At the last Sales 2.0 conference, Social Strategies in a Social and Mobile World, Andrew Somosi (Lattice Engines) gave a presentation on what social selling really means for B2B sales. Our objective was to showcase facts and research on how actual sales professionals are engaging with social media to improve their productivity, and what companies can do to extend and enhance these existing efforts. A key theme was that there is a lot more room to infuse science into the art of sales. This then led Gerhard Gschwandtner, CEO of Selling Power, to engage with Andrew in a discussion on what the future of sales might look like.
Here are some of the questions that Gerhard raised for discussion:
- If science enables you to ‘predict’ what a company will need and when they will make a purchase, does the rep still have a role in the buying process?
- Buyers are starting their purchase process online and are more inclined to listen to their trusted peers on social networks. How does a sales person create value in the selling process given these evolving dynamics?
- What does ‘social learning’ mean for buyers and sellers in this new world?
- What does B2B sales look like in 2020?
Watch the entire discussion between Gerhard and Andrew here:
View the full session presented by Andrew Somosi: ‘Social Selling: What’s Really in It for B2B Sales’
Read the whitepaper to learn how companies can operationalize a ‘social’ approach for their sales teams