SALES MEETS SOCIAL MEDIA: How to Implement a Social Selling Strategy #socialselling
#socialselling
#socialselling
Barbara Giamanco Sales and Social Selling Author Speaker Advisor After 25+ years in Sales, Barb understands the challenges that sales leaders and salespeople face. She carried a bag, managed corporate sales teams, busted quota through the years selling to multiple customer types: enterprise, mid-market, small medium business, distributors, retailers, and channel partner customers. She has spent the last 10 years learning what works and what doesn t when implementing social media as part of a business and sales strategy. With successful C-level background in Sales, Technology and Leadership Development, Barb s experience speaks for itself. She capped her corporate career at Microsoft, where she led sales teams and coached executives. Through the years she has sold $1B in sales. Barb s book, The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media is the first book written about social selling. You might also enjoy her Harvard Business Review article Tweet Me, Friend Me, Make Me Buy. Barb is consistently recognized as a Top 25 Influential Leader in Sales, a Top 25 Sales Influencer on Twitter and one of Top Sales World s Top 50 Sales and Marketing Influencers for the 3rd year in a row. @barbaragiamanco @salessmarts #socialselling
AGENDA: Why social selling Elements of a strategic plan Sales and marketing alignment Tools and training Measurement and incentives
Sales disruption 90% of decision makers say they NEVER respond to cold outreach 82% of prospects can be REACHED via social networks. 75% of B2B buyers use social media to RESEARCH vendors 57% of the buying journey happens BEFORE a sales rep is involved Sources: CEB, Harvard Business Review, comscore, IDC
To accelerate sales, sales behavior must change
That change must include A change in mindset and the use of social channels combined with tradi5onal selling methods to expand networks, develop rela5onships, generate leads, conduct research and drive revenue.
The ROI is clear In 2014, 74% of salespeople who exceeded their quota described themselves as highly effective social media users or better than most. Socially savvy reps were 6.7 times more likely to exceed quota than were salespeople with rudimentary or no social media skills.
In 2012, 54% of sales reps closed a deal because of social media. That number jumped to 64% in 2014.
It all starts with a strategy
Keys to social selling program success Execu5ve sponsor from sales and marke5ng organiza5ons Connected sales and marke5ng Access to tools and social training Scorecards and incen5ves
Break down silos Sales Leadership commitment and accountability Sales enablement Adoption plan and ongoing commitment to learning Marketing Community, content, conversion
Strategic considerations Target audience, core message Social channels Social media guidelines Lead capture Monitor, measure, track
Keep score Expanded connections with targeted buyers Number of net/new meetings Search results Profile views Status updates viewed, liked, commented on Increased influence score Twitter retweets And more
Designing the program Implement a learning curriculum focused on two things: Providing salespeople the relevant sales skills that considers current buyer behavior and expectations Teaching them the strategic use of technology and social networks to support the sales process
Sales Demonstrates by example, drives execution and accountability with sales teams Enablement Supports the adoption plan and provides an environment for ongoing learning Marketing Develops the content, creates systems for sharing easily, support social ambassadors
Without alignment Sellers do not adopt new behaviors and revert to old habits No accountability for consistent execution Sales force isn t provided educational content or tools needed to create new sales opportunities
57% of the buying journey happens BEFORE a sales rep is involved Create value through educa5on Challenge status quo Demonstrate how your solu5on solves problems Most sales training focuses on why us, why our solution
Add value with business insights
Remember that training is a process Instructor led Collabora5on tools Coaching calls Learning library Homework 90% of learning is gone in less than 30-days if ongoing learning and reinforcement mechanisms are not in place
Customer story Goal: To provide sales and marketing with the necessary tools and training to effectively engage with and influence potential buyers on social media. Planning: Worked with sales and marketing leaders to assess sales and social media skills. Customized content to include real-world selling scenario s. Program incorporated key strategic selling elements based on Challenger Sale methodology that the company was using. Tools: LinkedIn, InsideView, Twitter, Hootsuite Training: 8 hours of instructor led, virtual sessions that were recorded 6 months of small group, 1-hour coaching sessions 6 monthly 1-hour management sessions
Social Ambassadors social content provided to the sales organization
Training, tools, accountability Start with why social and how to get started sessions Sales leaders must be active in social Identify sales champions and highlight their best practices Leverage vendors to lead training sessions Deliver training in manageable chunks over a specific time period Build 1:1 or 1:few coaching model
Scorecards and Incentives Determine goals/ objectives Hold sellers accountable program consisted of scorecards (pre and post 6 week training course) Build in incentives to get people excited
Final thoughts Buyer behavior and expectations have changed sales must adapt Integrating social media into sales process is not an option Sales leaders must be involved on social themselves Sales and marketing must be in alignment Measure and track celebrate successes
Let s connect Barbara Giamanco, Sales and Social Selling Advisor 404-647- 4925 barbara.giamanco@scs- connect.com www.linkedin.com/in/barbaragiamanco www.twiser.com/barbaragiamanco 3522 Ashford Dunwoody Rd NE Suite 413 Atlanta, GA 30319 Website: www.scs- connect.com Blog: www.barbaragiamanco.com (c) 2015 Social Centered Selling Do not reproduce without permission. All images licensed through istockphoto
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Live Q&A Please use the Questions panel to submit any comments or questions. Tweet the event: #socialselling @insideview @barbaragiamanco Barb Giamanco barbara.giamanco@scs-connect.com @barbaragiamanco Tracy Eiler t.eiler@insideview.com @tracyleiler
#socialselling