Throw Me the Anchor, I am Drowning!

It was 3 short years ago that I was drowning in a quota I couldn’t obtain and business knowledge I needed but didn’t have. But don’t worry, I had great people skills!

This is a dilemma many young sales reps and even experienced sales reps face. Most reps are hired because they have good people and selling skills, because that’s what sellers are supposed to be good at right? The problem is, buyers don’t care if you’re a savvy communicator or if you can talk to anyone in the room, they care that sales people understand:

• Their business and or situation
• The challenges they face and how you have helped someone similar fix them
• Provide them a new way of thinking or educating them about something they didn’t know
• Product expertise/guru in your prospective field

The reality of the situation is to understand/achieve these, takes the two dreaded words VP’s of Sales hate the most… time and patience.  Here are a few ways to help expedite the process:

1. Follow- Spend as much time as you can on sales calls (virtually or in person) with the best reps in the organization.  I like to use Evernote.com to record sales calls, write down best practices, etc.  The application can become your one stop shop for personal best practices.
2. Research- Read as much as you can about industry news, follow industry experts on twitter, LinkedIn, and Quora. Use technology providers such as insideview.com to gain insight into other industries, companies, etc.
3. Brand- Begin building your personal brand yesterday.  Try and share at least 1 insightful article or video a day to colleagues, prospective clients, twitter followers, LinkedIn connections etc.  Start a blog, share a weekly market update (many financial advisers do this) to show some personal expertise and value.
4. Stories-  Have go to stories that show personal experience of how you have helped clients with similar issues.  Early on you might need to use other sellers success stories but soon you will have your own.  Make sure you capture these and rehearse them all the time.  A great mentor tells me all the time…Stories sell.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Be Well!

Upcoming Social Media Webcast

Webcast: Social Selling for the Enterprise

Presented On: June 11th, 2pm EST

Hosted by: Sales Performance International and InsideView

Learn how World Class sales organizations are adapting their Sales Processes to this new reality, and what you need to consider before diving head-first into Social.

We will walk you through how to Develop a Strategic framework for Social Selling, how to align it to your sales process (or even re-architect it for this new buyer) and which tools and training you need to consider.

We’ll wrap up with some real-world examples shared by InsideView, and some key resources for your continued education.

Register Now >>>

The Evolution of Social Selling

B2B sales teams that don’t adapt risk extinction

Social media has clearly become a force in business that won’t be dismissed. Unfortunately, while most companies understand that, few have developed the capability to leverage this ubiquitous communication tool to advance their sales teams’ efforts.

Data that underscores how far social media has progressed is abundant. Last year, Facebook topped a billion users. LinkedIn has over 200 million members. And, it’s likely you’ve heard the statistic from the Corporate Executive Board that customers will contact a sales rep only after they have independently completed about 60 percent of the purchasing decision process. It’s just as likely that your selling team doesn’t have a strategy to overcome this development.

Without a strategy, too many companies leave social media learning and development up to the individual sales rep. That can be dangerous, leading to wasted time, confused company messaging and offended customers. Most importantly, a fractured approach can keep your reps from adapting to the new ways that customers are buying products and services. That disconnect means fewer wins.

So how do savvy sellers meet, create a dialog with, and nurture sales prospects before the buyer takes that crucial step of reaching out? The answer is…

Read more in Sales and Marketing Management Magazine (Page 14) >>>

By Dave Stein, CEO and Founder, ES Research Group, Inc.

5 Ways To Embrace Social Selling In The Enterprise

The concept of Social Selling is growing, as companies understand the benefits of using social networks as part of their formal marketing, sales and customer support efforts.

But Social Selling takes concerted time and effort to truly take root and flourish. Many companies attempt to make social “stick,” only to see their efforts dwindle due to lack of widespread adoption.

How can your organization embrace Social Selling and ensure it becomes part of the culture and not a short-lived fad? Here are five key action steps.

1. Champion Social Selling from the top down. Upper management needs to embrace and understand social media as a way of supporting sales and other corporate functions. Rather than just giving it lip service, they need to use social media themselves to demonstrate that it is important to the enterprise.

Unfortunately, many top executives still make excuses for why they can’t or won’t use social media. With the exception of some highly regulated industries, there are few reasons left for managers to ignore social media. That sends a message to everyone below them that it’s not mission critical, or that it’s “not their job.” The fact is, everyone with a vested interest in the company should utilize social media to their advantage, starting at the top.

