Social Selling Tips: How to Prove You Can Sell Anything, the Potential of Sales Analytics, and How a Top Seller Uses LinkedIn

Welcome to the first week of fall. If you are in the north, the first chill in the air might be reminding you to enjoy the weather before it gets cold. If you live further south, the cooler temperatures are likely tempting you outdoors. Or you may find yourself simply taking a breather before diving into Q4.

This week’s social selling tips features some intriguing questions:  Can a pen prove whether a sales person has what it takes to succeed in a new role? How can sales professionals use analytics and Big Data to be more effective? What does a top social seller focus on in order to attract customers through LinkedIn?

Read on to discover the answers to these questions in our top sales content of the week.

Prove Your Sales Chops

In the “Wolf of Wall Street,” a job candidate tells Leonardo DiCaprio’s character he can sell anything.  The job candidate must then back up his bold claim when DiCaprio’s character asks him to “sell me this pen.”

Paul Freiberger explains why this is a good question for a sales interview and how it “traps” the unwary job applicant: “When you’re asked to sell a pen, it’s all too easy to focus on that pen. You might be tempted to talk about its many features. It works in outer space. It writes under water. It molds itself to your hand like a living thing. It’s a beautiful color blue, the likes of which has never graced a pen before.  It’s a natural mistake. There’s the pen. The pen is for sale. This must be about the pen.”

Instead Paul asserts that sales candidates must sidestep around that question and dive first into customer needs.

Learn how Paul recommends sales professionals prove their ability in job interviews in Sell Me This Pen! A Key to the Sales Job Interview.

Use Analytics for Sales Decision Making

Big Data is fast making inroads into the sales field. Like with any new technology, early adopters are jumping into sales analytics headfirst, while others want to see proven ROI before they invest.

Yet, according to Andris A. Zoltners, PK Sinha, and Sally E. Lorimer, authors of “The Power of Sales Analytics,”  “It’s not the data and technology that matter. What really matters is how technology, data, and analytics can help salespeople, sales managers, and leaders improve fundamental sales force decisions and processes.”

In a post on the Harvard Business Review Blog Network, they explain the different ways analytics can help sales professionals, sales managers, and sales directors become better at their jobs.

To learn how to capitalize on analytics in sales, read Sales Data Only Matters If It Helps You Take Action.

Grow Your Business on LinkedIn

How do the most successful social sellers use LinkedIn? As part of our ongoing “How I Do It” campaign, we asked sales expert Gary Kissel about how he builds his network and drives business through LinkedIn.

Gary revealed that he focuses on advancing thought leadership, developing relationships with prospects, and effectively targeting prospects. His strategy has led to approximately 1,000 daily views of his status updates, 13-17 daily views of his profile by new contacts, and regular exposure to members of his 50 LinkedIn groups.

To learn how Gary uses LinkedIn to enhance his sales strategy and the three activities he recommends all sellers include in their LinkedIn routine, read How I Have Gained Success with LinkedIn.

Stay connected with the latest insights, tips, and tactics for highly effective social selling on LinkedIn when you subscribe to the LinkedIn Sales Solutions blog.