State of sales 2015

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The State of Social Sales 2015An Industry Thought Leader’s Review

About the AuthorDale Roberts

2The State of Sales 2014/2015 – Industry Thought Leaders Review

www.artesiansolutions.com

This review has allowed us to listen to contributions fromaround the globe about the changing world of sales, but thebuyer has changed and to me this is all rooted in buyers.

We can debate, discuss and dissect all we like but sellersneed to be where buyers are.

Introduction – a Perspective

Dale is VP Professional Services and part of thefounding circle of sales enablement innovator,Artesian Solutions. He is also a keynote speaker,blogger and author of Decisions Sourcing:Organisational Decision Making for the Agileand Social Enterprise. Prior to joining Artesian,Dale worked with some of the largest Europeanand US businesses to build analytic andperformance management solutions in his roleas European Services Director for market leaderCognos, now part of IBM.

Sales and Marketing: The Peace Process

One of the fundamental principles of a world dominated by social communication isthat customers connect with businesses on their own terms. That means the erosionof traditional functional silos and the two caught in the crosshairs of sophisticatedbuyers right now are sales and marketing. Buyers are reacting badly not just to poorvendor experiences but also to inconsistent ones as they are fumbled betweenmarketing and sales.

What this means is that smart businesses are finding new ways to fuse the industrialscale of Marketing with the deeply personalized, one-to-one relationships institutedby Sales. This is no mean feat and will require that both teams put an end to theirdifferences. This goes way beyond proper process, formal handoff and agreementabout the definition of Sales or Marketing Qualified Leads. Not that these things arenot important but they are utterly inward focused. The customer experience,including that of high-touch, consultative B2B customers will only be improved bytrue integration and collaboration.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalesroberts

@DecisionHacker

United Kingdom

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Cold Calling

The death of the cold call is announced every other week. The onlything I experience more regularly than these announcements are coldcalls from companies that did not get the memo. My prediction then is‘dialing for dollars’ will continue, it will become even more ineffective asbuyers continue to avoid them and some businesses will therefore findways to do more of it at lower costs. This dumb logic ignores the factthat buyers simply do not want to be contacted in this way. The goodnews though is that we are reaching an inflection point. Better metrics,repeatable results and more success stories from the world of socialselling will eventually put the uninspiring results of cold calling intosharp relief. It will die, but slowly.

Maturity

The early adopters of Social Selling have been showing success for twoyears or more and it is causing many of us to predict when it is about tobecome mainstream. In Decision Sourcing, I posited that ‘Social is aterm rapidly on its way to becoming fleetingly ubiquitous, thenredundant.’ This was never going to be quick though. B2B Sales cyclescan be months, even years and predictable success attributable to anew approach simply takes time. Like mountain climbers, sellers don’tleave the old toehold until they have confidently lodged a new one thatwill support them. I stand by my words though. The behaviours of sellerswill ultimately be transformed by the behaviours of buyers to such anextent that social will be absorbed and the prefix dropped.

An IBM Institute of Business Value Study predicted that social would beimplemented by more than half of businesses in their sales function bythe end of 2014. Whilst our experiences would support this, many are

still experimenting. The coming months will see it become integrated into processes and a rich ecosystem of new tools. We are proudthat the Artesian service is, and will continue to lead the way. Asexperimentation ends, sales leadership and senior management willdemand that its success is measured like everything else. Time spenton the new behaviours will have to be demonstrably more efficient thanthe old ones. Budget allocated to software subscriptions will need toshow a return. The circuitous logic is that vendors such as Artesian willhave to continue to invest more in proving that the approach issuccessful with their customer’s customers.

Finally

Sellers need to be where the buyers are. 2014 data from the IDCsuggested that three quarters of business buyers use social in theirpurchasing decisions. Interestingly, the pattern is consistent acrossEurope, North America and Asia Pacific. There are differences, of coursebut they are not substantial. North America is slightly ahead of Europeand Asia Pacific slightly behind but it is still two thirds tapping into theironline professional community before they buy. The business buyingexperience is a high risk one. Reputations are made and lost andcareers are shaped by decisions that involve purchasing andpartnerships. To misquote Dan Pink, it would seem that the buyingexperience is universal because To Buy is Human.

Thank you,Dale Roberts

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Michael de GrootStaying Alive

My focus is on assisting professionals and aspiringprofessionals (students) to develop their personalbrand and reputation across their channels of choicewith a high priority focus on LinkedIn.

I am helping those professionals to practice SocialSelling techniques and teach them to share theirstory. Furthermore and to underpin personal orcompany branding I create whiteboard animations toconvey the brand’s story.

• A higher volume of content being created across LinkedIn with the roll-out of long-form posts across LinkedIn’s membership. A clear sign that people wish to be seen as thought leaders in their Industry/Sector.

