This is an interesting article that I have "Passled" about how to digitize sales.  The research they use is old saying that there are 3.4 Billion online, there is actually 4.14 Billion.  Either way, it's a big number.

In this October 2020 report by Simon Kemp he outlines the extent that social media has become part of our lives.  

Worldwide social media users: 4.14 billion - 53% of the world's population use social media in other words, more people use social media than don't use it.

Simon says that "two thirds of the working population in the world is now active on social media."

But there are more fundamental issues with sales and their lack of use of social.

All Sales Require a Company To Change - How Does A Sales Person Get The Commitment?

We see many salespeople getting meetings, the issue is that they turn into "nice chats".  How many times have you asked a salesperson how a call went and they say "it went really well, the people are really nice".  Then your next question will be "and what's the next action?" and at that point the discussion with the salesperson goes south.

The problem being, salesperson, didn't engage in a conversation that would compel the client to further explore change.  Salespeople are sucked into "discovery" or a "demo" without understanding that the client will have to change to buy.  When the sales conversation is around things other than change, it is difficult to generate a second meeting.

Social is critical to demonstrate the move to change.  We know that are buyers are online, we know they are consuming content, but has the salesperson originated content (and it's available on their social profiles) that demonstrates that change?  

Is the salesperson connected with the accounts and the people they need to influence?  Let's not forget that calling your clients one at a time does not scale and just annoys them as you have to interrupt them.  Social enables you to influence at scale.

Is the salesperson using content to influence their prospects?

Is there salesperson using content to demonstrate they understand the business issues?

Is the salesperson using content they understand the business case?

Is the salesperson using content to get C-Level meetings (a subject of previous blogs)

Weak Conversations and Weak Questions

Weak conversations and questions make for poor outcomes in sales.  In this interview with Paul Watts, we talk about how great questioning wins deals and how for example, you need to ask questions that make the client think.  Questions they have never been asked before. 

Where is Your Curiosity Salesperson? 

In this interview with Paul Watts, he talks about the "curiosity question" in sales interviews.  He tells the story of the first sales job interview he went for he was asked "have you ever been bitten by a dog?"  The answer wasn't relievent, the interviewer, was waiting for you to ask "what on earth has that got to do with the job?".  It was the curiosity question. 

Back to social.  With the salesperson creating insightful and educational content and asking questions that makes the client think; is creating value.  Taking, generic content from marketing that tries to appeal to everybody, is not creating value.  It's lazy selling, I know that, you know that, but more importantly the client knows that.

Let's not forget that sales conversations and great content will elicit immediate feedback in the form of engagement.  If you don't have engagement, you are not moving the sales forward. 

This is Scary!

For many people this means change and nobody likes change.  It's comfortable doing what we have always done.  We understand that and we know when we get up in the morning, what we are going to do.  A Sales Leader recently said to me "I still do what I did 20 years ago, it worked then and it works now."  But does it?

20 years ago I had a Sony Walkman, a VCR and a fax machine, but times have changed.

But not understanding social media is fine, in fact you are the same as everybody else. 

Also not understanding the business opportunity and not understanding what you need to do is also totally understandable and similar to everybody else in business.

One of my team recently said to me "I deal with people, whose pipeline is in the toilet, they probably cannot pay the salary at the end of the month, they have suppliers banging on the door asking for money.  They know cold calling and emaIl marketing isn't working, but are too scared to change."  

This is what's it's like to be in business in a Covid world in 2020.

The Barrier To Change

But being scared of the unknown is your barrier to change.

This venn diagram often does the rounds on social media and it is very true.  Our fears are the thing that often holds us back.

I'm in the process of getting fit and losing weight.  This is a simple task, I have to go running three times a week.  You know that, I know that.  But it isn't the going running that is the issue, it's the getting up and going is the problem.  The same with selling virtually in the new world.  It's not what you know, it's what you do! 

How many times in life have you thought "if only I had done x".

You Are Not Alone

All companies are going through this right now, it's scary times, CEO after CEO are saying to us right now "I know that we need to change, but I don't know what to, or how we do it".  I totally get that, CEOs are also saying to us "we came into this Pandemic analogue and we have to come out digital".

But how?

We Are Here To Work With You

First thing that surprises most people is that we have been doing this for 4 years.

There's been no pivot, we haven't just started doing this.  This helps you, not just the fact that we have "been there and done it" but we have data to back up our methodology. 

Which comes to our methodology, that takes the thinking out of being social.  

(Steve Job used to where the same outfit every day as it meant he didn't have to think about what he had to wear and he could focus his thoughts on other things). 

You do "this", you do "this" and you will get results.  Nothing to be scared about.  We also run coaching one to ones during the program, which means that everybody learns at their own pace.  Learning in a safe environment, with people that have done this many times.

Think of it as us working with you.

The Payoff

Everytime we run this program, we get 30% increase in revenue and a 40% reduction in the sales cycle.

There are also some softer benefits, you and your team get a new life skill and as a leader you are providing the business with a digital legacy.  Supporting the transformation to digital for the business.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Just give me, or one of the DLA Ignite team and hour of your time and we can walk you through what we are doing for other companies.  No hard sell, just take you through what other companies are doing to transform.

Please contact me here or one of the DLA Ignite team here, so please pick one of our industry experts or one of our experts in your geographical locality.  Our website is here.