Since 2008 when Anneke Seley (Sales 2.0 author and social selling evangelist) and Brent Holloway’s wrote Sales 2.0: Improve Business Results Using Innovative Sales Practices and Technology, Sales 2.0 and Social Selling remain hot topics. The Sales 2.0 conference attracts thousands of sales and marking leaders to hear Sales 2.0 success stories and recommendations. Why the strong interest in Sales 2.0?
- Sales 2.0 recognizes the buying process has evolved. The internet now allows access to a plethora of detailed information. It’s more than anyone has ever been able to unleash and analyze before. Today’s savvy buyers know what they want and how and where to evaluate viable options to satisfy their need.
- Sales 2.0 recognizes the selling process must evolve in response to the new buyer role. Salespeople are approached by well-educated buyers and no longer control the information buyers can access and review. Salespeople must be customer-centric if they are to survive and thrive.
- Sales professionals are exploring the role of social networks and platforms. Sales 2.0 recognizes that social networks and platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+) have amplified the ‘voice of the people’ and allowed news to travel faster and louder to more individuals. Buyers are talking and salespeople must be listening and enhancing their conversations and engagements with buyers. Having today’s salesperson bring something unknown and relevant to the buyer table is imperative in today’s selling universe.
- Sales professionals are seeking the best sales intelligence tools. Sales 2.0 recognizes the importance of accurate B2B sales intelligence resources (see: Selecting the Best List Sources for Sales Intelligence in Your Outbound Prospecting Campaign: A 2014 Update). These resources provide more than accurate prospect contact information. They also indicate appropriate research, news and trigger events that will help these sellers truly understand the wants and need of the buyers they hope to serve.
I’ve chosen to focus on four Sales 2.0 points here but this is hardly an exhaustive list of why Sales 2.0 is popular. How has Sales 2.0 helped your organization win more deals?