The Social Selling Resource Round-up:
Social Sales best practice tips from around the web

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As the impact of social media on the sales profession increases, best-practice ideas are starting to bubble up all over the web. So we thought we’d share some of the best content out there.

Social selling themes

As we reviewed the material, a few themes emerged:

Social selling is the opposite of a hard sell
It’s all about discovering people who may eventually be interested in what you’re selling – then making yourself useful to them.

Information is a killer advantage
Knowing more about prospects and buying teams is the fast track to the sale – and social media is a rich source of insight.

Each social platform has its own techniques and etiquette
It pays to invest the time to become a ‘power user’ in the forums most important to your prospects.

Cold calling is for losers
With social media, a sales call need never be cold again.

Social sales resources

Now for the resources. Hope you like them:

Sales 2.0 Defined – by Inside View »

This crowdsourced post brings together different definitions of Sales 2.0 and shows how it differs from traditional selling. A favourite:

Gerhard Gschwandtner

"Sales 2.0 relies on a repeatable, collaborative and customer-enabled process that runs through the sales and marketing organization, resulting in improved productivity, predictable ROI and superior performance."

Social Selling by Better Closer »

Another good definition of social selling:

"Social selling is about directly engaging prospects, on their terms. Learning their marketing, buying, and communicating preferences. Then positioning yourself to be of value."

And a rallying cry:

“Millions of prospects update their profiles, preferences, and preferred contact information every day. They tell you their hopes, fears, dreams, motivations, and that which really ticks them off–everyday. Therefore, I guarantee you that if you do nothing more than search for pain points you can relieve and Grow Bigger Ears, as Chris Brogan advocates, you will Increase Your Sales This Month.

This page also shares Ten Social Selling Tips – worth a read.

The Future of Selling »

A report by Brian Fetherstonhaugh, CEO of Ogilvy One. They asked a thousand salespeople about the future of selling. Like everything Ogilvy One does, it’s thoughtful, challenging and full of insight. Highly recommended.

“Our customers are not hiding from us… they’re giving off their digital trails as transparently as a single in a pickup bar.”

The Social Selling University (also by Inside View) »

An excellent resource centre for anyone interested in social-powered selling. Their Guide to Using LinkedIn for Social Selling is packed with tips about getting your profile discovered, building your network and approaching prospects.

Ralf Von Sosen of Inside View contributed this excellent presentation – Social Selling: Rising Above the Noise to Drive Sales Performance – available as a YouTube video in the Salesforce channel.

Six top tips for integrating social media into B2B selling »

In this Econsultancy blog post, Kim Tasso – a specialist in professional services marketing and selling – shares six strategic tips and six operational ones, including:

• Use the traditional networking advice of “Giver’s Gain”
• Ensure that corporate and personal brands are aligned
• Integrate social media contacts and connections with traditional databases and CRM

Infographic: LinkedIn Boot Camp »

This infographic by Mindflash is a fun introduction to using LinkedIn. A good quote:

“LinkedIn Groups give you the most mileage out of your LinkedIn experience. Like a mini social network, these groups foster discussion, spread your message and connect you with key people.”

Monumental Myth: Nice Guys Finish Last. Timeless Truth: Nice Guys Finish First. »

An excerpt on Social Media Today from Eric Harr’s new book: “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths Uncovered & 8 Monumental Myths Revealed”

Social Selling: Everybody’s Talking About the New Sound »

In this excellent post, Anthony Iannarino reminds us all that the fundamentals of a great salesperson are built on character and trust – and that’s just as important in social forums as it is face-to-face.

Also worth a look:

• HOW TO: Improve B2B Sales Productivity with Social Media »
• The 18 Use Cases of Social CRM, The New Rules of Relationship Management from Jeremiah Owyang
• Video – Social Selling Primer – Social Selling University »
• Book by Landy Chase and Kevin Knebl: The Social Media Sales Revolution: The New Rules for Finding Customers, Building Relationships, and Closing More Sales Through Online Networking »

Don’t forget these Social Sales resources from Salesforce.com:

• The Social-Powered Enterprise Portal A resource centre for growing companies
• The Social-Powered Enterprise eBook The eBook behind this presentation
• Mini-Guide to Social Selling Best-practice social selling, explained.
• Social Sales Revolution: A Dreamforce Takeaway Sumarising the popular Dreamforce session.