Social Selling Tips of the Week: No Room for Doubt

While social selling has begun to be broadly embraced over the last few years, there are bound to be a few doubters. However, few salespeople remain who can deny the stats or claim that they’ve sold more effectively while ignoring this pivotal strategy.

The sales leaders headlining this week’s top tips continue to quiet the doubters; these thinkers proudly tout the proven power of social selling, and they’ve got the numbers to back up their points. Simply put, social is rarely left out of leading sales advice these days.

Let’s take a look at the highlights from this week’s top tips.  

Social Selling: Why World-Class Performers Are Two Years Ahead

It’s simple: the faster sales professionals adopted social selling, the faster their success has outpaced their peers. Tamara Schenk cites statistics from the CSO Insights Sales Best Practices Study in her article comparing a world-class segment of sellers to average performers. According to the study, among world-class sellers, “26% agreed [that social media is a highly effective tool] in 2013, 47% in 2014 and 72% in 2015, while all respondents achieved 28% only in 2015!”

The world’s best sellers are utilizing on social selling practices earlier and more often. There are few remaining doubts; as Tamara writes, “those who implement social selling capabilities properly have significant performance advantages compared to those who started late or struggle with a proper implementation.”

Cold Calling Is Dead: 12 New Prospecting Strategies Salespeople Should Use

Richard Stephens took to Hubspot this week to remind you that old calling is on death’s doorstep. “The Harvard Business Review reported cold calling is ineffective 90% of the time,” he writes, “and more recent research shows that less than 2% of cold calls actually result in a meeting.” Among Stephens’ “new” prospecting strategies, social selling appears more than once.

He emphasizes the effectiveness of joining LinkedIn groups to answer peoples’ questions, engaging with those who fit your ideal buyer profile on social media, and sharing content to kick off your sales conversations—all foundational aspects of modern social selling.

7 Steps for Mastering Your B2B Social Selling Efforts

Harald Merckel adds his voice to the growing choir singing the praises of social selling this week, underscoring more stats that show the connection between the sales strategy and success. Citing a study by Social Centered Selling, Merckel writes that, “72.6 percent of salespeople who use social media as a core part of their sales process outperform those who don’t use social media.”

To master these efforts, Merckel offers many suggestions, including posting and curating great content; paying attention to social selling metrics; and knowing your prospects before reaching out. Adopting a social selling strategy is critical for success, any attending to best practices like these will get you even further.

Professional Profile Kit

You’ve heard quite a bit about how important social selling is, but now it’s time to take action. We’ve put together a four-part Professional Profile Kit specifically designed to help you cultivate an online reputation that makes a strong impression. It’s filled with tips and strategies to help you attract more prospects, build a personal brand, and establish yourself as a leader on LinkedIn and beyond.

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