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RECENT COMPANY NEWS The influencer’s guide to Social Selling

RECENT COMPANY NEWS - info.microsoft.coms... · LinkedIn Sales Navigator ... check out our LinkedIn Sales Navigator Crash Course. ... by a company that built a more dynamic enterprise

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RECENT COMPANY NEWS

The influencer’s guide to

Social Selling

Introduction: A new era of engagement

Chapter 1: Searching for the what & why: a snapshot of social selling

Chapter 2: Keys to social selling: The Microsoft social selling program

Chapter 3: To do or not to do: Social selling best practices

Conclusion: Engage!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A new era of engagement

1 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

The first impression is what matters.

The process of engaging with customers and creating opportunities has been in a period of transition. Gone are the traditional ways of selling. While in-person meetings still hold value, they are usually far down the communication channel.

Most buyers now complete their journey online before they ever speak to a salesperson. A majority of them learn about brands, products, and services through interactions with others on social media, which means you, as a seller, need to be engaging and innovative via their preferred social channels.

Enter social selling.

As a strategy, social selling allows you to create new, unique opportunities by communicating with buyers the way they prefer. It encourages you to work to mold the buyer experience, build trust, and ensure loyalty. This influencer’s guide will provide insights into:

• What it means to be a social seller and the benefits of it

• How Microsoft leveraged social selling

• Some best practices to create your brand and build social influence

It’s time to define your social brand, boost your social influence, and engage with your buyers. Take this journey and channel your inner social seller.

A new era of engagement

2 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

Much of the decision-making process is all digital now. No more cold calls. No more in-person meetings. Today, the buyer likes to be in the driver’s seat and it is our job as sellers to meet them where they are.

Now more than ever, organizations are taking a social-first approach as a modern way of engaging prospects. Social selling is a strategy toward really getting to know your prospects, to shape their overall buying journey, and to create unique customer-focused opportunities. This approach allows you to engage with buyers via their preferred communication channels and helps build trust and ensure loyalty.

So what does it mean to get to know your customers?

It means taking the time to actually understand them. Inquire about what they want out of the experience, yet do your research on their persona.

Let’s say you were notified on LinkedIn that CloudX Solutions has a new CTO, Justin Smith, who might help you push an Azure platform deal forward. You want to begin a conversation with him, but you want to make sure you do your homework first.

3 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

The evolution of the buyer’s journey

Chapter 1:

Searching for the what & why: A snapshot of social selling

of B2B buyers begin their buying process with a referral

of B2B buyers do not talk to a salesperson until after they do independent research

of the buying journey is complete before ever reaching a seller

84%

77%

57%

Watch the video

4 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

Chapter 1:

Searching for the what & why: A snapshot of social selling

Once you’ve identified Justin as a point of contact, conduct research of his digital footprint and take advantage of the information he reveals in his profile:

• Where did he go to school?

• What is his previous work experience?

• What are some of his personal hobbies?

You notice that Justin has been posting about cloud services, security and flexibility. You also notice that you have several mutual connections. This is a great opportunity to leverage those for a virtual introduction to Justin.

Use all the information you can to make a connection seamless, and go from there. Being able to find common ground goes a long way in establishing and maintaining a professional relationship.

In the digital age, social selling enables leaders to effectively prospect, influence, engage, and build relationships with potential buyers.

Chapter 1:

Searching for the what & why: A snapshot of social selling

For you, this means that social media must become a part of your company’s DNA. You must recognize your position as a social influencer and work towards driving authentic conversations with prospects like John. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that helps you reach your audience organically and thoughtfully.

5 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

For social selling to work, you must have the right tools at your disposal. Founded in 2013, the Microsoft Social Selling Program was created to help sellers effectively build meaningful relationships with potential buyers through meaningful interaction. In 2016, the program saw:

• 85% more new key decision- maker connections

• 63% more new connections

• 42% more profile views from key decision-makers

• 116% increase in average pipeline

Enabling a new level of collaboration

Discover

Find the “right” contacts at pre-existing accounts or who to talk to at new accounts.

Prospect

Learn about your potential buyers through their digital footprint.

Influence

Post content to influence and spark the right conversation with your network.

Engage

Leverage mutual connections or social media platforms to break through with customers.