• A higher number of Social Selling trainers across the globe, who are writing, tweeting, presenting and training sales and marketing personnel as well as business owners in the theory of Social Selling.

• LinkedIn do appear to be the main Social Network who are pushing the idea of Social Selling and as a result are publishing more research and insights on the subject.

• More software products and tools being developed to facilitate intelligence and listening integrated with existing Sales and CRM products.

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/stayingaliveuk

@stayingaliveuk

United Kingdom



There are many indicators that Social Selling is startingto take hold. The main trends that I have witnessed are:

What are the key trends you havewitnessed in the field of social selling?

4

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• A bigger push on ROI by the boardroom, pushing software developers to automate more in terms of inbound follow-up and identification of the breadcrumb trail to better inform and change actions by sales and marketing teams.

• The dividing line between Sales and Marketing will continue to blur further giving both teams challenges on how to structure their responsibilities and some brave teams may even integrate.

• LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator has to deliver results for the early-adoption customers, as well as the stock market.

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/stayingaliveuk

@stayingaliveuk

United Kingdom



All the training, eBooks, articles, philosophy needs to beput into action and deliver results.


I am truly excited about this new SalesRevolution, which is unfolding in the market.Not everyone are believers yet, but thereappears to be more traction developing. TheUSA is clearly ahead of the UK and hopefully2015 will be the turning point for UKcompanies and professionals to adopt adifferent approach to how they market and sell.

5

Michael de GrootStaying Alive

A Forward Look

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Brynne TillmanCEO of Social

Sales Link

It no longer matters if you are one sales rep among thousands in yourcompany, a solopreneur or somewhere in between, you get the opportunity toget your message out.

In addition, the social selling revolution has changed they way people arebuying which, in turn, has redefined the sales process and sales training as anindustry. The traditional solution selling with a plethora of discovery questionsis no longer relevant. When the buyer has done their homework, they expectthat the seller has as well, so the first appointment is now an industry insightsconversation relating it to the needs of the buyer and positioning yourself asthe subject matter expert.

Which leads to my favorite trend which is the peace treaty between thesales and marketing departments. The war is over, and they are now able towork in synchrony. What the marketing department creates and implements isnow truly able to target the right decision makers and influencers that convertto better leads and more business.

http://Linkedin.com/in/BrynneTillman

@SocialSalesLink

USA



Content Marketing, although has been around for over adecade has moved into the mainstream. The ability to publishon social networks has leveled the playing field for everyone.


Brynne Tillman is the CEO of Social Sales Link andauthor of LinkedIn and Social Selling for BusinessDevelopment. Brynne links traditional sales trainingwith social media for lead generation andprospecting. Brynne works with individuals, salesteams, sales management, business owners andprofessionals who are responsible for clientacquisition to prospect more effectively, make morequalified appointments, reduce the sales cycle, andclose more business. Brynne teaches a uniqueapproach to leveraging LinkedIn and socialmedia for business development and is a NationalLinkedIn Speaker.

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Brynne TillmanCEO of Social

Sales Link

Social Selling is dynamic and with each new toolthe rules change so the sales rep needs to benimble and adapt quickly.

What I am most interested in is how quickly the traditional sales trainingcompanies adapt. So many of them are teaching the “techniques” fromdecades ago that may sound practical at a glance but are completelyunproductive and will bare no more fruit.

http://Linkedin.com/in/BrynneTillman

@SocialSalesLink

USA



I believe the trends are going to affect salesprofessionals in very big ways. On the coat tails of CEBresearch and The Challenger Sale statistics, the majorshift will be in sales training, sales management andaccountability and the expectations of sales reps. Wewill see many less companies require cold calls andmany more tracking and measuring social engagementand leads. The talk time and dials made will be over,finally, and social selling will be embraced.

A Forward Look

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Jordi Gili Execus

Jordi Gili has been considered in 2014 one ofthe top 10 Social Selling experts outside the USAby Salesforlife. In 2010 he founded Execus, one of thetop social selling consulting and training firms inEurope, with the mission of helping sales teamsembrace professional social networks like Linkedin toclose more deals. Execus was named the first LinkedinSales Solution channel partner in Europe in 2013. Jordiis an MBA by ESADE, Telco Engineer by UPC(Barcelona Tech) and gained his experience of morethan 15 years in marketing, sales and customer servicewithin Telcos (ATT, NTT, COLT) and consulting fordifferent industries (IBM, RGP, Execus).

From the client’s perspective, early integrations are facing some challengesand opportunities. Cultural Change of the salesforce (shifting away frommassive lists and cold calling into fine segmentation and warm contacts) isbecoming a major factor to take into consideration.

