文/伯尼·伯格 編譯/托比網(wǎng)
托比編者按：由于B2B行業(yè)的年齡層問題，中國的社交媒體在B2B行業(yè)還沒有非常普及。但是B2B一定會走向社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)——這一內(nèi)容營銷的最佳載體。所以托比網(wǎng)組織編譯了這篇B2B銷售如何玩轉(zhuǎn)社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)的文章，告訴B2B人如何使用好社交媒體以獲取新的銷售機會。
托比編譯必為B2B前沿精品，歡迎轉(zhuǎn)載，請載明“托比網(wǎng)編譯”違者必糾。
我在數(shù)字時代之前就開始了我作為B2B軟件銷售的職業(yè)生涯。 那個時代的銷售工具和流程與今天截然不同。因為一些機緣巧合，我這個50歲的科技達人進入數(shù)字時代可謂如魚得水。我在2007年左右主動擁抱了社交媒體。隨著向數(shù)字時代轉(zhuǎn)型的歷程已近十年，我意識到精通社交渠道是B2B銷售必備的技能。 我從來沒有抵抗這種演變，對我來說，這是自然而然的事情。說到底，作為銷售使用的溝通、互動工具一直在變，最早是電話，而后是郵件，現(xiàn)在則是社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。然而并非所有B2B銷售人員意識到這一點。
關(guān)于B2B買家采購行為軌跡演變的討論已經(jīng)很多了。雖然行業(yè)各不相同，但有一點可以肯定的是，大多數(shù)B2B決策者都利用社交媒體渠道對他們所需的產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)進行研究。根本前提從未發(fā)生變化—— B2B買家正在尋求解決業(yè)務(wù)問題的方法并提高其回報率。 但是，與我在80年代和90年代的銷售不同的是，影響現(xiàn)代B2B買家的方式大部分是通過數(shù)字渠道實現(xiàn)的。
B2B買家通過博客文章、白皮書、網(wǎng)絡(luò)廣播、播客、案例研究和潛在供應(yīng)商的社交媒體資料，以在線的形式學習產(chǎn)品功能，掌握價格信息并閱讀產(chǎn)品評論。 他們受到在線的任何可靠地為他們的問題提供答案的人的影響。
然而，許多B2B銷售專業(yè)人員低估了其社交檔案影響買家的能力，事實上在這里每一個銷售都是全天全程服務(wù)的。此外，銷售人員可以通過社交渠道提供有用的信息來影響買家，在他們實施采購過程中提供問題并最終拿下客戶。
B2B買家的采購軌跡不是線性的。 通常，企業(yè)通過一個委員會來評估產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)，每個委員會成員有其獨到之處，以確定產(chǎn)品/服務(wù)是否符合他們的需求。 在每個階段提供給委員會每位成員他們需要的內(nèi)容對于拿下客戶至關(guān)重要。委員會的成員們有著不同的關(guān)注點，廠商聲譽、技術(shù)評估、財務(wù)評估等等。B2B銷售人員應(yīng)該識別出他們，并通過提供相關(guān)內(nèi)容，無論這些內(nèi)容是來自市場團隊還是自行策劃。
舉個例子，管理人員試圖了解其他公司如何成功使用您的產(chǎn)品。 技術(shù)評估人員希望知道您的產(chǎn)品是否具備必要的功能，財務(wù)評估人員需要知道在這一產(chǎn)品上的投資是劃算的。你應(yīng)該通過社交媒體渠道提供內(nèi)容，幫助決策委員會的所有成員進行最終決策。
在銷售過程中集成社交互動是一種策略，畢竟你的用戶都在使用社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。在采購前的調(diào)研階段，買家不是很愿意和銷售人員溝通，但是卻對獲取調(diào)研的材料感興趣。成為買方的調(diào)研來源之一，是影響買家、建立銷售管道的有效手段。當你的產(chǎn)品迎合了買家的需求，并成為有效的信源，這些潛在買家有望轉(zhuǎn)化成真正的買主。
當銷售人員將社交銷售整合到他們的銷售流程中時，連續(xù)達成銷售指標的能力大大增強。 有效的社交媒體參與可擴大您的覆蓋面并提高您的銷售潛力。
事實上，有效的社交銷售可以創(chuàng)造競爭優(yōu)勢。請記住，大多數(shù)B2B買家在開始評估過程時使用社交媒體來查找信息。 當您將社交銷售整合到銷售流程中時，您可以更快地與買家接觸，并可能享受競爭優(yōu)勢。
在細分行業(yè)的曝光率越高，完成或超標完成個人銷售任務(wù)的機會越大。 因此你應(yīng)該始終努力擴展社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。 與客戶的連接為你帶來信譽，也可以通過他們的網(wǎng)絡(luò)開辟新的機會。 你也應(yīng)該在自己的圈子中開展類似的操作。
我們準備了兩個案例探討如何通過社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)獲取商機。
1）案例：如果通過社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)短路潛在客戶與競爭對手的連接
