Pipedrive data shows that finding leads is one of the most critical challenges for sales professionals, impacting the productivity of more than 50% of customers. Zahra Jivá, Global Director of Sales Strategy at Pipedrive, provides insights on how to incorporate social selling into B2B sales strategy in today’s digital-first sales environment.
Social selling matters
- Increased Reach and Engagement: Social selling allows sales professionals to reach a wider audience and engage with prospects in a more personalized manner. By leveraging social media platforms, sellers can connect with potential customers where they are already spending time.
- Building Trust and Relationships: Social selling focuses on building relationships and trust with prospects before trying to close a sale. This approach aligns with modern buyer behavior, where customers prefer to buy from brands and individuals they trust.
- With 60% of sales professionals using LinkedIn for prospecting, social selling has proved to be a top strategy for boosting sales and company growth. According to LinkedIn, 78% of social sellers outsell peers who don’t use social media.
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Strategies to boost social selling
- Optimize your social media profiles. Ensure that your social media profiles, both personal and professional, especially on LinkedIn, are complete and representative. Include a clear, professional photo, a compelling headline, and a detailed summary that highlights your expertise and how you can help potential clients. According to LinkedIn, 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make buying decisions, with 50% using LinkedIn as a trusted source.
- Share valuable content: Regularly post and share content that is relevant to your industry and of interest to your target audience. This positions you as a thought leader and keeps you on the radar of potential clients. Sharing industry news, insights, and helpful articles can attract prospects and encourage engagement.
- Engage with your network: Actively engage with your connections by liking, commenting, and sharing their posts. This helps build relationships and keeps you visible to your network. Personalized interactions can lead to more meaningful connections and open the door to sales opportunities.
- Use professional tools, like Surfe, to prospect more efficiently on LinkedIn and connect them with your CRM to automate repetitive tasks, manage social conversations, build relationships and qualify leads. This helps you stay informed about what’s happening on LinkedIn, find the right prospects, understand their needs, build stronger relationships, and manage the entire sales journey more effectively.
- Join LinkedIn groups and other online communities related to your industry. Actively participate in discussions, share your expertise, and provide valuable insights. This will not only position you as an expert but also help you connect with potential prospects.
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Pipedrive customers who leverage Surfe’s capabilities have demonstrated significant improvements in their sales processes:
- 23% increase in organizations added (compared to those who do not use Surfe)
- 44% increase in new contacts (people)
- 47% increase in leads added
- 33% increase in sales activities added
- 33% increase in deals added
Social selling has an impact beyond social media
Social selling has a profound impact that extends beyond social media platforms, influencing customer relationships, lead quality, conversion rates, networking opportunities, customer insights, and purchase decisions. By integrating social selling strategies with traditional sales and marketing efforts, businesses can achieve a more comprehensive and effective approach to engaging with prospects and customers.