Marketing and Sales collaboration is also being put in the spotlight sincesocial sellers need food for thought to be delivered at the client’s door andthey are not the best equipped to produce the materials.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordigili

@Jordi_Gili

Spain



During 2014 we are still seeing the early days of SocialSelling in Europe. The industry is taking form withplayers from employee advocacy to sales processautomatization and from client insights alerts to socialactivity reporting tools.


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Jordi Gili Execus

On the providers side, I expect refinementpropositions in the social selling area. I wouldwelcome (and there is an opportunity for thosewilling to invest on) tools that help improve andautotomize social sellers’ daily activities. Forinstance, the need to gain actionable insightsthat help sellers tap the potential client at theright time and gain competitive advantage isout there.

Another area of opportunity is social activity reporting tools, since salesdirectors are in need of understanding and evaluating the ROI of theirinvestments in Social Selling.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordigili

@Jordi_Gili

Spain



Into 2015 I expect a major industry boom, it will be theyear that social selling goes mainstream. The tools areout there, the industry is ready and early adopters areshowing results. B2B clients that have not adopted acorporate formal approach will need to take action orwill be left behind.

A Forward Look

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Tibor ShantoRenbor Sales

Solutions

Tibor Shanto, a sales leader for over 25 years, helpingcompanies achieve and improve their revenue goals.Initially as a sales rep, then progressing to leadershiproles with companies including Globe and Mail, DowJones, Factiva and Reuters.

Tibor has been called a brilliant sales tactician, helpingsales teams and organizations to better execute theirsales process. As a principal with Renbor SalesSolutions, working with leading B2B sales organizationsimproving critical aspects of their sales cycle, includingshorten sales cycles, increase close ratios, and createdouble digit growth through the execution of theirstrategy by using the right combination of strategic andtactical execution supported by metrics and our Follow-Through Action Plan.

As with most sustainable trends in sales, it is less about the technology or thetool, and more about the process and mind set. Many are beginning to notonly understand this but implementing it. In the end social needs to serve theclients’ and the sellers’ objectives, and some organizations get that, and manygurus and their clients don’t.

http://ca.linkedin.com/in/tiborshanto/

@TiborShanto

Canada



No doubt social selling “arrived” in 2014. The smartsellers avoid the hype and look for something thatenhances their selling and expands their toolkit forengaging and selling to customers. True social selling isnot about masking other problems that exist in yoursale or sales organization, but about leveraging some,not all, social resources to enhance the buyerexperience, and by extension your sales success.


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Tibor ShantoRenbor Sales

Solutions

Let’s un-hyphenate sales, get rid of labels andcamps, and just focus on how we can sell betterwithout camps, colours or tribe.

As a result, social will be forced to come up with better metrics andbenchmarks to be able to demonstrate it’s worth. If organizations and peopleselling social products, or dare I say solutions, can’t empirically demonstratetheir contribution to the sale, they risk being the first to go at any sign of a pullback.

The big thing for 2015 will be metrics that help sales leaders, and sales peoplebetter understand which social tools have actually contributed and how.Failing that, things will continue to concentrate in the big predictable players,ones anyone can rationalize spending money on, and specialized nicheplayers who address specific needs, not the watered down, value dilutedalso-rans.

http://ca.linkedin.com/in/tiborshanto/

@TiborShanto

Canada



The challenge moving forward is that with an improvingeconomy, and a lot of pent up purchasing power, it willbe difficult for some organizations to distinguish whichpart of their success is market driven and would havematerialized on it’s own, and how much was actuallytheir doing. By extension, how much of the latter, theirown doing, is a result of social or just plain old selling.

A Forward Look

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Jeb Blount

Jeb Blount is a leading expert on sales,leadership, strategic account management, andcustomer experience. He is a trusted advisor tomany of the world’s leading organizations andtheir executives. Jeb helps companies, teams,and individuals leverage emotional intelligenceto transform, and reach peak performance fast.He is the author of six books including includingPeople Buy YOU: The Real Secret to WhatMatters Most in Business.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jebblount

@SalesGravy

USA



The most important trend I’ve witnessed over the past18 to 24 months is social selling shifting from noveltytowards a core part of the sales professional’s tool box.The myriad apps, CRM plugins, and Sales 3.0 servicesemerging on the market place have accelerated thisprocess by making social selling easier to access andapply by the average sales rep.


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Jeb Blount

Social selling will simply become an integratedpart of the process enabling more effective andtargeted prospecting that engages prospects atthe right time with the right message, improvedcompetitive intelligence, deeper connections andrelationship building, and pipeline velocity withbetter data that keeps deals on track andconsistently moving to the next step and allowingsalespeople to disengage with prospects that areclearly not going to buy (qualified) earlier in theprocess.