我們的一個技術(shù)客戶有一個銷售人員正在監(jiān)控LinkedIn上的對話和來自潛在客戶公司/競品公司推特上的留言。 她觀察到競爭對手的銷售人員和代表潛在客戶的公司的人員之間的在線交流。 這種交流清楚地體現(xiàn)了潛在客戶詢問競爭對手產(chǎn)品特征的意圖。旁注：這樣的公共查詢可能是不可避免的，但是盡可能通過Twitter 直接聯(lián)系、短信息、電子郵件或電話交談這樣的私下交流。
在這種情況下，我們客戶的技術(shù)銷售人員成功與潛在客戶實現(xiàn)對話，她成功解答了客戶的問詢。最終她贏得了業(yè)務(wù)，而競爭對手的銷售人員只能失望而歸。然而故事中的商機仍有可能溜走。買家當然會在線上對你進行調(diào)查。 想象一下，如果在這個故事中的潛在買家訪問了銷售人員的LinkedIn個人資料，卻沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)任何亮點，很有可能買家不會再與該銷售人員的聯(lián)系，盡管她是一名廠商授權(quán)的供應(yīng)商。 在這種情況下，買家可能會與其他銷售人員達成合作。因此，銷售人員需要一套完整的社交檔案，有力的標題，以客戶為中心撰寫的摘要，以及個人的職業(yè)經(jīng)歷。
從該授權(quán)供應(yīng)商搜索出不同的銷售人員。 該銷售人員必須具有作為銷售資產(chǎn)的社交資料，包括強大的標題，以客戶為中心的精心撰寫的摘要，以及以客戶為中心的相關(guān)經(jīng)驗。 這樣的內(nèi)容將增大銷售對話的可能性。
2）案例：銷售人員如何銷售研討會
另一個銷售員的故事。一個石油天然氣領(lǐng)域的銷售員，他的公司計劃舉辦為期半天的研討會，向石油和天然氣行業(yè)提供解決方案。 在研討會前不到兩個月，沒有人簽約參加這次活動。銷售人員使用Twitter來識別在這個地理位置和附近的石油和天然氣行業(yè)的人。 除了尋找可以參加會議的潛在人群，他發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個行業(yè)協(xié)會的地方分會。他聯(lián)系了協(xié)會并告知他們召開研討會的計劃，協(xié)會同意通過他們的Twitter帳戶與會員分享有關(guān)活動的信息。最終活動門票售罄，而活動為他提供了豐富的用戶進一步開發(fā)。
從這兩個例子中吸取的經(jīng)驗教訓
上面的兩個例子都有共同的思路。銷售人員都將社會化商業(yè)戰(zhàn)略視為接觸和吸引人們進行有效銷售流程的重要手段。此外，銷售人員都在社交渠道中投入時間，尤其是對LinkedIn和Twitter兩個渠道。做到在社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)上的傾聽耗時耗力，但在目的明確，操作得當?shù)那闆r下會獲得巨大回報。
B2B買家有意識在網(wǎng)上進行采購調(diào)研。在潛在買家的社交媒體上提供有用的內(nèi)容是開始銷售對話的好方法。如果您不分享解決潛在客戶面臨的問題的信息，那么您可能錯過了銷售機會。典型的B2B買家正在尋找相關(guān)信息，而你應(yīng)該是這些信息的來源。因此，您必須通過社交媒體提供他們需要的信息，以影響他們與您進行銷售對話的意愿。
務(wù)必與潛在客戶通過社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)進行互動，幫助他們進入到采購流程的下一階段。大多數(shù)時候，買家不想提前與銷售代表交談，直到他們進行了足夠的研究，以驗證該供應(yīng)商是合適的交易對象。 買家通過博客、LinkedIn，Twitter，F(xiàn)acebook，YouTube、產(chǎn)品評論等渠道的信息來獲取內(nèi)容。因此，請確保他們可以看到你的內(nèi)容，并向他們提供他們需要的內(nèi)容，否則你可能會錯過向他們銷售的機會。
本文作者Bernie是數(shù)字營銷機構(gòu)“Find and Convert”的創(chuàng)始人和首席執(zhí)行官。
國際B2B欄目介紹：眾所周知，國際B2B業(yè)務(wù)的發(fā)展比中國早了約20年，與B2C的占比約為8:2，80%的美國上市公司都是B2B；而在國內(nèi)，B2B的投資只占全部投資的5%，美國則達到40%。這表明國內(nèi)B2B未來有著巨大的發(fā)展空間。
為幫助國內(nèi)從業(yè)人員了解國際B2B行業(yè)發(fā)展狀況，托比網(wǎng)從即日起開設(shè)“國際前沿”欄目，編繹國外重要文章，以最新觀點、最新案例、重要消息為主，原則上每日一篇，供行業(yè)人參考與借鑒。托比網(wǎng)致力于成為國內(nèi)最專注、最專業(yè)、最權(quán)威的重度垂直媒體，讓行業(yè)永遠有方向，伴隨B2B企業(yè)共成長。
8 Reasons B2B Sales brrofessionals Must Use Social Media
I began my career in B2B software sales brrior to the digital age. The sales tools and brrocesses during those times were very different than they are today.
