As consumers in a data-driven world, we’ve come to expect highly personalized sales experiences tailored to our specific needs.
Companies like Netflix and Uber have set the tone, giving us what we want, when we want it.
Business-to-business buyers expect the same personalized treatment that they get from Amazon.com. And sales professionals are responding with new technologies that allow them to deliver personalized experiences. The most successful sellers are combining the information from social platforms with the latest sales tech to present a message that’s on point from the start. In other words, they’re using social selling.
Here are three areas where leading reps distinguish themselves:
- Smarter targeting. Social-media platforms offer rich demographic information, and the smartest sales pros are using it to segment “likely buyers” into “buyers who are ready to buy now”. To do so, sales reps are relying on signals, like job changes (people are more inclined to make bold moves when they enter a new role), social-media posts (which reflect top-of-mind questions) and hiring patterns (which indicate investment).
- Better understanding. Long before a face-to-face meeting with a prospect, leading sellers prepare by following social-media threads to anticipate what’s at hand. Whoever can most quickly get to the heart of the matter with a decision-maker typically makes the sale.
- Closer engagement. The best sellers use technology to gauge whether the information they’re sharing with a buyer is hitting the mark. Tools, like e-mail tracking and PointDrive, allow them to monitor buyers and, thus, provide a feedback loop.
Here are three ways that companies can maximize social selling:
- Build centers of excellence. Such a center defines the organization’s social-selling practices. For example, when new owners acquired the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association, the franchise’s sales leadership prioritized social selling, which, in turn, boosted confidence, especially among the newer salespeople. The sales team saw a 20-percent increase in attendance and a 42-percent increase in deal size sourced through social platforms.
- Measure the impact. Track leading indicators, such as meetings, secured through social engagement and time spent on social media preparing for interactions with buyers.
- Gain executive buy-in. Executives need to be active on social media and leverage their networks to open doors for their teams.
Justin Shriber is vice president of marketing for LinkedIn.