Integrated is the key trend: despite the predicted demise of traditional sellingtechniques and the sales process as we know it, salespeople will continue toengage and move prospects through the sales pipeline much as they alwayshave.

It is also important to note that salespeople are not going to “embrace” socialselling en masse. Rather adoption rates will accelerate naturally driven by salestechnology that integrates social selling and social data into the sales processvia CRM and productivity apps. Rather than a “social selling revolution” we’llwitness a “social selling evolution.”

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jebblount

@SalesGravy

USA



Over the next months social selling will continue tobecome a normal integrated part of the salesprofessional’s day.

A Forward Look

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John Dougan

John is a true consultant on sales effectiveness havingspent the past decade working in sales structure,performance and strategy. This included 6 yearsworking for a sales assessment, placement andtraining organisation before migrating intoprofessional services. John has a keen interest in salesresearch and advisory services and shares thoughtleadership around sales behaviour, sales training, andsales analytics with a particular interest in socialmedia’s role in changing buyer behaviour . Havingworked in the UK and APAC, John is also asked toconsult and write for businesses across the globe.

We are certainly networking more, if anything the fact I no longer havebusiness cards on my desk is a leading indicator.

It’s no longer what you know or who you know, it’s what you know aboutwho you know.

We’re also moving away from the credentialing from a CV online to a view ofwhat problems you help customers fix or avoid and what opportunities youhelp them accomplish.

LinkedIn’s development as the premium business publishing platform. au.linkedin.com/in/socialseller

@intrepid_sales

Australia



Despite an increase in adoption from a sales point ofview there has certainly been a greater adaptation frombuyers. Buyers are certainly evolving faster and smarterthan sellers when it comes to utilizing social as acomponent of research, education and indeedcommunication.


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John Dougan

Data is the new gold but I’m afraid it isirrelevant if you don’t know where to find it andwhat to do with it to make it valuable. In thissense I see more rigor and metrics aroundwhat you do with the information you find andwhat sales it brings in.

In sales, 2015 will be a year of bringing the perspective to the customer, that is:

• the skills and acumen to have a collaborative discussion with others

• the insight to know when to do what

• trust and confidence in one’s own ability, and the abilities of co-workers and customers

• the ability to: – bring up problems that haven’t been uncovered – propose solutions that don’t yet exist – provide unique insight – uncover new ways to deliver value au.linkedin.com/in/socialseller

@intrepid_sales

Australia



The differentiators moving into 2015 will be those who canadd perspective! As I said in my recent article ‘Social Winning’:there is a huge amount of data out there available to sellers,information about your customers and information that isuseful to their unique challenges – social offers us a superbopportunity to find this information, analyse it and provideperspective through relevant content.

A Forward Look

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James CrispSales Director

at Zimbra

It’s all about the macro level and building relationships 1-2-1 not broadcastinga message. You have to remain personal and create a genuine connection.

Social Selling is fast becoming the de facto route to market for all salesindividuals and buying lists will soon become the thing of the past...

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesecrisp

@JimmyCrisp

United Kingdom



Gone are the days of cold calling. We are now in theperiod of connected calling – sales people have aninsane amount of market intelligence and software tohelp them prospect to the buyers of today. You are nolonger searching from scratch to find a decision maker,you only need to log in to Linkedin or Xing to find themost relevant contacts for your product or services.


Over 10 years of progressive experience in directsales, channel sales, business development,marketing, and consulting management in highlycompetitive segments of the IT industry. Anexperienced executive, proven producer of sales andprofit with ability to pinpoint business opportunities;also plan, develop, and execute effective businessstrategies under challenging market conditions. Ahigh-energy leader with distinctive people skills whoalways puts his customers first and whose motto inbusiness is ‘make sure both parties walk awayhappy, and stay happy’.

Currently Sales Director at Zimbra (formallyTelligent) running all outbound and inbound salesactivities for the EMEA region.

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James CrispSales Director

at Zimbra

I believe Sales, Marketing and Tech will mergeinto Smarketech to deliver precise informationwhen and where it is needed. If companies arenot participating in social selling then they arenot part of the conversation.

This is not just a sales role it’s the company’s role to adjust to the new way ofbuilding a reputable brand online and building more meaningful relationshipswith prospects.

Be found, listen and deliver.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesecrisp

@JimmyCrisp

United Kingdom



70% of the most intelligent buyers are doing researchon your products and services even before contactingthe sales person, therefore I expect to see a lot moreconnected sales/marketing messages pinpointingquestions regarding products and pointing them toanswers or other people that cans help.

