Archive for category GENERAL DISCUSSION
Why Self Image Matters in B2B Sales
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on April 3, 2015
B2C marketers have long known that the key to customers’ hearts and minds is to make the connection between the brand and customers’ sense of self. Powerful brands (think Apple and Nike) reinforce customers’ positive self-image. B2B marketers, on the other hand, have shied away from the idea, instead approaching selling as a rational, numbers-driven process where the best value proposition wins. Consequently, until recently they’ve paid little attention to the psychological needs of individual stakeholders in a purchasing organization. But that’s changing as suppliers have come to appreciate that companies don’t buy things, people do.
Our research shows that understanding the personal motivations – particularly around identity — of key people in a buyer organization are every bit as important to a sale as convincing them of the superiority of your solution.
This becomes even more important as the number of people involved in buying decisions has grown. Today, between five and six decision-makers typically have to agree on a purchase before it can happen. If a seller doesn’t have an advocate in the organization to help drive the consensus, a so-called “mobilizer” who is personally motivated to champion the deal, the sale can stall (see “Making the Consensus Sale” Harvard Business Review, March 2015).
To find out what might motivate a customer to take on this mobilizer role, CEB surveyed over 4,000 individual customer stakeholders involved in a B2B purchase. By evaluating over 70 different supplier attributes for their impact on customers’ perceptions of value, we found that customers perceive three distinct types of value provided by suppliers. We labeled these company value, professional value, and identity value.
Company value captures all ways in which your offering is perceived to help customers win at the company level — things like allowing the firm to achieve operational goals or increase customer loyalty.
Professional value is all about the ways an offering might improve the individual productivity of employees, for example by making an employee’s job easier or increasing her workflow or productivity.
And finally identity value describes the ways an offering might impact how employees perceive themselves by, for example, boosting their pride, helping them win respect, or strengthening their sense of community. This third category is distinct from the other two. It is less about “how the firm does” or “what I do” than “who I am.”
When we analyzed the relationship between which type of value customers perceived in a supplier (company, performance, or identity value) and their likelihood of advocating internally for the supplier, this is what we found: Offerings with a lot of company value (those that benefit the firm overall) don’t reliably inspire stakeholders in the company to advocate on a supplier’s behalf, becoming mobilizers who will help build the consensus needed to secure a purchase. Offerings that provide professional value (helping an employee do his or her job better), while encouraging mobilizers somewhat; don’t have a particularly powerful effect. But offerings that provide identity value, positively reinforcing a customer’s self image, had a powerful effect on turning these customers into mobilizers.
In short, the most effective way to create internal advocates or mobilizers for your offering is to make sure that – in addition to explaining the company and professional value it provides – you reinforce the ways it will deliver identity value — making them proud and respected, and strengthening their sense of community within the organization.
One of the best B2B campaigns of this is industrial supplier Grainger’s “Get it, got it, good” promotion —exemplified by their “Downtime is a Real Downer” video. Grainger identified production facility managers as their target — the individuals in the organization they hoped to turn into mobilizers who would help build consensus. The campaign connected the benefits of pride in work and having a sense of being king of one’s domain directly to the purchase and use of the Grainger solution. Grainger’s value proposition directly impacts the way the target mobilizer sees himself, building his confidence and willingness to act. Using Grainger’s offering doesn’t just make him feel better about Grainger; it makes him feel better about himself.
Communicating the spectrum of types of value your offering provides – from the company level to the individual level – is important, of course. Each value type has a role in helping to drive the needed purchase consensus. But if you fail to inspire individual customer stakeholders with the promise of identity value – qualities of your offering that enhance their sense of self – they may not step forward to advocate for you. And without them, it will be an uphill battle getting the consensus you need for a purchase.
This article was originally posted to the Harvard Business Review Blog by Brent Adamson, Karl Schmidt and Anna Bird on April 2, 2015.
Seven Habits of Highly Resilient People
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on February 27, 2015
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
– Nelson Mandela
Success is seldom a straight road; it almost always involves many detours and dead ends. It takes tenacity and determination to keep going, but those that do will eventually reach their destination. For example, Thomas Edison failed over 1000 times but continued on despite being ridiculed by the media and those around him. What is it about those that refuse to quit long after most would have given up that makes them different? There are a number of attributes that consistently stand out amongst those who tenaciously follow their own path in life.