2. Develop a strategic plan to include the use of social media across departments. Sales may be a primary consideration for using social media, but just using social media to sell may make a poor impression in your customers’ and prospects’ minds. Instead, consider all the ways social media will support your communications efforts, both internally and externally. Get input from people in marketing, public relations, HR, legal and customer service. Document your overall goals in a plan, and identify who will be responsible and how they will be measured.

3. Empower people throughout the organization. Provide appropriate guidelines and training so people throughout the company can use social media in a professional manner. Make it clear that you do not want people using social media inappropriately during work hours…but avoid the tendency to scrutinize or criticize people for “wasting time” on social networks when they are legitimately using them for professional purposes.

Remember that not everyone will feel comfortable using social media for anything other than personal reasons. However, you need to remind them that there’s a fine line between personal and professional today, and things they post on social media can impact the company’s reputation—even if they think it is just between them and their friends.

Besides training, give people the proper tools they need to succeed. Instead of letting everyone use random tools, pick key platforms for your needs and set up user licenses. Finally, make it easy for everyone—especially those in sales—to become micro marketers by posting approved social media contents to their networks.

4. Monitor and measure results. As part of your plan, set up regularly metrics that are shared within the company. In terms of Social Selling effectiveness, these must go beyond non-revenue specific numbers like fans and followers. Instead, correlate referrals from social networks to sales conversions and momentum-building events such as requests for more information.

5. Celebrate successes. Make sure people throughout the company hear about “wins” through social media. These can be case studies of how you helped a customer solve a problem, or examples of how social leads turned into a qualified prospect. These will go a long way toward improving the image and use of social media in the workplace.

Has your company successfully embraced Social Selling? If so, please share your tips on what make it “click” in the comments below.

Build your brand through social media

If your business operations are anything like mine, hiring an outside firm to manage social media isn’t an option; the budget simply isn’t there. But that doesn’t negate the need to have a smart social media strategy.

Two weeks ago I used this column to outline the strengths and weaknesses of some of the biggest social media platforms. I return this week with the same two Charlotte-area experts – Anne Marie Holder of Spark Strategic Ideas and Brandon Uttley of Sales Performance International – to offer practical advice for business owners looking to manage their social media campaigns.

Holder, who is founder and CEO of Spark, said the first thing business owners should do is commit to taking social media seriously. That means taking time to learn the ins and outs of the various platforms and the best practices for each.

“It takes a concerted effort and a strategy if you want to do it right,” she said. “It’s not something you can only do sporadically. It has to be an ongoing effort; you have to put the time in.”

Here is some other advice from Holder and Uttley:

Develop an overall strategy: Social media works best when it is part of a larger effort to build your brand. Too many business owners confuse social media with traditional marketing, Uttley said, adding that companies should not abandon tried-and-true methods such as trade shows, printed material, email marketing and advertising.

Make someone responsible: If at all possible, find an individual within your organization who understands social media and is willing to take ownership of your social media pages. This person should be socially engaging, someone who can give your business the voice and personality you want it to have. At the same time, this person also should possess enough business savvy to handle delicate situations. As Holder noted, social media is not a one-way conversation, and customers will sometimes use your pages to post unflattering comments about your company.

Engage your audience: Social media is not meant to be a one-way push. In other words, don’t view your social media pages as a way to simply push your products and services out to consumers. “Put yourself in the shoes of your consumer and speak to the topics the audience is interested in,” Holder said. “Talk to their lifestyle, and try to integrate your brand into their daily lives.” She noted a successful restaurant in Charlotte that frequently engages Facebook users about the weather or events around town.

Stick with it: Don’t expect quick results. Holder and Uttley said that one of the most common mistakes companies make is inconsistent use of social media. It takes time to build a loyal following, so businesses should view social media in terms of years, not months, Uttley said.

Keep track of results: Set goals and monitor how well you are doing. Although having a large number of friends and followers is good, the experts said, effective social media is not all about those raw numbers. For example, are your followers interacting with your page? Are they sharing your posts with others? And finally, Holder and Uttley said, find ways to track whether your social media campaigns are actually adding to your bottom-line business.

Do your homework before going outside: If all of this sounds like too much work and you decide to hire some outside help, do your homework. Charlotte has lots of companies and individuals willing to manage your social media, but not all are equally qualified. Start by checking references to see what results a prospective firm has delivered for others.

In fact, Uttley suggests going one step further to check the social media pages of the companies you are considering, to see how well they engage their own audiences. As for price, Holder and Uttley said small and mid-size businesses can expect to pay anywhere from several hundred dollars a month to several thousand, depending on individual needs.

Originally Published by Glenn Burkins at CharlotteObserver.com