A Forward Look

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BarbaraGiamanco

Barbara Giamanco is a globally recognized thoughtleader in Social Selling, Social Media Marketing andSocial Business. She’s the co-author of The NewHandshake: Sales Meets Social Media and CEOof Social Centered Selling. Barb is consistently aTop 25 Influential Leader in Sales, a Top 25 SalesInfluencer on Twitter and one of Top Sales World’sTop 50 Sales and Marketing Influencers.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Social Centered Sellingoffers Social Media and Social Selling Consulting,Advisory and Programs to sales and marketingteams interested in driving sales results.

There has too much attention on tools and tactics versus strategy and thebasics of good selling. We are beginning to see strategic questions aroundthe right message, platforms and measurements being answered beforeadopters blindly dive in. There is also a growing recognition that socialchannels are only a fraction of what it takes to be successful in generatingopportunities and closing deals. Salespeople need to be great networkers,referral builders, communicators and presenters, excellent listeners and savvybusiness people. Many of those skills are on the decline. Technology canopen the door, but it doesn’t do the actual selling.

www.linkedin.com/in/barbaragiamanco

@barbaragiamanco

USA



Whilst there will continue to be resistance, sales leadershave finally begun to accept that buyer behaviour haschanged. In turn, they have realized that their salesapproach also needed to change. Whilst it is not movingfast enough, training budgets have been allocated andI have seen a top down versus bottom up emphasis onthe important of social selling.


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BarbaraGiamanco

We will see the continued shift of resourcesfrom field sales to inside sales teams. Thechallenge though will be in finding talent withthe right skills set, which will mean moreinvestments in recruiting and training. As theshift continues, inside sellers will become evenmore adept at using social channels as part oftheir selling activities.

More budget will be allocated for sales and social selling training, as salesleaders come to realize two things: 1) Sales basics are at the heart of closingdeals. Investing solely in teaching salespeople product features or how to dodemos won’t be sufficient going forward. 2) Salespeople cannot be expectedto figure out how to effectively navigate in social channels on their own. In thenext year, I believe you’ll also see more sales leaders become morepersonally engaged in using social in their own business activities.

There will be more emphasis placed on overall customer experiencethroughout the entire lifecycle of moving someone from prospect to happycustomer for life. Research is clear that positive experiences lead toincreased revenue and profitability. Customers are willing to pay for a stellarexperience. Companies will investigate what it feels like to be a customer, totry and do business with the sales, marketing and services. Competition ispretty fierce in most industries so customer experience will become muchmore top of mind. Every interaction counts.

www.linkedin.com/in/barbaragiamanco

@barbaragiamanco

USA



Sales leaders will approach social selling from a morestrategic point of view working with their marketingpeers to align activities.

A Forward Look

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Timothy Hughes

Tim Hughes is one of Top 35 UK Bloggers, Speakerand Market Influencer. He has been mentioned in@Forbes as one of the Top 100 Global SocialSellers. His Blog on Social Selling is availablehttp://timothyhughesuk.wordpress.com/

Nothing says you have completely misunderstood the principles of socialselling than ‘I would like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn’.

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/timothyhughes1

@timothy_hughes

United Kingdom



Social Selling has been building up momentum overrecent months but too many still believe that it issynonymous with LinkedIn. Sending unsolicited, poorlytimed and badly targeted Inmails is still spam. Likewiseadding no context to connection requests is a little likeasking for permission to spam in the future.


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Timothy Hughes

Over time, we will see a shift from usingLinkedIn and Twitter to spam and an increase inreferenceable case studies of organisationsusing social approaches and tools such asArtesian to support the sales process.

Nevertheless, this is something that will have to change quickly. Once it isout of the early phase of adoption, Social Selling will need to demonstrate areturn on investment like all other aspects of selling.

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/timothyhughes1

@timothy_hughes

United Kingdom



Sales is a profession driven by metrics yet, right now,there is very little measurement of social selling.This is understandable because many are still onlyexperimenting. Feedback, success and learning is alllargely anecdotal.

A Forward Look

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Lori RichardsonCEO of ScoreMore Sales

Lori is CEO of Score More Sales. She is a mid-marketsales effectiveness consultant, trainer, and coachwho also writes and blogs a lot about sales.Most ofher time is spent in the field with sales developmentreps and their direct managers. Lori’s new book,“Sales Gems- How to Attract Buyers, Shine, andScore More Sales” will be available early 2015.

www.linkedin.com/in/scoremoresales/

@scoremoresales

USA




They either try it without a plan or they don’t even consider it at all.

Neither of these approaches will be successful. Like anything else in selling,first take time to understand what it is you want to accomplish and where youwant to go before committing. Then once the decision is made, plan, executeand assess.

Likewise we are seeing teams spread themselves too thinly across socialplatforms. We have even done this ourselves from time to time. No one can beinvolved in all of the platforms all of the time. Instead, work out where yourcustomers are and focus on these.