Have a highly developed sense of self
People who are able to develop a strong sense of who they are and what matters to them are much better able to resist external influences that will keep many people from reaching their potential. They are able to draw strength from within and therefore less likely to be influenced by what others think of them. This strong inner strength helps them deflect criticism, alienation, ridicule and other factors that everyone who forges their own path, inevitably faces. While they do make strong connections with others they have powerful internal filters that allows them to block out and ignore information they don’t find useful or of benefit to them. They are internally driven and believe that they are the best person to know and decide what is best for them.
Look for a positive take away from every situation
When things don’t go according to plan, resilient people look for the learning in the situation and the lesson they can take away. They don’t view failure as final, rather a necessary learning step that will take them further along the path. Instead of taking setbacks personally, they are seen as an inevitable part of the learning process and mentally prepare themselves to deal with them. Resilient people do not lose the lesson when they fail to achieve their objectives. They are mentally prepared for setbacks and expect the goals that they set will require a lot of time effort and therefore lose little enthusiasm or confidence when things don’t go according to plan.
Take a long term view
Resilient people are prepared for the long haul, fully realizing that anything worth achieving will be difficult and will take a great deal of time, effort and persistence. Despite not seeing any immediate results of their efforts, they are keenly aware that what their lives will look like in the future will be determined by their efforts today. Their strong sense of the future motivates them to take action even when they see no immediate benefit and don’t feel very motivated in the moment.
Have highly developed sense of purpose
Whether it is a belief in a higher power, a strong sense of purpose, or a great sense of humor, resilient people have sources of strength they can rely on to get them through difficult situations. This decreases their sense to belong and rely upon others for motivation. They see their lives beyond the everyday routine and strongly feel the need to follow their own vision. Their motivation is intrinsic and they cannot be easily dissuaded from their chosen path by others.
Don’t get frightened by uncomfortable thoughts or not having the answers
Most people believe that not knowing how to do something and not being able to, are one and the same thing. Highly resilient people don’t let not knowing how to do something stop them. They believe that they will find a way. They have faith in their ability to overcome whatever obstacles are in their path. Expecting to find new situations uncomfortable and difficult, they are willing to accept this as part of the process.
Selective in whom they look to for guidance and inspiration
Highly resilient people don’t suffer fools. It’s not that they never look to others for guidance and direction, it’s that they are very selective in who they chose to follow. They look for mentorship in people who have achieved greatly and whom they admire. Once they have found the people they chose to follow, they soak up all the information, guidance and inspiration they can by reading their books and listening to their spoken messages for insight.
Find healthy ways to recharge and nurture themselves
Resilient people are no less susceptible to pressures and life’s stressors than anyone else, but they have developed healthy coping mechanisms they know can be counted on. Whether it is meditation, exercise or an all-encompassing hobby, they have proven methods that allow them to recharge their energy and get back into pursuing their passion. Personal growth and development for them is not a passing interest or flavor of the month, it is a way of life.
This article was originally posted to the Business 2 Community Blog by Harvey Deutschendorf on February 9, 2015.
Words To Avoid During Your Sales Presentation
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on February 19, 2015
Needless to say, It’s essential that sales professionals are comfortable in their roles, but when comfort turns into complacency language barriers can start to appear.
In sales training what to say to customers and how to say it is covered extensively. These keystone skills are the backbone of any sales career and every good salesperson knows that they need to be constantly sharpened in order to remain effective.
Communication is the sales expert’s main tool. In negotiations a good communicator can make the difference between a non-sale and hearing the words “sold”. When following that age-old advice “ABC – Always Be Closing”, the only way this is possible is by being able to freely and naturally talk to clients and customers.
Becoming too comfortable can be just as much of an issue as being too uptight however, as complacent language has been found to be one of the biggest complaints among customers. Here are the most mis-used words in sales pitches which can turn-off clients in an instant.
Obviously
“Obviously” sounds vague at best and patronizing at worst. If you have to explain something, it probably wasn’t obvious to the client. Dissect your pitch and find out where your explanations could be clearer. If you are using this word just to fill up your sentences, don’t. It’s a messy way to use your speech and off-putting to customers.
No problem at all
If you find yourself using this tired old phrase fairly often, it’s probably because you feel obliged towards your customers for the job you are carrying out for them. Sales jobs can be challenging and some clients can demand more than others, but in their opinion, what you are doing for them is a part of your job so naturally, it isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a problem. Try to limit this phrase to once a conversation towards the end. Remember: The more you use it, the less genuine it sounds.
