Social Selling involves sales teams using social media to listen, engage with customers, and understand potential customer needs. It helps salespeople to easily find, connect with, and manage several customers at once, reducing some of the less efficient aspects of traditional selling methods, like cold calling.

The significant rise of Social Media and the growing number of users engaging online have led many companies to incorporate social practices into their main operations. Businesses are moving into the social space to actively listen to customer feedback and streamline the entire buying process. However, with all the buzz around Social Media and the overwhelming amount of “noise” in this area, should companies really put money into Social Selling?

The answer to that question is yes. A study conducted on Social Selling by Aberdeen Research Group last year shows:

  • Sales reps who leveraged Social Selling in their sales process were 79% more likely to attain their quota than those who don’t use it
  • Sales reps who used Social Selling reported a 55% customer renewal rate and a sales forecast accuracy of 54%
  • 49% of sales reps who used Social Selling achieved their quota and attributed 64% of total team attainment of sales quota

Buyers are better informed now more than ever and often times do a significant amount of research before making their purchase decisions. Customers research solutions, ask questions and review feedback from peers before they engage in any conversations with the vendor salesperson. In order to identify possible opportunities, a salesperson has to first listen and engage in these conversations. If a salesperson is able to demonstrate credibility and maintain high visibility in that space, buyers are more likely to build relationships with them and in the future may approach them for possible solutions. While the numbers speak for themselves, the evidence is clear that salespeople significantly benefit from being more social.

In fact, the ongoing Social Shake-Up Conference is widely discussing this topic and speakers are sharing their insights. You may want to follow this conference (#SocialShakeUp) to get live updates. This conference features some of the industry’s top executives and speakers who share their stories and information on how to leverage Social initiatives.