All of this has lead to an inability to measure success. Early adopters who areexperimenting with social in an undisciplined way have had a very difficult timemeasuring whether their strategies are working. Even if they have measuredsuccess, few understand to what degree.

Finally we are seeing some improvements in the tools. There have been someamazing developments in the analysis possible and there is more on the horizon.

There has been a great deal of confusion. People hearabout a tool and do one of two things.

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Lori RichardsonCEO of ScoreMore Sales

We anticipate seeing some consolidation ofeffort. Businesses will narrow down their focuson a smaller number of social platforms to bemore effective.

Finally, marketing and sales have always had a need to work more closely, tocooperate and collaborate. Social will play a key role in this moving forwards.

www.linkedin.com/in/scoremoresales/

@scoremoresales

USA



We anticipate seeing some consolidation of effort.Businesses will narrow down their focus on a smallernumber of social platforms to be more effective.

A Forward Look

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Jeff MolanderSales Trainerand Publisher

Jeff has been selling for 18 years. He was co-founderof the Google Affiliate Network in 1999. Today, he isa sales trainer and publisher of social selling book,Off the Hook Marketing: How to Make Social MediaSell for You. Jeff says the social media revolution ismostly hogwash invented by gurus selling the wronganswer to the right question. As a former sales rep,sales team manager and (today) business owner Jeffsays the challenge for sellers is practical: Applying arepeatable process to social technology that createsmore leads.

That’s why he teaches a process – a systematicapproach to combine copywriting with socialtechnologies that creates leads.

Sales require practical, pragmatic processes and outcomes such as leads,appointments and sales. The notion that a complete reinvention of sales isrequired has prevented us evolving ways to improve sales, and are preventingus from evolving practical and pragmatic processes on new social platformssuch as LinkedIn.

Use of new tools and techniques are causing confusion. Content Marketing,for example, is not being used to help prospects to navigate towards sellers.In turn, sellers do not understand how and when to apply content such asvideo or whitepapers to generate appointments. It is not just content that ismisunderstood, few grasp how to blend their personal and professional use ofsocial platforms or are repeating the mistakes of marketing. They are treatingsocial as a broadcast medium instead of using it to pique their prospectsinterest and use it as an attraction model.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmolander

@jeffreymolander

USA



The hype and absence, for the most part, of adefendable business case have resulted in a roadblock.Whilst commentators make bold claims of a revolution,senior management and sales leadership have beenskeptical and, in some cases, reluctant to adopt.


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Jeff MolanderSales Trainerand Publisher

Small business owners, individual sellers andmanagers are evolving to adopt effective,systematic approaches that produce leads andappointments. The stories of these heroes arealready supplanting the “get on board, the trainis leaving” hype.

Success principles will become clearer and there will be a focus on processand outcomes. Leads and appointments will become less elusive and moresuccess stories will emerge. B2B marketers will use automation to improvethe design and structure of content marketing to build bridges with sales andgenerate more success. Sellers will also find the right way to use social mediato establish a healthy combination of professionalism and personal voice.

Small business owners, individual sellers and managers are evolving to adopteffective, systematic approaches that produce leads and appointments. Thestories of these heroes are already supplanting the “get on board, the train isleaving” hype.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmolander

@jeffreymolander

USA



Pragmatism will replace evangelism and adoption willincrease. We are starting to see strong use cases, proofthat social media can be used effectively and at scale.The 2% of front line sellers increasing productivity viasocial will likely swell to 10% in 2015. This will be drivenby adoption of social selling processes that blend directresponse copywriting with good, old-fashionedsalesmanship.

A Forward Look

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Jill Rowley Keynote Speaker

6 years in Consulting

One of the first Sales Reps at Salesforce

Top performing Sales Rep at Eloqua for over 10 yearsLed Oracle’s Social Selling initiative – responsible forenabling 23k sales reps

Currently delivering keynote speeches on the topicof Social Selling

www.linkedin.com/in/jillrowley/

@jill_rowley

USA




Sales has always been social, it’s always been about relationships. Socialmedia is just a new channel to build these relationships.

Social selling doesn’t equal buying LinkedIn Sales Navigator for the salesteam. It requires looking at things through the eyes of the customer,understanding who the customer is, understanding how that customerwants to buy and aligning to them and their buying process. It is a shift inmind-set from selling to serving.

Over ninety percent of buyers start their decisionthrough search on the web and over eighty percentof the world’s online population can be reached throughsocial networks. Buyers have more access to thingsthat used to be controlled by a salesperson. We areliving in the age of the customer and no longer in theage of the seller.

