By Giovanna Sangiorgi
There is every chance that you are reading this somewhere on a smartphone or tablet device. You may have seen it on a Blog, a Facebook page, in a LinkedIn update or a Twitter feed.
There is high probability that if you agree with the three key points in this post, you will forward it to your work colleagues and friends. It is because your friends admire you and respect your opinion, not because they know me, that they will read this.
The connected nature of social media offers a unique advantage to the socially aware seller and buyers.
Exchange of opinion and sharing of information and views within social media has become more influential to the buying decision than the traditional business relationship. The vast majority of B2B buyers claim social media has an influence on future purchases. More than 70% of the buyer’s dynamic journey is completed before they talk with a sales person.
Social Selling creates leverage and leverage drives sales effectiveness
Social selling makes it possible to increase your network of relationships and fully leverage them. You can follow, communicate and create value for this network constantly and in a timely and relevant manner. You can identify potential buyers and leverage existing customers for referral and we all know referrals are much more effective than cold calling.
Social Selling builds credibility and credibility drives sales effectiveness
Buyers don’t just buy from brands but also from people and more from the people they trust. Social Selling allows you to build trust with your customers before they even know they are becoming your customer, letting your social persona show your understanding of trends and buyer needs. If you do it well, prospects may find you even before you find them.
Social selling provides access and access drives sales effectiveness
Social selling allows you to be much more informed about your prospect and customers. You not only know who they are but also what’s important for them. You know who their key influencers are. You know what’s on their mind and you know that you can reach them at the right time in a personal way.
Social selling is about recognizing that the buying cycle is controlled by a more informed and more connected customer, demanding relevance from sales professionals. It is imperative that sales professionals leverage social tools to actively listen, engage, and add value to the customer conversation. Your customer expects you to know at least as much about them as they do about you.
Giovanna
EMEA Oracle Direct Vice President
L: it.linkedin.com/in/giovannasangiorgi/
T: @GSangiorgi
Filed under: Social Selling Tagged: EMEA, Giovanna Sangiorgi, listening, Oracle Direct, social media, social media monitoring, social selling, social selling tools