To be honest
Either you’re lying now or you were lying before. Your entire conversation should be genuine and pointing out that you’re being honest only makes you sound dishonest. Honestly.
Erm
“Erm”, “Umm” and “Ahh…” are all noises a client hates to hear. Filling up the spaces in your pitch with background thinking noises sounds unprofessional and can be very off-putting. The worst thing is the more you say it, the less you realize how prevalent it is in conversation. Practice confidence skills in telephone and one two one conversational situations and learn that short, snappy sentences and silent pauses sound so much better than a long thread of unbroken speech.
Basically
A lot of the things said in a sales pitch might be simple for the salesperson to understand, but especially in cold calling this might be the first time the customer or client has heard of anything like what you’re proposing. “Basically” is often used wrongly in place of more helpful terms like “in other words” or “to put it another way” by well-meaning sales professionals. Unfortunately the word itself can sound like quite a put-down, especially when twinned with a confident attitude and pushy manner. Your customers are not stupid, so don’t treat them as such!
All of these words and phrases can easily be substituted and omitted from sales pitches and conversations, so there really is no excuse to be breaking the rules laid out here. All salespeople should be enthusiastic about providing the best services to their clients and this relationship starts from the very first phone call.
Cut these know-it-all phrases out and see what a difference it makes to your sales figures!
Five Tips for Running Efficient Meetings
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on February 6, 2015
Your time is precious, and so is that of your clients, collaborators, colleagues, and professional contacts. When you call a meeting, you want to give invitees the confidence that you are maximizing your time together and will produce great results.
The leadership development consultancy Dale Carnegie Training offers the following advice on how to run an efficient meeting that satisfies your goals and those of everyone in attendance. Use these five tips to make the most of your time.
Set clear goals
When you invite people to a meeting, you must communicate the purpose clearly so attendees come prepared to tackle the task at hand. Make sure everyone is on the same page about why you are meeting and what you intend to accomplish. When you set clear expectations, it’s easier to keep the conversation on track and within the allotted time.
Limit how many people you invite
You know the old saying: Too many cooks in the kitchen ruin the soup. Don’t invite too many people to your meeting. Every person should be able to add value in a meaningful way- not compete to be heard.
Limit distractions from technology
Limiting use of technology in the meeting room shows respect for all attendees. Everyone has dedicated time to meet and must be fully present. It’s not only counterproductive to check your phone, but it’s also poor etiquette. “Consider creating a policy where attendees silence their phones and stow them away during meetings,” Augustine writes.
Don’t Meet Over Meals
Lunch meetings might be commonplace, but how time efficient are they? If you are on a tight schedule, meeting over a meal is not wise planning. If your meeting happens to coincide with a mealtime then plan for it and schedule a separate time for eating.
Sum up before you part ways
Make sure to budget time in your meeting for a summary. You do not want people leaving your meeting without clear next steps or action items. Before you disperse, make sure everyone is clear on the outcomes of the meeting and assignments to be completed.
B2B Companies Expand Inside Sales Teams For Efficient, Relevant Lead Follow-Up
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on January 26, 2015
Over the past few years, many B2B organizations have been growing their inside sales teams, spurred by the better conversion rates and lower costs compared to a traditional sales team.
The most recent Inside Sales Market Size Study, conducted by InsideSales.com, revealed that inside sales is growing 7.5%, compared to field sales at only 0.5%. In addition, more than half of B2B sales reps (53%) sell remotely. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the number of U.S. non-retail inside sales positions is projected to increase by more than 40,000 per year through 2020.
Inside salespeople are also more likely to meet their quota. The InsideSales.com study revealed that 85% of inside sales people make quota, compared to field sales, where 81% achieved sales goals.
While at one time inside sales was viewed as a more junior role, inside sales reps are now becoming “executive, fluent and able to have those top-level conversations,” said Mari Anne Vanella, Founder and CEO of The Vanella Group, a firm specializing in B2B telesales and lead generation services.
“Today, the inside sales rep has a much more sophisticated skill set and the technology needed to manage relationships remotely,” Vanella said. “While there used to be a clear demarcation between inside sales and outside sales, I prefer to think of it as all just sales.”