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Jill Rowley Keynote Speaker

Social Selling training for your Sales team isNOT OPTIONAL because a fool with a tool is stilla fool. Oh, and if you suck offline; you’ll suckMORE online. #Don’tSuckHere’s how:

It’s no longer Always Be Closing; it’s Always Be Connecting. Your network isyour net worth. Nobody likes to be sold to. We’re living in the Age of theCustomer where buyers have choice and voice. · Sales professionals need toread; read what their buyers read and share that content across their socialnetworks. · Sales professionals learn how to listen; listen to the conversationsbeing had on the social web. Social Selling is about finding and being found.

We are going to see new job descriptions, shifting roles and changingresponsibilities. Marketing and Sales will work more closely together toenable the sales team to leverage social networks and build betterrelationships with buyers. We will also see budget line items for Social Sellingtools and training.

www.linkedin.com/in/jillrowley/

@jill_rowley

USA



Sales professionals need to move from using LinkedInas their online resume, to managing their digitalreputation. Instead of optimizing for the recruiter;optimize for the buyer.

A Forward Look

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Dorte Møller MadsenStormvind

Stormvind: A digital consultancy that specializes inB2B sales. Stormvind with Social Selling specialistDorte Møller Madsen in front is driven by the passionto develop businesses and especially their sales andmarketing to the “new reality”, where companiesneed to be more engaged, transparent andcollaborative Social Business.

Stormvinds mission: To inspire and help businessesand individuals to dare to act and operateprofessionally online and to take advantage of thedigital possibilities. Stormvind is a network companyand draws other competent specialists in where it isthe optimal solution for our customers.

Denmark has a very different sales culture than the United States, forexample. Most sales people I talk to are only interested in implementing someparts of Social Selling rather than implementing something wholesale.

Many still see LinkedIn as their personal professional social presence andmainly as a place to sell to the next employer rather than the next customer.This is changing but will require management support. Twitter is not assignificant in some European countries including Denmark. Likewise it is notused by every industry. This means that the potential is different, even if it isgrowing, depending on geography and sector. However, the typical Daneloves Social Media, LinkedIn and is naturally a solution seller. I see a hugepotential for Social Selling in Denmark.

dk.linkedin.com/in/dortemollermadsen/

@stormvinddk

Denmark



The term Social Selling has gone from practicallyunknown at the beginning of 2014 to appearing on theagenda of almost every sales department. Danishpeople are slowly beginning to realise, the paradigmshift in B2B sales and they are seeking alternatives tocold calling.


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Dorte Møller MadsenStormvind

We will see cold calling become increasinglyunsuccessful. Instead there will be a greaterfocus on relationships and partnerships.

Both sales and marketing will focus on contentmarketing, the buyer journey and the world of thecustomer rather than product and services leadconversations. This will, in turn, mean that Sales andMarketing people will need to be educated andtrained to gain the benefits.

Finally we will see maturing software and tools to help automate and managethese new approaches and behaviours.

dk.linkedin.com/in/dortemollermadsen/

@stormvinddk

Denmark



A Forward Look

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Craig Elias

In 2014, Aberdeen’s research that 63% of Best-In-Classcompanies use ‘Trigger Events’ resulted over 60,000hits on the Won Sales Analysis website – wherecompanies learn to identify the Trigger Events thatresult in the highest win rates, understand the realreason prospects buy from them, and how salesprofessionals can make it even more likely they winfuture sales.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigelias

@CraigElias

Canada



Craig Elias, author of the award-winning bookShift along with another of our contributorsTibor Shanto. Craig is the creator of TriggerSelling an approach that, like Social Selling,requires sellers to be focused on the customer,their experiences, their changes and theirneeds.


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Craig Elias

Best-In-Class companies know that analysingyour best wins results in having more core, loyal,profitable customers who generate more word ofmouth and research by McKinsey shows thatword of mouth outperforms every form of paidadvertising by a factor of two.

• The sale happened quicker that usual

• It was easy to reach, and have a conversation with, the true decision maker

• The prospect did not ask for discounts because they recognized the true value of being your customer

• The prospects provided a testimonial, a referral, or agreed to be a reference

https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigelias

@CraigElias

Canada



What I’m starting to see now, and expect to see a lotmore of in 2015 is companies understanding thatanalysing all their wins is not best in class. Best-In-Classcompanies start with Window of Dissatisfaction™analysis to identity those sales that had three or moreof the following characteristics:

A Forward Look

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Chris Heffer

I believe all sales people can be more successfulusing the internet.

I work with B2B sales leaders to drive behaviouralchanges in their sales teams so they can sell in aworld where buyers do not want to be “sold” to.

As part of Artesian Solutions we provide a managedsoftware service to empowering sales people totarget more precisely and give them insight whichthey can share with their buyers/colleagues to helpconnect with buyers around their agenda not aproduct led sales pitch.

I think I would have been the worst sales person in1980 but I am aiming to be the best in 2020.

