The New Reality – Seven Ways Sales Professionals are Selling Through Social Media
It’s becoming almost impossible to ignore the impact social networks are having on sales. Much of the face-to-face networking that took place at trade shows and conferences are now happening online, and many introductions are happening via social connections.
Here are seven ways selling through social media will improve your strategy in the latest technological environment:
1. Addressing changing buyer behaviour.
Time consuming research about a purchase is made easier as a result of the Internet and professional networks like LinkedIn.
Evidently, 57% of every buying decision is already made up before any sales representative becomes involved.
2. Sales representatives must own their lead generation.
With 200 million members worldwide, and direct access to 8 million decision makers on LinkedIn, sales representatives on average can generate 70% of their own sales leads through social networking.
Leveraging off professional online networks is a proven way to drive lead generation – if you aren’t already engaging with your customers on this platform; you’ve already been left behind.
3. Identifying the right people in target organisations.
Social selling means you can take a personalised approach to prospecting, and on a platform like LinkedIn that is already divided on 1st and 2nd degree connections, you know you are starting at the right place.
4. Unlocking the power of connections to access new accounts.
Naturally, we are more inclined to connect with a ‘friend of a friend’ over ‘cold call’ contacts. Personal connections on LinkedIn are the best way to build a pipeline of people that are most likely to turn into new customers.
5. Taking advantage of team buying.
While there is often one main decision maker at the end of the process, often it doesn’t reach that individual until after it has been through a stringent team buying process.
In fact, 50% of decision makers seek the input of internal members during the decision making process.
6. Identifying the right topics to talk about.
Sales is all about establishing relevance, and more than ever, social selling on LinkedIn brings Sales representative closer to the problem, in order to provide the solution.
One of the key factors of LinkedIn is establishing yourself as a ‘social citizen’, and someone who regularly interacts in discussion on LinkedIn with the right contacts in your target industries.
By doing so, you not only are you showing your knowledge on the matter, but also becoming a trusted source in the process.
7. Driving business results.
Social selling allows modern Sales teams to combine the best of building relationships and providing thought leadership to drive deals.
Professional networks that embrace social selling will get your sales team talking about the right topics to the right people. The reality is, salespeople who ignore social networks are not going to scale their businesses as effectively as they could.
This article was originally from 7 Ways Sales Professionals Drive Revenue with Social Selling. Download the PDF here.