In addition, buyers have become more comfortable with communicating through online channels such as email, social media, screen sharing and Skype. “Internet technologies are pervasive, and buyers of all ages and industries are becoming more comfortable with them at every stage of the business cycle, including in B2B sales,” said Jeff Kalter, CEO of 3D2B, a global B2B telemarketing firm.
“Customers have become used to researching products and solutions themselves,” Kalter added. “Many are also comfortable communicating with salespersons via email, social media, and conference calls. Some customers even prefer these over phone or in-person meetings.”
Inside Sales Positioned For Quick Response
While driving more sales at lower costs is key, the fast-paced nature of B2B sales is also fueling the move toward an inside sales model, experts note. In its 2014 Lead Response Report, InsideSales.com noted that if a company attempts phone contact within five minutes after lead submission, the odds that the lead is contacted are 100 times greater than if it is contacted 30 minutes after submission.
“It is often the inside sales team that is best positioned to respond to those leads in the most timely manner,” said Ken Krogue, President and Co-Founder of InsideSales.com.
Kristina McMillan, Director of Sales Development at Five9, a provider of cloud contact center software, added: “The inside sales team has the productivity tools for scoring and follow up, so they can access information and respond more quickly in many cases than the field sales reps, who are often traveling and in meetings.”
Another inside sales trend that is sparking performance is the use of gamification, McMillan said. “When everyone can see how the leaders are doing in terms of responding to leads, it lifts the whole team.”
A more data-driven approach to the entire customer lifecycle is also helping to improve the productivity of the inside sales team.
“Technologically, things have gotten more advanced in terms of identifying hot leads throughout the customer lifecycle,” said Mick Hollison, CMO for InsideSales.com. “Predictive analytics and Big Data are having tremendous impact on helping the inside sales team work smarter and be more productive.”
Analytics have provided B2B organizations with the ability to standardize activities across the entire sales team. “It makes a great deal of difference when you can figure out what works and know the amount of sales that are likely to be generated by that effort,” said Peter Fuller, CMO of Salesvue, a provider of sales automation software. “When you know things such as how many attempts it takes to turn a lead into an opportunity and how many opportunities it takes to reach your goal of closed deals, it helps the entire sales organization, including inside sales. “
Corporate structure and training can also impact productivity of the inside sales team. Some B2B companies have inside sales fall under the sales team, while others are more aligned with marketing operations.
According to the Sales Development Rep 2014 Metrics and Compensation Report from The Bridge Group, Inc., 73% of groups with the sales development role report to sales. “We recommend that this team report to whomever has the bandwidth, passion and capacity to lead it,” said Trish Bertuzzi, President and Chief Strategist of the inside sales consulting and implementation firm.
Whatever department inside sales falls under, there should be a strong relationship with marketing and the same commitment to training as with the traditional sales team, Bertuzzi noted.
“Marketing is particularly focused on the top of the funnel, so it is critical that the sales reps who are making the initial contact with a lead be aligned with marketing even if they don’t report to them,” Bertuzzi said. “They need to be able to articulate the company’s message, and that is the responsibility of marketing.”
This article originally appeared in the Demand Gen Report by Kim Ann ZImmermann on January 14, 2015.
Make Every Sales Call Matter
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on January 5, 2015
There are really only two things a salesperson controls; who they call on, and what they say when they get there. Ideally a seller should be spending more time preparing for and executing on the ‘what’ as he is deciding on the ‘who’. After all, no matter how well you have refined your target market, figured out the ideal buyer persona, and sharpened your competitive positioning, nothing happens until you engage with the customer.
But research shows very few of these engagements are that well planned. It’s all too rare a sales person has a detailed plan of what he wants to achieve on the call. What are the desired outcomes? Why might you fail? In the absence of a Call Plan many sales interactions leave a lot to be desired. In fact, 64% of all sales calls are ineffective.
Making every sales call matter – matters. This is where the magic is supposed to happen. It’s the salesperson’s opportunity to progress the sale, to deepen relationships and to uncover and address vulnerabilities in the deal. It’s his opportunity to show that he is a credible individual who can bring his own insight to the conversation, and create – not just communicate – value, all the time advancing the deal.
Unfortunately, most of the time, there is no value created by the salesperson. Only 25% of senior business executives are prepared to take a second meeting. Two-thirds of the time business executives are turned off by the lack of preparation by the sales person. They say that they don’t find a lot of value in sales conversations. We should not find it surprising business executives who are being pursued by sales people play hard to get, using their executive assistants to screen callers, interrupt meetings, or delegating the entire interaction to a subordinate.
