As sales leaders, we do everything we can to ensure the forecast becomes reality

✅ We train our reps to qualify properly
✅ We coach them on how to forecast accurately
✅ We pressure-test deals during pipeline reviews

And yet... deals still slip

So what’s missing?

Here’s the kicker: you can reduce sales cycles by up to 30% — not by tweaking your forecast, but by changing your approach

Let’s break it down

1. Have More Meaningful Conversations With the Right People

Deals don’t stall because your team doesn’t want to win

They stall because they haven’t gone deep or wide enough in the account

We focus on helping teams engage more effectively with ICP personas, the people who actually move the needle

That means:

Building relationships with more stakeholders

Understanding internal politics

Becoming seen as a trusted advisor, not just a vendor

2. Avoid the Single-Threaded Trap

We’ve all been there

The deal looks good

Your champion loves the solution

Then they leave the company… and the deal dies

By expanding your relationships inside the account, you reduce this risk dramatically

One person leaving shouldn’t take your deal with them

3. Position Your Team as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

When your team is seen as credible, knowledgeable, and helpful, something powerful happens:

Buyers reach out to you for advice

You get visibility into the real business challenges

You learn what the competition is doing — and how to out manoeuvre them

4. Implement a “Surround Strategy”

Don’t just get into the account. Surround it

By engaging with multiple roles and levels, you:

Lock out competitors

Get access to decision-makers faster

Create internal champions across the org

This doesn't just help you close the deal — it helps you control the deal.

The Bottom Line?

If you want fewer deals to slip and more to close, it’s time to go beyond qualification and forecasting

It’s time to build real relationships

Go deeper

Go wider

Surround the account

That’s how you de-risk your forecast — and close the quarter strong

Can you drive revenue from social media?

Social selling is not about spamming people or inmails or connect and pitch

Our definition of social selling is 

"Using your presence and behaviour on social media to build influence, make connections, grow relationships and trust, which leads to conversation and commercial interaction"
 

And the results?

For an AE, we can shorten sales cycles by 30%

And the average SDR will get 1 x ICP meeting a day

Which should increase your revenue by 20%

You can get these results by using our social selling methodology, that is certified by Institute of Sales Professionals (ISP)

"social selling techniques to influence buyers and changemakers - 2nd edition".

In this brand new edition, I have updated all the text, I have also got 15 practitioners, so people who are doing this already to explain how they are get (practical) business benefit. From the CEO that has been running a digital business for over 18 months to sales leaders and sales people who use social selling every day to drive revenue growth. 

Articles on how these business have and are implementing digital, from Mercer, Telstra Purple, Ring Central, Cyberhawk, Namos, Ericsson, DLA Ignite and more.

What does Mark Schaefer, Marketing guru think of the book "social selling - techniques to influence buyers and changemakers - 2nd edition"? watch the video here

It's available on Amazon worldwide.  Link to Amazon.com here and Amazon.co.uk here.