,BMC,CapGemini,Experian,andSuccessFactorsuseInsideView.

Formoreinformation,visitwww.insideview.com.

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