Social Selling is fast gaining traction amongst B2B sales people and is now one of the most effective ways to increase opportunities, win rates and bottom-line sales numbers. So what’s holding so many sales people back?
First, let’s clear up the question of:
‘What is Social Selling?’
Social Selling is engaging with prospects and customers, using digital methods, so as to position yourself as somebody who is knowledgeable, credible and trustworthy and to whom your prospects and customers can (and should) go to for information/advice.
If you’d like to understand more about Social Selling, take a look at our resources, or click here to find out how you can book onto one of our free Social Selling 1-day masterclasses.
In my experience, I have found that there are 3 main reasons why sales people are yet to embrace Social Selling:
- Unconvinced as to its benefits.
If the statistics above aren’t enough to bolt you into action, then consider some of your options. The much-cited study conducted by the Keller Research centre at Baylor University, highlights the frightening truth about cold-calling: an alarming 0.3% cold-call to appointment conversion rate. Without at least a referral to strengthen your position, cold-calling is just not worth the time investment.
Email has an equally disappointing response rate. In a report from the Direct Marketing Association DMA, analysing over 29 billion emails, they found email to have just a 0.12% response rate.
Sales people also now have the additional challenge of ensuring their prospecting activities are GDPR compliant.
With 75% of B2B buyers using social media to make purchasing decisions and 90% of top-performing sales people using social selling tools, if you don’t get on board now, you’re going to get left behind.
- Haven’t got the time.
Let’s not beat around the bush here, if you want to be successful in sales, you’re going to have to make the time. Social Selling should be an everyday habit, a key part of your Prospecting activities. Rather than viewing it as an additional task, instead consider how it might replace or enhance existing activities.
Social Selling is worth the effort and delivers significant return on the time investment.
Take a look at my SalesInsights blog Time Management for Increased Sales for some practical tips on streamlining your sales efforts.
- Lack confidence with digital and social platforms and so do not know where to begin.
Even if you use social media platforms in your personal life, it can still be hard to know where to start when it comes to social selling. Questions such as ‘Should I have separate business and personal accounts?’, ‘What type of content should I post?’ and ‘How frequently should I be engaging in social selling activities?’ are common.
To read my other blogs in this Social Selling Series check out the following links.
Social Selling – 3 Top ‘Start Today’ Tips
How Social Selling Aligns with Buyers’ Needs
The 3 Biggest Social Selling Mistakes
The Positive Power of Social Selling
The Evolution of Social Selling
At Salestrong, we’ve been incorporating Social Selling into our programmes for some time now, but this year have launched a dedicated 1-day workshop to arm you with the knowledge and skills required to achieve amazing results for your business. To find your nearest city and book your place, click here.
