B2B sales strategies and trends

8 Sales Tips from the top LinkedIn Influencer posts of 2013

8 Sales Tips from the top LinkedIn Influencer posts of 2013.

Below we have compiled a few great tips from some of the most popular LinkedIn Influencer articles about sales this past year. To read the full article for each tip, follow the link of the name of the article in the description.

1. “Write down the customer pains so you'll have them for later”

Mark Suster in the The Most Important First Step in a Sales Process highlights how important it is for salespeople to “tease out” their customers' pains first and understand them deeply, so you can then discuss "your solution and how it may solve their problem."

2. “Use Social Media to Break the Ice”

Ryan Holmes in Tips On Using Social Media as Your Secret Sales Weapon recommends you look on LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networks to see if you share any interests or affiliations that can help you get the conversation going.

3. “Community instead of merely customers”

Tara Hunt in Social Media Doesn’t Drive Sales… But That’s Not the Point makes the point that “if you have patience and build a community instead of just a customer database, you will have finally tapped into that magical word of mouth network you wanted to buy a few months ago. But this time, it's real and authentic and it spreads.”

4. “Identify the need, then get the need agreed”

Mark Suster in the The Biggest Reason Most Sales Don't Close advocates that “you’re very unlikely to land a new customer without a champion who helps push through your sale.”

5. Use product qualified leads to get leads that are “free, scalable, and highly qualified”

Tomasz Tunguz in The Next Advance In Sales: The Product Qualified Lead (PQL) explains that PQLs “are potential customers who have used a product and reached pre-defined triggers that signify a strong likelihood to become a paying customer.” This works well with SaaS companies and he has found that “when the sales team calls PQLs, customers typically convert at about 25 to 30%.”

6. Put everyone through a sales training boot camp

Vivek Wadhwa in My Secrets: How I Learned That Selling Is A Key To Success shares how in his company he put everyone through sales training boot camp and because of that his developers became “incredibly valuable as a part of the sales process.”

7. “Tap Into Social Networks For Warmer Referrals”

Ryan Holmes in Tips On Using Social Media as Your Secret Sales Weapon teaches you how you can more effectively use social networks to pinpoint mutual connections that could provide a warm introduction instead of cold calling.

8. “Ask for the sale”

Dave Kerpen in How to Sell Anything Using Social Media says “Social media purists will tell you that it's all about listening and conversation. And as I said, listening and engagement is super important at the early stages of the sales funnel. But in the end, it's essential to ask for the sale, whether through an online link or a request to take the conversation to a phone call or even an in-person meeting. You won't get the sale unless you ask for it.”

The is not an exhaustive list, so if there is tip you think we missed, please add it to the comments. Have a happy new year from the LinkedIn Sales Solutions team.
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