Watch the video

Affordable and scalable, the program relies on the Sales Support Desk for network and program administrations and management. There are three must-have elements in a social selling program that allow you to discover, target, and engage prospects respectively:

6 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

Chapter 2:

Keys to social selling: The Microsoft Social Selling Program

LinkedIn Sales NavigatorThis premium service allows you to discover prospects using LinkedIn search functionality, InMail, and TeamLink to better understand accounts. The advanced search feature, Lead Builder allows you to create and save lists of prospects. This step is crucial in determining the success of your social selling. Sales Navigator also assigns social sellers a score, letting you know how well you are using the tool. For more info on understanding this service, check out our LinkedIn Sales Navigator Crash Course.

Social Selling Coaching Social selling coaches should be in place and willing to assist you in reaching out to prospects. Social selling coaches can train social sellers, monitor their social selling score, and provide resources to ensure high-quality performance. Once you discover and identify your prospects, research, research, research! You can target prospects and learn from their digital footprints, becoming more informed so that you can seamlessly engage.

InMail provides an option for direct communication to prospects. TeamLink automatically expands your network by showing which colleagues can help connect you to the right prospects and accounts.

7 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

Content Curation & EngagementNow that your foundation is built, it is time to engage prospects. Personalization is key. Content curation tools allow you to share relevant, interesting content and messages with your social communities in an authentic way. Additionally, ABM content tools can provide sellers content micro-sites packaged with relevant content around a topic that can be easily shared.

Social selling is all about creating a meaningful relationship that drives business trust and loyalty. This strategy allows greater visibility, accessibility, and connectivity to customer and prospect accounts. With LinkedIn Sales Navigator, social selling coaching, and personalized content curation, you have the power to build and transform customer experiences.

Chapter 2:

Keys to social selling: The Microsoft Social Selling Program

Watch the video

8 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

Chapter 3:

Creating your opportunity: How to become a social seller

Becoming a social seller starts with building your online brand and persona.

You shouldn’t overlook the importance of creating your social brand to expand your social influence. Start with the main social platform that can help you boost your social brand, LinkedIn.

Step one is to set up your online profile, which will be the brand you present to customers and prospects. A customer-centric approach is the best approach as it allows you to shift perception while forming your brand.

Build, engage, interact

9 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

Chapter 3:

Creating your opportunity: How to become a social seller

10 Tips for creating a more customer-centric profile

1. Display a professional quality photo

2. Write a compelling headline

3. Add your education

4. Add contact information

5. Customize links

6. Personalize your profile URL

7. Tell your story in your summary

8. Add rich media

9. Update your work history

10. Ask for recommendations

Chapter 3:

Creating your opportunity: How to become a social seller

Once you’ve set up your profile, establish yourself as a subject matter expert by posting thoughtful content. To do this, you should diversify your content and show that you are consistently engaged with the environment surrounding your area of expertise.

For example, if you are a group collaboration thought leader, share an article or comment on a post by a company that built a more dynamic enterprise by enhancing internal communication and employee connectivity. This not only shows that you are actively engaged in what’s going on, but that you acknowledge other good work in your industry.

Prospects and customers see this as an honest, trustworthy brand. You aren’t just out to promote yourself; you are looking to expand and nurture growth for your industry, or area of expertise. While developing your online presence always remember to:

10 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

Build your brand

• Post at least one item of content every single day, and share your point of view.

• Comment at least once a day on what other people are posting in your network

• Be customer-centric

• DO NOT post only about your product or service

Pay attention

• Make sure your posts are relevant, timely, and appropriate

• Review privacy options, platform updates, and settings

Be professional

• Define the online image you want to portray and ensure posts reflect this brand

• Remember your audience and be smart about photos and content you post

11 Influencers Guide to Social Selling

Conclusion:

Engage

You’ve defined your social brand, your profile is looking strong, now it is time to discover, prospect, influence, and engage. You can instantly begin to channel your inner social seller by emphasizing the capabilities we discussed across your social networks.

Today, everything is about the customer experience. It is your job to foster relationships with your buyers and assist them every step of the way. You do this by learning about them, finding common ground, and building something that is sustainable and personal.

Interact with prospective buyers via their preferred channels and become their trusted advisor. Embrace a new era of engagement.

Become a social seller today.

©2017 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. This document is provided “as-is.” Information and views expressed in this document, including URL and other Internet website references, may change without notice.

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