The document summarizes IBM's use of social selling as a B2B prospecting tool. It discusses how social networks have changed how clients buy and how IBM has transformed its inside sales model to engage clients through social media. It outlines IBM's social selling strategy, which includes social listening, participating in conversations, identifying influencers, and focusing on high-value content. The results shown include over 900 sellers in 170 countries using social effectively to build awareness, extend reach, and drive leads.

1. Social Selling as a
B-to-B Prospecting Tool
B-to-B Symposium
October 16, 2012

2. Your Presenters from IBM
Douglas Hannan Cheryl L. Mikovch
Business Unit Executive Sr. Marketing Manager
Inside Sales Marketing Inside Sales Marketing
IBM North America IBM Worldwide
@DouglasHannanUS @WhatSaidShe
www.linkedin.com/in/douglashannan www.linkedin.com/in/cmikovch

3. Social networks have fundamentally changed
the way clients buy
• Clients discover, read, share news
and content on their own and on
their terms
• Being “at work” is now a state of
mind and not a statement about
where you’re located.
• Clients are posting their needs,
concerns, ideas at any time of the
day or night….giving us the
opportunity to listen and respond.
• Clients benchmark best-in-class
experiences and share opinions

4. IBM’s Client Buyer Preference research
measured Social Trends
Over one-third have used social media
Current Social
to engage with their IT vendors.
Media use with
IT Vendor FACEBOOK 82%
LINKEDIN 52%
YES
TWITTER 36%
NO
PODCASTS 15%
37%
63% STREAMING VIDEO 15%
6%
Those >50 yrs. old are much less likely to have used social media (15%)
Future Likelihood to use
36% 41% 23%
Social Media in
IT Purchase Process very likely not at all
somewhat
US Report
77% Source: IBM Marketing Insights Research 2011

5. IBM at a Glance
433K
employees
170
countries
Business Segments include Services, Software, Hardware, Research and
Financing

6. IBM Inside Sales purpose

7. Through inside sellers and the web we
provide end-to-end coverage for our clients
Lead Development Rep Inside Client Rep Inside Brand Sales
Specialist
 Opportunity identification and  Inside Client Reps  Inside Brand Sales Reps
Lead progression focused,  Product sales specialists
 Relationship Coverage Reps
aligned Marketing Programs aligned by Brand and
aligned by territory or account.
 Flexible resource with no Customer segment
specific accounts or territory  Opportunity Identification
 Transaction focused
 55-60 Customer Calls per day  5 million calls per year
 6 million calls per year
Online Commerce Sales
 Online Commerce Consultants and Brand Specialists
 Extend efficiency & reach leveraging on-line tools
 Decrease expense/increase revenue through ease of ordering;
improve customer satisfaction; capture opportunity

8. IBM’s Challenge – Unlock the potential of Social Selling
Clients
-New ways to find and consume
Information
-Connect with Experts
-Interact on their terms
with trusted sources
a new Sales-Driven Marketing
Ecosystem has evolved
Marketing Sales
-Programmatic Approach -Add Personal Style
-Repeatable Process -Authenticity of Voice
-Professionally Crafted Message -Reach clients more easily
-Maintain Brand Image -Skills Transformation

9. Social selling required a change in behavior
with our Inside Sellers and a transformation of
the seller-client relationship
The Inside Seller of TODAY
The Inside Seller of TODAY
must be professional, well
must be professional, well
trained, high performing and
trained, high performing and
effective at using digital &
effective at using digital &
social selling capabilities
social selling capabilities
A multi-dimensional digital
relationship leveraging digital &
A two-dimensional
social selling capabilities and
phone- and email-
Online Commerce solutions
based relationship

10. Where we started: our strategy required a skills
transformation
Beginner Creator Collaborator Social Seller
Establish a web presence Create personal brand. Two way collaboration Relevant leadership
 Be findable  Listen to the conversation  Uses chat and video  Clients contact you
 Easy to reach  Send messages  Adds value to  Constant mind-share
 Find new contacts  Understand customer networks using  Engaged earlier than
trends and how IBM can microblogs, forums, competition
help solve problems and Social groups
mation
r ansfor
lling T
So cial Se
•

11. Digital contact tools are integrated into the B2B sales
engagement model.
Digital Contact Tools IBM Rep Page / Web Presence
Text Chat
Video Contact Module
with Real-time
collaboration
Telephone
Email Rep Driven Content
Social Social Media and
Media video embedded
Marketing Content
Over 1000 sellers
use these tools

