social selling executive round table for linkedin sydney

© 2015 Tony J Hughes − Find me in LinkedIn or at www.RSVPselling.com

Sales Transformation Executive Round Table, August 2015

January, 2015

Tony J Hughes

#1 Asia-Pacific


50% 45% The Secret Will be Revealed

Pipeline Hit Quota


Is B2B Selling Becoming Harder?


Empowered buyers armed with research

Commoditisation of seller ‘solutions’

Differentiation becoming more difPicult

Distrust of ROI claims and sales messages

More decision makers (>5) and harder to get to

Consensus based decision making (lots who can say ‘no’)

Digital distraction and information overload

Automated clutter preventing cut-‐through

The drive for more value from fewer suppliers

Trends in B2B Selling


___% of sales people fail to hit target in B2B selling?

Why Transformation Is Needed

40% Source: Corporate Executive Board 2012

TAS Group research revealed 66%!



___% of sales engagements fail to meet expectations?

85% Source: Forrester Research 2012

95% of decision-‐makers expect insight from seller. Yet 86% fail to differentiate

CEB, 2012


B2B Sales People Must Evolve “By 2020, 85% of interactions between businesses will be executed without human intervention.” Source: Gartner Research, 2014


Talks about outcomes and managing risks

Talks about product and competition

Responsive and customer advocate

Field sales not required. Phone, web or channel

What’s The Conversation?

“22% of B2B sales roles in the USA will be gone by 2020. The only area that will have any growth is at the top end where there are longer sales-‐cycles and complexity.” Source: Andy Hoar at Forrester Research -‐Death of a (B2B) Salesman, April 2015. surveyed 236 buyers

B2B Sales People Must Evolve


(Consultants) (Explainers)

(Navigators) (Order Takers)

Employment Prospects

•  Order Takers: 33% Job loss •  Explainers: 25% Job loss •  Navigators: 15% Job loss •  Consultants: 10% Job gain

•  Only 25% of B2B actively sell online today! Yet cost of sale reduces from $24.50 to $1.50.

Source: Andy Hoar at Forrester Research -‐Death of a (B2B) Salesman, April 2015. surveyed 236 buyers

B2B Sales People Must Evolve

-25% +10%

-33% -15%


How Are You Transforming?


Untroubled & Unaware

Research Market

Evaluate & Select

Consider Change

Business Case

Ignorant Curious Researching Motivated Committed Partnership

Discovery Decision Value Realization

Strategic Tactical Research, target and plan (alignment rather than evangelism) Prepare fully, arrive early and engage at most senior levels Challenge the status quo with evidenced business insights Set agenda with a bias in requirements toward your strengths Embed your unique value in a compelling business case Create focus on business value creation and risk mitigation Top-down proactive

Focus is on price Comply with process No access to power Features & functions Time pressure Bottom-up reactive

Implement & Manage

Research / Target / Insights / Value Differentiate Alignment (B2B2C)

DePining B2B Reactive Selling

© 2014 Tony Hughes − www.RSVPselling.com



Research Market

Evaluate & Select

Consider Change

Business Case



Research, target and plan (alignment rather than evangelism) Prepare fully, arrive early and engage at most senior levels Challenge the status quo with evidenced business insights Set agenda with a bias in requirements toward your strengths Embed your unique value in a compelling business case Create focus on business value creation and risk mitigation Top-down proactive

Implement & Manage

DePining B2B Buyer In Control




Research Market

Evaluate & Select

Consider Change

Business Case



Implement & Manage

DePining B2B Strategic Selling


Win review for triggers Define ideal CX Implementation review Case studies / testimonial ROI validation

Trigger Events?



Research Market

Evaluate & Select

Consider Change

Business Case



Strategic = Top-down Proactive and Talk The Language of Leaders Research, segment, target and plan (alignment rather than evangelism) Social listening based on profiling from win reviews Prepare fully, arrive early and engage at most senior levels (social research) Challenge the status quo with evidenced business insights Set agenda with a bias in requirements toward your strengths Embed your unique value in a compelling business case Create focus on business value creation and risk mitigation

Implement & Manage

Research / Target / Insights / Value / Differentiate Alignment (B2B2C)

DePining B2B Strategic Selling





Research Market

Evaluate & Select

Consider Change

Business Case



What do buyers look for before they look for you?

Implement & Manage

Research / Target / Insights / Value / Differentiate Alignment (B2B2C)

B2B Strategic Social Selling




Triggers and Journey Mapping?


The Way We Sell Is …

… just as important as what we sell


Company and Brand Impact

Product and Service Delivery

Value-to-Price Ratio Sales Experience

Percen

tage of C

ontribu0

on to

Customer Loyalty

53%

9%

19%

19%

Basis of Competitive Selection

Source: Corporate Execu0ve Board, The Challenger Sale, 2012. (n=5,000+ purchasing organiza0ons)

? ? ? ?

“Offers unique, valuable perspec0ve on the market” “Helps me navigate alterna0ves” “Helps me avoid poten0al land mines” “Educates me on new issues and outcomes”


50% 45% The Secret to Better Performance


The ‘Social Selling’ Misnomer


Trigger Event

Emotional Favorite

Select & Negotiate

Consider Change

Research Market

Traditional Sales Vs Social Selling

Traditional Sales Cold calls, blast and spam Interrupt and pitch (‘telling selling’) Discover, qualify and solutions Push & deal with objections Propose, demo & close

Implement & Manage

From Interrupt and Push to Attract and Engage


Trigger Event

Emotional Favorite

Select & Negotiate

Consider Change

Research Market

Traditional Sales Vs Social Selling

Implement & Manage

Social Selling Social Listening and research Education and insights (publish) Engage in context with relevance Understand and collaborate Confirm and negotiate

Social media is like teen sex. Everyone wants to do it but nobody knows how. Avinash Kauskik, Google


Social Selling Framework


Social Selling DePined

Social Selling DeMined: The strategy and process of building quality networks online that accelerate the speed of business and efPiciency of selling. It is

achieved with human engagement through social listening, social publishing, social research, social engagement, and social collaboration.


DePining and Creating Trust

Change the conversation to lead with why


Why Social Matters Social Publishing Case Study


<100 vs >200,000


Why Not Embrace Social Selling?


Thanks and Connect in LinkedIn


Sales Transformation Executive Round Table, August 2015

January, 2015

Tony J Hughes

#1 Asia-Pacific