Learn how relationships have evolved in the social selling era and how to change your sales strategy to keep up.

1. 1
HOW TO MOVE YOUR TEAM
TO SOCIAL SELLING

2. 3
INTRODUCTION
Relationships still matter to B2B sales, but buyers and sellers are connecting more
often on social platforms and less often in person and over the phone.

3. 4
INTRODUCTION
In a survey of buyers conducted by IDC, respondents said they agreed with these
statements (percentage is those who agreed or strongly agreed):

4. RELATIONSHIPS MATTER
IN SOCIAL SELLING

5. INTRODUCTION
6
RELATIONSHIPS MATTER IN SOCIAL SELLING
Salespeople and their companies should
embrace the reality of social selling and
respond with an effective strategy. Social
selling has challenges, but it also has raised
the quality of the buyer-seller relationships
by enabling better targeting and more
meaningful conversations.
Source:
Demand Gen Report’s 2014 B2B Buyer
Behavior Study

6. BALANCING RELATIONSHIP-BASED
CULTURE AND PERFORMANCE

7. INTRODUCTION
8
SOCIAL SELLING ADOPTION BEST PRACTICES
• Focus on Pipeline
Progression
• Focus on the Earliest
Possible Engagement
• Focus on Social Proof
• DON’T Focus on the
Status Quo
Focus on Pipeline
Progression
Focus on the Earliest
Possible Engagement
Focus on Social Proof
DON’T Focus on the
Status Quo
Source:
Koka Sexton, Global Sr. Social Marketing Manager,
LinkedIN

8. INTRODUCTION
9
SOCIAL SELLING ADOPTION BEST PRACTICES
Focus on Pipeline Progression
• Quality of leads
• Connections, Number of connections within target companies
• Current social activity
• Referrals/Recommendations

9. 10
SOCIAL SELLING ADOPTION BEST PRACTICES
Focus on the Earliest Possible Engagement
• Questions about industry-related topics
• Critiques of a competitor’s solution
• Job changes

10. 11
SOCIAL SELLING ADOPTION BEST PRACTICES
Focus on Social Proof
Testimonials, recommendations, case studies and referrals—these all provide insight
into your target prospect and company.

11. 12
SOCIAL SELLING ADOPTION BEST PRACTICES
Don’t Focus on the Status Quo
Be prepared for follow-ups and new
opportunities as the sales relationship
develops. You’ll need to stay informed
on your prospect’s updates, changes,
connections, and opportunities—social
selling is an ongoing process.

12. SOCIAL SELLING SATISFIES REVENUE
DEMANDS AND BUYER NEEDS

13. INTRODUCTION
14
SOCIAL SELLING SATISFIES
The average B2B buyer who uses social media in
the decision-making process is more senior, has a
bigger budget and makes more frequent buying
decisions, according to research from IDC. They
also have a greater sphere of influence than those
who do not access social media as part of their
buying process.
• Buyers with Larger Budgets Are
More Likely to Use Social Media
• Frequent Purchasers Are More Likely
to Use Social Media
Kelly Houston
National Account Executive
Capella University

14. 15
SOCIAL SELLING SATISFIES
Source:
IDC’S Social Buying Study, February 2014

15. DRIVING ORGANIZATIONAL
CHANGE IN A SOCIAL WORLD

16. INTRODUCTION
17
DRIVING ORGANIZATIONAL
CHANGE IN A SOCIAL WORLD
B2B companies’ inability to align sales and marketing teams around
the right processes and technologies has cost them
10% 10% or more of revenue per year.
Sources:
LinkedIn Global Study of 1,500 B2B Decision-Makers and Influencers,
May 2014

17. 18
DRIVING ORGANIZATIONAL
CHANGE IN A SOCIAL WORLD
“Relationship building is alive and happening,
but it’s no longer the job of just sales,” said Craig
Nelson, Founder and Principal at Sales Enablement
Group. “It’s also the job of marketing. The more
aligned they are, the better the success.”
Craig Nelson
Founder
Principal
Sales Enablement Group
In addition, B2B buyers turn to vendors with
whom they have relationships with or vendors
who are able to build relationships within the
buyer’s company.

18. 19
DRIVING ORGANIZATIONAL
CHANGE IN A SOCIAL WORLD
LinkedIn has done research and found that:
69% of B2B buyers are more likely to choose a
vendor who is recommended to them, and
46% more likely to choose a vendor who builds
relationships with the buyer’s other stakeholders.
Sources:
LinkedIn Global Study of 1,500 B2B Decision-Makers and Influencers,
May 2014
69%
46%

19. BECOME A TRUSTED ADVISOR
AND WIN MORE DEALS

20. INTRODUCTION
21
BECOME A TRUSTED ADVISOR AND WIN MORE DEALS
Today’s buyers are looking for sales professionals to take on more of a
consulting role, rather than simply enumerating the features of their products,
said Nelson of Sales Enablement Group.
65% of buyers said the winning vendor’s content had a
significant impact on the purchase decision.
And, more than 80% of buyers reviewed five or more
pieces of content.
Sources:
Demand Gen Report’s 2014 B2B Buyer Behavior Survey
65%
80%

21. 22
BECOME A TRUSTED ADVISOR AND WIN MORE DEALS
Adapting and curating content to be shared allows sales people to project thought
leadership and enhance personal credibility, but not every sales person will be able
to do this. Sales-enablement teams must feed social-ready content for sales people
to leverage.
Source:
Joe Galvin, Chief
Research Officer and
Executive Vice President,
HMI Research Institute

22. HOW LINKEDIN AND OTHER
LEADING COMPANIES DRIVE A
RELATIONSHIPS‑FOCUSED SALES CULTURE

23. 24
LINKEDIN SALES NAVIGATOR AND SSI
LinkedIn’s Sales Solutions team has proven the value of Sales Navigator within their
own organization. LinkedIn analyzed their own sales people’s performance across all
global regions by mapping their SSI performance, and showed that sales reps with
an SSI above 90 were three times more likely to go to club than any other rep.
SSI leaders above 90 are 3X more likely to go to club 3x
Source:
Mike Derezin, VP of Sales, LinkedIn

24. 25
LINKEDIN SALES NAVIGATOR AND SSI
A large percentage of our sales team’s wins come from warm introductions through
using Sales Navigator’s TeamLink feature, which surfaces who in the company has a
relationship with a prospect, regardless of whether our sales rep is connected to
their colleague.
Source:
Mike Derezin, VP of Sales,
LinkedIn

25. CONCLUSION

26. CONCLUSION
With the most influential and senior buyers on social media, B2B organizations
cannot ignore the power of social selling, and the good news is that the relationship-building
27
foundation that has always been a part of sales remains.

27. 28
CONCLUSION
Getting started is a matter of:
• Making sure leaders are committed and demonstrating
their commitment through their actions;
• Setting expectations on the personal and organizational
level and adjusting performance metrics to align with
expectations;
• Providing training and tools, such as Sales Navigator, that
enable sales team members to make social selling part of
their daily work; and
• Bringing Marketing and Sales closer to collaborate on
content development and targeting to help build long-term
relationships through networking.