The harsh truth is that most sellers are not adequately prepared for sales calls. The consequences go further than you might think. If you waste an executive’s time – the most precious currency they have – your stock has fallen. The likelihood of progressing the sale has been damaged. Your value is questioned. Any business you win will be on price alone. Research suggests the purchase experience is the most significant arbiter of customer loyalty. When your customer loyalty is damaged even before you start. You have a steep hill to climb if you ever want to use this executive to refer you to their colleagues. You’ve wasted their time – so why would they subject their treasured relationships to an ineffective sales call?
After every meeting, you always want the customer to feel that the meeting was a good use of time, and there was more take-away from the meeting than was expected. Satisfaction or quality is always a function of expectation and performance. If you don’t perform to the customer’s expectations then they’ll be disappointed, and that’s not good. You, your colleagues, and the customer, should all be clear as to the customer’s expectation of the call. That’s a good place to start.
Making every sales call matter – matters.
Five Reasons to Start Sending Hand-Written Notes
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on January 2, 2015
It’s a lost art, but can quickly become your secret weapon. Few people take the time to send hand-written notes anymore, but they can have amazing power. Perhaps more than ever before, they stand out and make you look really good. And if used effectively – in the right contexts and timed well – they can help you win and influence more business as well.
Here are a few examples to get you started. Why not use the last few weeks of the year to start a new habit?
Executive thank you notes: Encourage your management team to write quick, hand-written notes to customers and top prospects. It can be a simple “thank you for your business” or “thanks for attending our event.” Just a couple lines, a couple times a week, can go a long way.
Gift promo codes: Thank loyal customers with a surprise coupon and a hand-written coupon code. I’ve actually tested coupon codes delivered via a machine-printed letter and a hand-written letter. The huge increase in conversion rate made taking the time to write notes worth it (especially if you outsource that effort to an intern or admin).
Customer service follow ups: Put a stack of note cards and envelopes next to the desk of your high-touch customer service reps. Encourage them to write a short thank you note to customers after a good call, including their business card or a branded sticker or something fun.
Event attendee follow ups: Divvy up the cards between those who attended the show or staffed the book, and have people knock them out on the flight home. Have an admin or intern coordinate getting them stamped and mailed.
Job candidates: It’s a good practice for candidates to send thank you notes to prospective employers. But what about sending a thank you note to candidates you’re wooing and recruiting? It says something about the culture you have, and just might help sway your preferred candidates to come on board.
Of course, sending a hand-written note is more time consuming than firing off an email or social media message. How do you lower that barrier and increase your likelihood of making it a regular habit?
Have note cards and envelopes ready and nearby: If it’s as easy are reaching into a drawer, you’re far more likely to write something than digging through a closet or wondering what you should wrote on. Simple cards with your logo in a corner should suffice, but even generic non-branded cards are fine.
Have postage: Stick a pack of forever stamps next to those note cards.
Create a daily reminder: I use my daily to-do list, but you can use whatever system keeps you organized (calendars, task lists, etc.).
Consultative Selling and Selling Consultatively – Don’t Confuse Them!
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on December 15, 2014
Every once in awhile in any field it is useful to get down into the weeds – explore language, word usage, and other things that go bump in the night. In this case, the weeds involve drawing the distinction between the term consultative selling and the concept of selling consultatively.
As starters, Mark Hanan established the branding of this term in his book Successful Market Penetration: How to Shorten the Sales Cycle by Making the First Sale the First Time (Amascon Books – October 1987). Because of the branding, Consultative Selling has become one of the “ings” in our field like: SPIN Selling, Conceptual Selling and Solution Selling?
Now, why is it worth making this point about confusion in regard to selling consultatively? There are at least two reasons. One relates to the just noted language distinction; the other to an important trend in the world of buying. Let’s first look at the language point.
Language. The failure to draw the language distinction becomes important because it can be assumed a sales model other than the branded one is not somehow as well designed for selling consultatively – and that is clearly not the case. Take, for example, SPIN Selling. The SPIN model for questioning, as well as, the other techniques in the program are fundamental for selling consultatively. We would suggest this is equally true for the best of all the modern day selling models.
In regard to this distinction point, the really important distinction is between all the models which provide help for selling consultatively and those approaches that are mainly about tips, tricks and product pitches. The latter are not about selling consultatively; they are basically about manipulation.
