It seems like we always have that old school, new way debate. “It’s different this time.” Many people have been quoted using that one, but some things are different today. Let me elaborate.
- LinkedIn was founded in 2002, almost 20 years ago today. When I started Pariveda, it was only email and phones.
- Social Selling was coined by LinkedIn in 2014 when they realized that those who incorporated social media into their marketing processes sold more.
- Challenger Sales says that 89% of buyers research sellers PRIOR to engaging the company.
- Hubspot says 50% of revenue is influenced by social selling.
Ok, so things have changed. I created this general framework in 2003 when I co-founded Pariveda Solutions with Bruce Ballengee, but many of those concepts have morphed over time.
I will be exploring several of these ideas in the coming weeks.
In order to develop new business, you need to incorporate these three activity-based concepts.
- Connecting
- Marketing
- Selling
And, yes, there are different elements to each.
- Connecting is about growing your personal network to increase your Social Capital leading to opportunities in the network. You do this by serving and helping other.
- Marketing has morphed to be about developing your personal brand in the digital space by blogging, commenting and publishing, leading to people calling you. You do this by engaging with thought leadership.
- Selling is about having a defined process for taking leads to revenue, leading to more wins with less effort. You win by following a discrete process and eliminating short cuts.
Some is the same and a lot is different because of the tools available. One cannot ignore the value of creating and expanding your personal network. You never know where a lead will come from. Companies must move from creating engaging content for the firm and brand content to the market facing employees. People buy from people, not corporations. Revenue happens when you plan for it to happen down a rigorous funnel of activity. Company’s buy from you because you establish a value proposition, establish proof, and manage the process while leaving the buyers in control.
All of these activities – connecting, marketing and selling work together.
How do you think about selling in a digital-first economy?
#connectforlife #connectpoints #salescoaching