Its definition to most people has been shaped by a mix of sales trainers andmarketing teams. As a result many sales people think social selling is notsomething which will benefit them.

I agree with Gary Vaynerchuk when he says that “social media” is a phrase todescribe the current state of the internet just like “Web 2.0” did 10-15 years ago.I think social selling is not just “selling using Twitter & LinkedIn”. My definitionwould be more like “selling using the internet to do research and shareinformation to build trust/credibility”. If a sales person thinks that they can do theirjob better without the internet than with it, then over time they will becomeextinct.

Sales people will be successful if they target the right person, at the rightcompany, at the right time with a message which relates the buyers agendaand is not just a product led sales pitch. But don’t take my word about how theinternet is forcing business to change, go ask Blockbusters, HMV or any of thelarge chains of book stores that have been closing stores or gone out ofbusiness.

linkedin.com/in/ChrisHeffer

@TheOtherHef

United Kingdom



Social selling has become something which meansmany things to many people.


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Chris Heffer

The 90-9-1 rule of unequal participation on the internetstates that – 1% of an online community creates mostof the content (i.e blog posts, videos, tweets), 9%create a little content and 90% just consume contentonline. You could argue the percentages have changedwith the rise of social networks and more people createcontent but the vast majority only browse, consumingcontent without actually creating any themselves.

Therefore if you want to sell to the vast majority ofbuyers who do not create or share information onTwitter/LinkedIn then you need to raise your “socialselling” game. You need to find new ways of engagingin a timely and relevant manner with prospects andcustomers who do not personally share much or anyinformation about themselves or their interests.

As Dan Pink said in his book To Sell is Human we are moving from a world of“Buyer Beware” to a world of “Seller Beware”. More and more information isbecoming available on the internet about sales people, the products they selland the companies they work for.

You have to put your customer first else you will get caught out - losing yourdeals and customers. Sales people need to imagine their customer is sittingnext to them at all times. Instead of thinking how can we sell more stuff tothis customer, think how can I make that customer be more successful sothat want to buy more stuff from you. linkedin.com/in/ChrisHeffer

@TheOtherHef

United Kingdom



I believe the internet forces the business world tobecome more honest, open and transparent. These arethree words that most people wouldn’t associate withyour average sales person. I think sales people will needto become more customer centric and put the successof their customers ahead of their commission cheque.

A Forward Look

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Chris Spurvey

Chris Spurvey writes at ChrisSpurvey.com, wherehe shares ideas for living a better life whilegrowing revenues for your company or business.To get strategies for boosting revenues whilegrowing a rich lifestyle, join his free newsletter.

1. The internet with its ever increasing rich content is providing an avenue for buyers to educate themselves on their own terms – online reviews, webinars, e-books, podcasts, blogs, social networks.

2. The buyer is armed with enough data to make their own decision based on product comparisons. Traditional selling has left a bad taste in almost every buyers mouth. Tactics to channel the buyer down a path in a resistive way has created a very thick Callus in the minds of buyers that make traditional sales people virtually useless.

http://ca.linkedin.com/in/chrisspurvey

@chrisspurvey

Canada



How consumers and business decision makers buy haschanged dramatically. Two forces are pushing thischange; the internet and the human psyche:


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Chris Spurvey

Social Selling is the answer to these two forces.The new sales person educates and inspiresusing the tools at their disposal. They are thereto answer their clients’ questions. They are anenablers and facilitator.

http://ca.linkedin.com/in/chrisspurvey

@chrisspurvey

Canada



Tech savvy sales people and the death of the dinosaursales people who do not step up to the changes.Increasing use of social selling by sales people to openup networks of people to relationship with. A shift backto the roots of building connections (value basedrelationships) and not just growing a network.

A Forward Look

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To find out more about Artesian visit : www.artesiansolutions.com

www.linkedin.com/company/artesian-solutions

https://twitter.com/ArtesianS

United Kingdom



Artesian is the world’s most powerful social sellingsolution for B2B sellers; it gathers and tracksintelligence on customers, prospects and competitorsfrom millions of online resources including blogs, newssites, editorials and social platforms such as Twitter andLinkedIn. Artesian uses clever science to filter andtransform acquired information into commerciallyvaluable insights based on the companies andindustries that are important to users.

About Artesian

Artesian gives users the ability to, target, connect and share with customersand prospects more successfully. With a built-in social seller score, Artesianmeasures each user’s sales behaviour score and gives you personalisedtutorials on how you can improve your score. Artesian delivers on average8.5 million actionable insights per month on almost 700,000 companies to its18,000 users. Artesian customers range from the some of the world’s biggestcorporates such as American Express, Adobe, Barclays, HSBC, Royal Bank ofScotland, Towergate, Willis and Verizon to start-ups.

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