12. IBM Inside Sales capabilities are centered
around enabling the client
Digital Enable the client to engage
Sales how and when they want
Eminence
Online Commerce
Access to tools and people
 Global procurement
 Ease in contract and order
management
 Improved efficiency for clients
Intelligent Listening
Rep Page
 Monitor and capture client Client Web Portal
intent from Social Networks
 Influence and develop Client Name
Client Logo
preference for IBM
Response Management Content Mgt./
Publishing Tools
 Campaign execution and follow-up
 Ability to understand issues and
match IBM products to client need
Territory Management
 Sales Coverage for clients
 Establish new contacts
 Drive transaction volumes
Opportunity Management  Drive revenue growth
 New lead creation through
increased coverage and reach
 Progress leads to wins Social networking
 Deep expertise in products and & Social Messages
solutions Personalized
eMail Campaigns

13. Participation in social networks improves
client access to experts
• Clients connect socially to tap into IBM expertise
• Industry SMEs contribute to professional network groups, blogs, publish
whitepapers, provide access to digital assets
• Inside Sales Reps promote content to their clients and reach new prospects
• Fostering social relationships yield new contacts, leads & sales – helping
reach new markets
“70% of aacustomer’s buying
“70% of customer’s buying
decision is now made based on
decision is now made based on
Sales Reps
Prospects information he or she finds
information he or she finds
online, well before aasalesperson
online, well before salesperson
has aachance to get involved.”
has chance to get involved.”
SMEs Source: Sales 2.0 Conference, 2011
Source: Sales 2.0 Conference, 2011
Customers

14. Our Journey to launch an innovative social
selling program
Measure,
Socialize Our Track, Grow
Culture
Focus on
Content Participate in
Social
Conversations
Listening Identify
& Learning Influencers

15. Social Selling is Less About Tweeting…
and more about listening to what business issues individuals are talking about
Market Place Listening
Third Party Listening
Engagement Opportunities

16. Why is social listening important to sales?
Engagement
Third-Party Opportunities
 Identify Industry
Influencers  Follow competitors
 Listen to what is being  Follow prospects
said  List to what is being
 Identify trending topics said
 Engage in many key LEADS  Help shape
conversations
conversations
 Establish credibility  Real-time monitoring to
 Build network intercept posts with
 Improve Seller Findability expressed business
need

17. Keyword combinations and recommended groups
build social presence and enable sellers to mine
microblogs for engagement opportunities
LinkedIn
Groups
#Hashtag
LinkedIn
Groups
Communities
#Hashtag

18. 7-2-1 Rule guides seller social conversations,
builds creditability and drives leads
Business / Industry Seller Rep
Issue Page
ry
Busines s / Indust
Issue /
Business
B u si n e ss / Industry Is
sue
s ue
I ndustry Is
Business / Industry
s /
Busines Business
/
Issue
su e
Industry Is Industry Is
sue

19. Content is our focus. Quickly consumable,
highly valuable
Shift in investment
from traditional tactics
to more digital
interactions
Progress from telling what we
have to offer, to providing
content to engage
Evolve from static
presentations to
dynamic interactions

20. Content driven marketing is the force behind
customers initiating sales conversations…
Is your content socially ready?
FAQs
Whitepaper
Article

21. We’ve armed sellers with a social editorial calendar
• Calendar is maintained by marketing …executed by sellers
• Sellers are in complete control
– craft their own message
– retweet a message
– mention a post
– select from digital asset content

22. Socializing our culture is key to changing
behavior…
…and learning from peers is
essential to adoption

23. More than 200 Seller testimonials from around
the globe validate the power of social
“Connect with CIO via LinkedIn,
yielding $500K win”
“Linkedin to Rep Page
“Utilizing my LinkedIn visit to $150K result”
network! $1.8m result”

24. The Results…
Sellers in 170 countries effectively using social to extend reach,
build awareness and drive leads!
900+
7 Sellers

25. Case study: Connecting one of IBM’s public cloud offerings
and specific social activities to our leads and revenue
15%
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to
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26. Ask Yourself…
DoesIs your sales content have
Are Are you influencing the
you capitalizing on
your social team
explosion a call-to-action?
and leading your clients?
socially connected?
of data social provides?

27. Thank you!