Buying trends. The second point relates to an important trend in the world of B2B buying and it is the strategic reason for making a big to-do about selling consultatively. Recently Ian Altman published a Forbes article entitled – Top 10 Business Trends that will Drive Success in 2015.
In the article the author makes the following point when discussing trend Number 1: “customers don’t value old-school high pressure manipulative sales methods. In fact, many executives say they have decided not to select a vendor because of a negative sales experience. Customers value subject-matter experts. As customers increasingly value subject-matter experts, salespeople need refined consultative skills.” In 2015 and beyond sales teams will need to be able to sell consultatively at a very high level of competency in order meet customer expectations and to differentiate you from the other guys who have gotten the message. This means you have to be very good at the following:
Consultative Selling Skills. Today customers have changed dramatically in regard to their expectations of the role of the salesperson. They are not looking for a product facilitator. They want a trusted advisor that can help bring fresh ideas for redefining their business challenges and new insight for formulating innovative solutions. You have to be able to position the value of your solutions and company for being a business partner helping to solve business challenges. This requires competency in at least three consultative selling skill domains:
- Fundamental consultative selling skills. These are the competencies that are addressed in those aforementioned programs. They are based on great questioning and active listening skills – the ability to determine fit between the customer’s decision specifications and preferences and your capabilities and emerging skills like: working effectively and efficiently as a member of an expert-based team and being able to leverage the new technologies for designing and delivering value-based customer interactions.
- Second-level product knowledge. First-order product knowledge is all about features and functions. The second-order refers to the application of product knowledge to the customer’s business challenges. How do your products individually or collectively solve the problems likely to be encountered by your customer base? How do they impact productivity, risk, expense and revenue? Can you relate a customer story or describe the research that demonstrates your product does what you say it does? And can you fine-tune these narratives based on whether you are talking with a Marketing Manager or Engineer or Chief Information Officer?
- Customer knowledge. Today, customers expect salespeople to know more their company and industry than ever before. They expect sales reps to provide new ideas, imagination, and insights to: manufacture products more quickly, improve product quality, shorten order times, or improve the customer service experience.
Consultative skills. The second set of skills relates back to Ian’s point in the article. Selling consultatively requires more than selling skills; it requires consulting skills. Here is a short list:
- Subject-matter expertise. If you are selling enterprise software, then you have to understand the technology and applications in order to bring the expertise required to help the customer solve their business challenges.
- Business acumen. Being able to integrate a business and economic perspective into customer interactions.
- Adaptive thinking. Coming up with creative and innovative solutions that are not rule-based.
- Computational thinking. Being able to translate vast amounts of data into useful information.
- Trans-disciplinary Knowing how to integrate knowledge and concepts across disciplines and areas of expertise.
As VPs of Sales and Sales Training Directors sit down to explore the training needs for 2015, we would suggest that meeting customer’s expectation in 2015 does indeed require your sales team to be able to sell consultatively. If one buys the notion, then the 2015 sales training for most companies needs to be more than just a little adjusting and upgrading here and there. While it is it is easy to learn tips and tricks; it is extremely difficult to learn to sell consultatively.
This article was originally posted to the Sales Training Connection Blog by Richard Ruff on December 12, 2014
How Social Media Can Help Your Sales Team
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on November 26, 2014
Nowadays, it is imperative that your sales team is using social media. Buyers judge the legitimacy of companies based on their social media presence or lack thereof. While your marketing department will likely handle social media for your business, it is critical that your sales team participates in the overall social media strategy. Each of your sales reps should maintain professional profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. By using social media, your sales team can do research, make connections, increase visibility, build relationships, engage with consumers, gain credibility, and generate sales leads. Studies show that salespeople who use social are more successful than those who do not. Here’s how social media can help your sales team.
Research
Do your homework. Your sales team can use social media to find out more about what people are talking about in the industry. Get to know your existing customers and see what you can learn about potential buyers. Find out what the competition is doing, who they are following, and who follows them. Do your research and uncover customer needs.
Make connections
Start following relevant people on Twitter. Invite prospects to like your company Facebook page. Add connections on your LinkedIn profile. Use these major social media platforms to make valuable connections in order to increase the number of relevant viewers when you share useful information. Social media is all about making connections and sharing content.
