Successful sales reps pay attention to their sales funnel as social integration can happen 365 days a year, 7 days a week, 24 hours per day.
Sales reps must start shifting their mindset when it comes to prospecting in a digital business world. I set the business table with How Social Turns Sales Reps Downtime Into Prospecting Time. We must recognize as sales professional's social media is not our primary prospecting mechanism but simply augments prospecting, it changes our approach as this is then integrated into our sales strategies.
A commitment to daily prospecting is a must or your sales funnel will dry up and your business will suffer. There are no excuses as there will always be a million distractions pulling you away from this essential part of your job. You need to consciously embrace, not just accept but actually embrace, the idea that prospecting is a must-do activity every single working day of your life as well as some of your days off.
DOES TECHNOLOGY HELP OR HINDER SALES REPS?
Is the average sales rep on the street afraid to open up and let technology serve them better as a way to enhance their prospecting efforts? Why is it such a challenge to get sales reps, sales managers and executive management to buy into the idea that technology can really be a benefit?
Is it ego? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it a time management issue or lack of patience? Sales people have been brought up to believe in the cold call as this is the single most important task to master. Prospecting or cold calling is a tough world to exist in as this world requires stamina and an enormous amount of self-belief.
I ask you all to think about how leveraging technology can enhance your sales prospecting efforts. The biggest challenge is to gain an understanding there may be a better approach to enhance a sales reps effectiveness when it comes to prospecting. Companies must gain an understanding of how to leverage digital technology inside the sales prospecting arena.
First and foremost, please understand digital sales prospecting is not a replacement; it’s a way to help enhance traditional prospecting to allow sales reps to become more efficient and effective.
The new reality in sales - how are you opening up conversations? I ask you all to remove your "digital diaper" and take into consideration how technology along with the "social phone" can tremendously enhance your prospecting efforts.
TIME TO START DIALING THE SOCIAL PHONE
More mad props to Kenny Madden and his witty humor as he has brought to life the social phone - "A smashing together with absolute discipline the very best of email, Inmail, Voicemail, offline/online, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram into one beautiful integrated approach - 'the social phone' ”.
Social Window + Social Phone + Social Selling = Enhanced Sales Funnel
The social phone allows you to listen and communicate with the voice of your clients and prospects. By engaging in online conversations and leveraging social networks, you create the opportunity to listen to the voice of your potential clients. The more intimate, authentic, genuine relationship you can establish, the more loudly you’ll hear their voice.
SALES REPS MUST DIAL UP SOCIAL LISTENING
Business times they are different. When you don’t pay attention to what your audience is saying, your current clients; you’re basically giving key information to your competitors. What are your client's pain points? What do they love about you, your service experience and your company? What are those in your industry talking about? What are potential clients taking about?
For simplicity sake, social listening allows sales reps to leverage social media tools to monitor, track and uncover information which allows them to open up and engage in conversation as another form of prospecting - social prospecting.
Social listening as another means of prospecting can provide sales reps with a great intelligence tool. Social listening can be used to:
- Help understand your marketplace or sales territory
- Help understand your competition
- Help understand your clients
- Help understand your prospects
- Help understand your buyer
- Help to provide great customer service
Social listening provides the tools to help you gain a better insight of what your targeted prospects and more importantly your clients are thinking. This allows you to be in a better position to open up conversations to deliver what they need, when they need it.
Social listening and social prospecting helps you to identify potential customers outside your established audience using social platforms as an effective means to augment traditional prospecting methodologies.
We all know if you aren't opening up new conversations then we know what happens to your sales funnel - it dries up! It is about learning new ways to enhance your sales funnel. We have all heard of Buyer 2.0, Sales 2.0, Sales 3.0 but what about Learning 2.0?
CONCLUSION - SOCIAL IS A CONVERSATION ADDITIVE INSIDE TRADITIONAL PROSPECTING
Inside the Demand Gen Report, B2B buyers reported their purchase cycle has increased since last year. Why? They are scrutinizing potential vendors and sales reps more closely than ever before. Buyers overwhelmingly reported spending more time conducting research (80%) and using more sources to investigate purchases (73%).
More than half (53%) of B2B buyers report turning to social media to make buying decisions. Therefore, please consider sprinkling in more modern methods to aide in your prospecting efforts.
I leave you with this to ponder...
As sales reps, you operate inside a digital business world communicating using digital technology to a digital buyer but still operating with an analog mindset. Change your mindset to change your outcome.
I understand where you all are coming from. I have walked a day in a life of your shoes. I walk, talk and practice on a daily basis what I preach about.
I am fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects and modern strategies into your current sales process to grow net-new business. I want you to get results. This is why I am passionate about doing this the right way.
In 2016, Larry was recognized by ENX Magazine, “The Difference Maker” as someone who is making a difference inside the copier channel. Larry is passionate about helping sales reps succeed in creating their online brand image
You can find more blog posts inside the Social Sales Academy website.
I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my LinkedIn stories. Integrating the use of LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive copier world. With great pride I transform, coach and inspire B2B Office Technology Sales Professionals to grow net new business by helping them tell their story and communicate on LinkedIn. My commitment is to help office technology dealers thrive in a changing marketplace. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, as well as at the Social Sales Academy
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