Are you relying largely on Marketing to fill the funnel? If you are, you’re going to miss the number. Sure, today’s marketing machine produces new opportunities. However, the tremendous hype on what marketing can do for sales is falling short. Best in class marketing organizations contribute only 30% to the funnel.
Where is the other 70% coming from? The answer is your sales team.
57% of B2B the buyer’s journey happens before your sales rep gets engaged. Furthermore, this trend is increasing month over month. Its imperative you connect to potential buyers as early as possible. Otherwise, the buyer may already have made some decisions without you. Either you’ll never be included or be competing solely on price. Neither are good options.
Give your team the tools to become “Social Sellers”. (learn more about them at this event)
SBI’s 7th Annual Research Tour is underway. One core area of focus is social selling. This article will explore getting your sales team engaged in social selling. To learn more, sign up for the on-site session for your leadership team.
How to Make Your Number in 2014: A Sales Strategy you can execute.
You will also be able to download the “LinkedIn Assessment Tool” here. Evolve with the industry to “Make Your Number.”
Approximately 56% of B2B sales via social selling is done through LinkedIn. The others (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Google+) are present, but much less powerful. For starters, the focus of your sales team should be LinkedIn. If you want your sales teams to succeed, they need to be involved with LinkedIn. Once you perfect that you can move on to other platforms.
Jim Keenan in a recent Forbes article notes that in “2012, 78.6% of sales people using social media to sell outperformed those who weren’t using social media.” So, how do you become part of that success?
That begs repeating…… 78.6% of social sellers outperform their counterparts.
How to Achieve Social Selling Excellence
There are 3 steps to Social Selling Excellence.
- Profiles – Do you have a profile that sings? Do you appear professional and connected?
- Reach – Improve and increase your network. Understand how to leverage it to your professional advantage.
- Referrals – Get connected with the right people to find opportunities.
Today’s blog will explore the Profile. Social selling is impossible without a complete Profile. This is STEP 1 in the social selling process. It’s not even worth furthering the discussion until this is taken care of. I’ll address reach and referrals in my next two blogs.
Does your LinkedIn profile have curb appeal? Just like selling a home, your profile has to appeal to viewers and sell you.
A LinkedIn Profile is what is presented publicly when you are discovered. Your profile is not a resume. It is where you present yourself and demonstrate how you can add significant value. It’s where you describe why you’re an expert in a particular area. It should not scream, “I’m trying to sell you my product or service.” It demonstrates why someone should want to connect with you.
LinkedIn Profile Assessment
Start by conducting an assessment on your own profile first. If someone were to go to your LI page, what would they find? How would they perceive you? Would you appear professional? Or outdated? Look at your profile through a potential buyer’s viewpoint. This will offer a lot of clarity on how your profile actually appears. It will also help you analyze other LinkedIn profiles with a more critical eye.
Next, see how your sales team is doing with the LinkedIn Profile Assessment Tool. Discover how well their Profiles present them. How are they demonstrating their personal value? How about the value of your company? All of these things should be included in their Profile. This tool will help you discover where they can improve. Even things like up-to-date information and job summaries make a major difference. Not to mention something as simple as putting a picture on your Profile!
The LinkedIn Profile Assessment Tool is the best way to see your sales team’s social presence at a glance. Not only that, but action items will already be laid out before you.
In my next few blogs, I’ll discuss how to leverage your connections. Do you understand your network? Are you getting the most out of it? Are you tagging your connections? These questions will be answered in the following weeks. For now, build out those profiles. Present your team and your company as world-class players. Don’t be surprised if things start to fall into place from there.
Just as a rising tide raises all ships, so too will improved LinkedIn profiles. There is a collective benefit when all your team members enhance their curb appeal/online presence.
Want to learn more about Social Selling? SBI’s 7th Annual Research Tour is underway. Sign-Up for the research tour.