Increase visibility
Use social media to extend your reach and increase your company’s visibility. You want to make it as easy as possible for buyers to discover your company when they are researching products and services online. You need to have company accounts on all major social media networks as well as individual accounts for each of your sales reps. When they post updates on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, include links back to your informative blog to drive traffic to your website.
Build relationships
You can’t just add new contacts and call it a day. Take this opportunity to cultivate meaningful relationships with your followers. Social selling is all about building relationships using social media. Your sales team should use these social networks to get to know your customers and prospects.
Engage with consumers
Participate in discussions and forums online and respond to customer questions using social media. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter allow salespeople to communicate directly with existing customers and potential buyers. Engage buyers earlier on in the sales cycle and maintain relationships with current customers.
Gain credibility in the industry
Take advantage of content marketing and share valuable content using social media. If you don’t have one already, start a company blog so you have a place to add new, unique content on a regular basis. Share how-to guides, downloadable resources, videos, and Q&A articles. Consumers will come to recognize your company and your sales team as thought leaders and experts in the industry.
Generate sales leads
Your sales team can use social media to generate sales leads. In today’s digital age, customers want to guide themselves through the buying process. People are taking it upon themselves to research and compare companies, products, and services online. You want to use social media to demonstrate value and differentiation. When they’re ready to buy, you want them to remember your company and your knowledgeable team.
Encourage your sales team to use social media, incorporate social media into your sales cycle, and reap social selling rewards. There are so many ways social media can help your sales team. Social media can help your sales team do research, make connections, increase visibility, build relationships, engage with consumers, gain credibility, and generate qualified sales leads. Achieve optimal sales productivity with social media. Embrace social media as part of your sales cycle and watch your sales grow.
This article was originally posted to the SalesForce Search Blog by Matthew Cook on November 20, 2014.
Who Are Your B2B Buyers?
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on November 11, 2014
Do you know who and where your buyers are? What types of content they consume? What their main pain points are? What industry events they attend? Where they spend time on the web? Who makes up their buying committees? These sound like simple questions, but the answers hold the keys to developing essential Buyer Insights which are critical to your Demand Generation Strategy.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, how do know how to solve your buyer’s problems? Not knowing where your buyer consumes content or their preference for content format will significantly hinder your content marketing effectiveness. If you spend a lot of time and resources on social media, and your target buyers rarely have Twitter accounts, you are wasting your time – no matter how great your tweets may be. Your buyers just aren’t on Twitter. Maybe not even LinkedIn…so don’t assume they are. You need to be sure of it. You would be surprised by the number of marketing and sales executives that are not engaged in social media, including LinkedIn.
According to the 2015 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends –North America Study published by Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, marketers are not nearly as effective as they need to be when it comes to content marketing effectiveness. Why? Although they continue to invest time and money in content marketing, almost half of those surveyed don’t have a documented strategy. They might have an editorial calendar, or a plan they come up with weekly on the fly, but not a strategy.
Are you one of 48% percent of marketers the study reports that say you have a Content Marketing Strategy, but just haven’t written it down? Come on. This has to be documented in order for it to be effective. You need to spend time and map out the various pieces of content, based on timing, content consumption in the buyer’s journey, not to mention, understanding the strategic level pain points or triggers of your buyer and align it to your content offers.
Before you do anything to improve your Content Marketing Strategy, start with understanding your buyer. You need to do some heavy lifting to accomplish this so prepare yourself.
Start with this short list for your internal and external interviews:
- Sales (Inside Sales and outside reps)
- Customer support
- Marketing
- Sales Engineers
- Customer marketing
- Sales Support
- Current customers
- Past customers
- Lost prospects
Ask your customers what the first step was in their buying process. Ask them who was involved in the process, what issues they were trying to solve, and how long the purchase process took? And don’t stop at customers either. Interview prospects and competitors customers and ask them the same type of open ended questions that will provide you with the necessary Buyer Insights. Ask your teams open ended questions about customers and prospects to understand the questions they are asked during the sales cycle.
Think your customers might not want to talk to you? Give it a try- you will be surprised how many buyers want to share their stories. Your customers will talk to you because they want to help you, help them. After all, in the long run, that is your goal in delivering content, isn’t it? Take the first step to becoming more effective with your Content Marketing Strategy. Understand your buyer – everything about your buyer- and then work on developing a documented, Content Marketing Strategy that aligns to your buyer. Don’t be one of the 48% – aim higher and your revenues will increase as well.
This article was originally posted to the Annuitas Blog on October 7, 2014.
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