From the Bottom to the Top of the Funnel, COVID-19 is Flipping B2B Strategies

We've been talking with a Saas Leader for a number of months and there has been a total re-assessment of priorities. 

Where as, Social Selling was once a "nice to have" and often a priority, that people never got to, now, social selling is a business imperative. 

Critical for any organisation for for them to remain pro-active, you need a strategy.  A strategy based on a pre-covid 19 world does not cut it.

So what changed?

The feedback we have covers a number of areas:-

1.  The current pipeline had gone soft.  We are now working with clients to de-risk the pipeline and to get deals through the "last mile" through social and sales navigator.

2.  Current deals meant that decision making had to go up another level.  Again, a use for Sales Navigator to map out the business.

Both 1 and 2 we showed them how to grow their network in an account.  While Gartner say that there are 10 people that now make a decision in an account we worked through how to use social media to find the decision makers and influencers (internally and externally) to the business and how to connect with them, build relationships and have conversations.

3.  We were asked about how to move deals through the pipeline in the current climate.  The customer knew that ringing people and saying "are you going to do the deal?" just does not cut it in the current climate.  So we showed them how salespeople can use content (written by the salespeople) to move deals through the pipe.

4. As well as closing the client is also concerned about initiating deals in the current climate.  Firing off emails and making cold calls does not really fit with B2B Enterprise, so we have shown the company how to create profiles on Linkedin, how to grow their networks and  create content in a way that shows that you are an expert.

Just think about how in the days of face-to-face meetings, you would kick off the meeting building trust, rapport and explaining how you are an expert.  We have coaching the sales team to do this on social.  It saves time, is more efficient and effective and increases your win rate.  Cool eh!

So what?

Sales team have taken their analogue territories and put them online.  They are now approaching these people and having conversations, online.  Initiating conversations and joining conversations. The prospects can see these people are experts from their Linkedin profiles.  This then ables the sales people to connect to the prospects.

They are doing this right across their accounts with multiple stakeholders and multiple decision makers.

5.  This is enabling the sales people to create deeper relationships in a world where there are no face-to-face meetings.

Social and digital slo allows you to more efficient and effective and allows you to scale, even in the Coronavirus world.

None of this gets in the way of the current sales process, in terms of discovery calls and demonstrations.  But it is getting the team ready for H2 and the new normal.

Now is the time to start planning and executing for financial year half 2 (H2), it will also get your business ready to be stronger and fitter as we exit.

What to chat about any of this you can contact me here