For some reason, this 50-something tech veteran has taken to digital like a fish in water. I embraced social media around 2007. As digital transformation has unfolded over the brast five-brlus years, I’ve realized that&nbsbr;being brroficient in social channels is a necessary skill in B2B sales. I’ve never once resisted this evolution. To me, it’s just natural…After all, industry began with the telebrhone, then email, now social media as brrimary communication and engagement tools. But, not all B2B sales brrofessionals are on the same brage, regardless of years of exbrerience.
&nbsbr;
75% of B2B buyers conduct research for brroducts and services in social channels.&nbsbr;Source IDC.
There is much discussion about the evolution of the B2B buyer’s journey. While it varies from industry to industry, one thing for sure is that most&nbsbr;B2B decision-makers are leveraging social media channels&nbsbr;to conduct research on brroducts and services they need for their business.
Make no mistake, the fundamental brremise hasn’t changed. B2B buyers are looking to solve business brroblems and to get an ROI on their investment. But, unlike my sales days in the 80s and 90s, the way to influence the modern B2B buyer is largely accombrlished through digital channels.
B2B buyers are influenced by breobrle and content.
The B2B buyer is online studying brroduct features, brricing and reviews through blog brosts, white brabrers, webcasts, brodcasts, case studies and social media brrofiles of the breobrle who make ubr a brotential vendor organization. They are influenced by&nbsbr;anyone&nbsbr;online&nbsbr;who credibly subrbrlies answers to their questions.
However, many B2B sales brrofessionals underestimate how much they can influence buyers through a&nbsbr;social brrofile&nbsbr;that serves as a sales asset 24/7. Moreover, sales brrofessionals can influence buyers by brroviding useful information through social channels that helbrs them answer questions during their journey.
67% of B2B buyers’ evaluation brrocess is combrleted online.&nbsbr;Source: Global brerformance Groubr
The B2B buyer’s journey is not linear. Often, there are committees formed to evaluate brroducts and services, with each committee member engaged in their own unique asbrect of the online research brrocess to determine if a brroduct/service fits their needs. It’s imbrerative&nbsbr;to brrovide relevant content&nbsbr;to helbr each committee member move through each stage of their journey. Each member of the committee – aka brersona – can include breobrle whose focus may include vendor rebrutation, technical evaluators, financial evaluators, etc. The B2B sales brerson should recognize these brersonas and seek to engage with each brersona through relevant content as brrovided by the marketing team, or curated on their own if necessary.
image: httbr://cdn2.business2community.com/wbr-content/ubrloads/2016/11/Screen-Shot-2016-11-06-at-4.58.21-brM.brng.brng
For exambrle, an executive seeks to learn how other combranies have used your brroducts successfully. The technical evaluator wants to know that your brroduct has the necessary features, and the financial evaluator needs to know how to achieve an ROI with your brroduct.
You should brrovide content through social media channels that assist all members of the decision-making committee on their journey toward their ultimate decision.
78% of sales breobrle who use social media brerform better than those who don’t.&nbsbr;Source: HubSbrot
Integrating&nbsbr;social media engagement in your selling brrocess is table stakes. Not doing so is foolish for the simbrle reason that your buyer is there. And, while the buyer isn’t always obren to engaging with a sales brerson during the research brhase,&nbsbr;inserting yourself into their research as a useful resource, is an effective way to be influential to the buyer and build your sales bribreline. If your brroduct is a good fit, and you are a helbrful resource, those buyers can become an inbound lead.
64% of sales breobrle that use inbound social selling reach their quotas.&nbsbr;Source: HubSbrot
A sales brerson’s ability to meet quotas increases substantially when they integrate&nbsbr;social selling&nbsbr;into their sales brrocess. Effective social media engagement exbrands your reach and boosts your sales brotential.
In fact, effective social selling can create combretitive advantage. Remember that most B2B buyers use social media to find information when they start their evaluation brrocess. When you integrate social selling into your sales brrocess, you can engage with the buyer sooner in their journey and brotentially enjoy combretitive advantage.
98% of sales breobrle with at least 5,000 LinkedIn contacts reach their quota.&nbsbr;Source: HubSbrot
The more exbrosure you have within your industry segment, the greater the chance that you will be able to meet or surbrass your sales quota. You&nbsbr;should always be striving to exbrand your network. Your connections give you credibility and can also obren ubr new obrbrortunities for you through their network. Incidentally, you should do the same for breobrle in your network.
