Your salespeople face greater challenges to winning new accounts than ever before. According to CEB, the buying decision process is 57% complete even before a prospective customer talks with a salesperson. This means that prospects are well informed about your company and your market so it is much more difficult for your sales person to establish credibility, gain the prospect’s confidence and differentiate your company from your competitors.
One way your sales team can stand out from the crowd is through Social Selling. Social selling, according to Wikipedia, is the utilization of social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and others to interact directly with potential buyers, as well as to share relevant content and develop a personal brand. According to LinkedIn, 90% of high performing salespeople use social selling.
If a complete stranger asked you to take 30 minutes to meet with him, would you? It’s highly unlikely. However, if your close acquaintance suggested you meet with someone they were recommending, you would be much more inclined to invest your time. That’s the value of social selling: it connects your salespeople with their target prospects “through” business associates they have in common utilizing their social network.
It’s this simple:
- 90% of decision-makers never respond to cold calls (InsideView)
- 84% of B2B buyers start their buying process with a referral (IDC)
If your sales team needs a boost, consider social selling. And, if you can use some assistance in creating and executing a social selling strategy, let’s talk.
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