Informed marketers are now relying on Social selling, around which all sorts of myths and misunderstandings have grown up. But what is Social selling anyway? With Social selling, you build contacts and relationships with potential customers via social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram... Sharing relevant content, direct interaction with buyers and customers, personal branding and “social listening” are essential for Social selling.
Five myths and misconceptions surrounding Social selling are listed and explained below.
1. Social selling does not work in the B2B area: Many companies quickly and incorrectly come to the conclusion that B2B buyers are not active in social media channels. But the truth is that 75 percent of B2B buyers today use social channels to research providers. That means three quarters of potential customers visit a company on LinkedIn, learn more about the corporate culture on Facebook, watch the most interesting videos on YouTube and even follow the latest content on Twitter.
2. Social selling cannot be measured: on average, around 14 people are involved in a B2B purchase decision. Admittedly, this makes measuring the impact of individual components of the marketing mix and sales process difficult. Even so, one study showed that 54 percent of sellers tracked their social media usage back to the time of sale. Another study found that sellers who use social media are more likely to exceed the average sales rate 23 percent than those who don't. Use mature Account Based Marketing (ABM) tools and the effects of the social component in your potential customer's buyer's journey are definitely measurable.
3. B2B Social Selling Is Not Scalable: Many B2B companies with hundreds, if not thousands of buyers and an army of sellers fear that social selling is not scalable. In fact, social selling can be scaled along with the expansion of the sales force - provided every salesperson receives a binding list of potential customers. Scaling is also supported by social media tools, Social selling platforms and CRM for creating prospect lists and tracking interactions.
4. B2B social selling works immediately: Experienced social sellers know that this relatively new approach does not lead to results immediately. But social selling reflects the new reality in which B2B buyers often research for up to nine months before even contacting a potential seller. Just like any other form of relationship building, social selling takes time. The good news is that time is well spent - 73 percent of salespeople using social media as part of their sales process outperform their competitors in the number of deals they close.
5. Your sales team does not need any social selling training: If your sales force consists mainly of millennials, you can assume that they, as digital natives, know the specifics of social selling. Thought wrong! According to one study, around one in four sales representatives feels they know how to use social media to sell, and the results don't vary much between age groups. The reality is that, given all the tools and the amount of time involved in social selling, training is a must for the sales department,
regardless of age.
You can find more on Social selling here.