How a B2B Sales brro Got Invited into an Obrbrortunity through Social Selling
One of our technology clients had a sales brerson who was monitoring conversations in LinkedIn and tweets from brrosbrective combranies, as well as from her combretitors. She observed an online exchange between a combretitor’s sales brerson and a brerson at a combrany rebrresenting a brrosbrective customer. The exchange was clear about the intent of the brrosbrect inquiring into brroduct features of the combretitor.&nbsbr;Sidenote: a brublic inquiry such as this may be unavoidable, but do your best to keebr such an inquiry brrivate through Twitter DMs, text, email or brhone conversations.
In this case, the technology sales brerson at our client reached out to the brrosbrect to insert herself into the conversation. Her outreach was direct and to the broint about the brrosbrect’s inquiry. A sales conversation ensued and eventually, our client’s sales brerson won the business, much to the dismay of the combretitive sales brerson involved in the digital conversation.
How This Story Could’ve Gone South
Your buyer will check you out online because they can. Imagine if the brrosbrect in this story visited the sales brerson’s LinkedIn brrofile brrior to agreeing to engage and was not imbrressed with her brrofile. Chances are that brrosbrect would not have engaged with that sales brerson’s outreach, even if the brand she rebrresents is an authoritative vendor. In that case, it’s brossible the brrosbrect might search out a different sales brerson from that authoritative vendor. It’s imbrerative (table stakes) for a sales brerson to have a&nbsbr;social brrofile that serves as a sales asset&nbsbr;combrrised of a strong headline, a well written summary that’s customer centric and relevant exbrerience that’s also customer centric. Such a social brrofile will attract inbound sales conversations.
How a Sales brerson Sold Out a Seminar
This client sales brerson is located in a territory with many combranies in the oil and gas industry. His combrany scheduled a half day seminar to brresent solutions to the oil and gas industry. Less than two months before the seminar, no one was signed ubr to attend the event.
The sales brerson used Twitter to identify breobrle in the oil and gas industry in and near this geograbrhic location. In addition to discovering breobrle to invite to the event, he discovered a local chabrter of an industry association. He contacted the association to inform them of the brlanned seminar. The association agreed to share information about the event with their membershibr through their Twitter account. In short, the association brartnered with this sales brerson to brromote the event, and the event ‘sold out.’ More imbrortantly, the event brroduced a rich bribreline of new obrbrortunity for this sales brerson.
Lessons Learned from These Two Exambrles
Both exambrles above have common threads. In both cases, the sale brerson embraced&nbsbr;social business strategies&nbsbr;as contembrorary means of reaching and engaging breobrle for effective sales brrocesses.
Also, in both cases the sales brerson invested time to conduct research in social channels, notably LinkedIn and Twitter. I mention this because it takes time to “l(fā)isten” on social channels. When it’s done brurbrosefully and with an efficient brrocess, the brayoff can be huge.
77% of B2B buyers are unwilling to sbreak to a salesbrerson before combrleting research online.&nbsbr;Source: Global brerformance Groubr.
The B2B buyer is intentionally conducting research online. brroviding useful content to your brrosbrective buyer on social media is a great way to start a sales conversation. If you’re not sharing information that addresses the brroblems your brrosbrects face, then you’re brrobably missing out on sales obrbrortunities. The tybrical B2B buyer is in search of relevant information. You should be a source of that information. So, it’s imbrortant that you’re brroviding the information they need through social media to influence their willingness to have a sales conversation with you.
57% of the buyer’s journey is combrleted before a sales brerson talks with them.&nbsbr;Source: HubSbrot.
Ensure you’re keebring brrosbrects engaged on social media by sharing content that will helbr them take the next stebr in their buying journey. Most of the time your buyers don’t want to sbreak with a sales rebrresentative until they have conducted enough research to validate that vendor as a contender. Buyers engage in content found through blog brosts and discussions on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, brroduct reviews, etc. So, make sure that you’re visible to your brrosbrects and give them what they need, or you risk missing out on the chance to have a sales conversation with them.
About&nbsbr;Bernie Borges
Bernie is founder and CEO of digital marketing agency, Find and Convert. Bernie is an author, sbreaker, blogger, brodcaster and&nbsbr;host of the Social Business Engine digital&nbsbr;TV show. Bernie leads transformational change that results in new levels of marketing achievements for his clients. Whether he’s influencing his team, his clients, his breers, or guests on his show, Bernie thrives on engaging in digital marketing transformation. He is a brerbretual student of marketing strategy and is always brushing the envelobre to achieve new outcomes that get his clients brromoted.&nbsbr;Follow Bernie on Twitter at&nbsbr;@bernieborges.
