B2B Sales Lounge » Resources http://www.b2bsaleslounge.com Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:02:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 The Rules Have Changed: Web 2.0 Calls For Visibility http://www.b2bsaleslounge.com/the-rules-have-changed-web-2-0-calls-for-visibility/216 http://www.b2bsaleslounge.com/the-rules-have-changed-web-2-0-calls-for-visibility/216#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 16:58:55 +0000 Dan Vescuso http://www.b2bsaleslounge.com/?p=216 As we move through this new era of Web 2.0, we experience changes in how many things in business now work. Beyond the look and feel of business, the free flowing river of information that is the web powers new trends, and even new rules, as to how business works. Chad Levitt recently posted about [more...]]]> As we move through this new era of Web 2.0, we experience changes in how many things in business now work. Beyond the look and feel of business, the free flowing river of information that is the web powers new trends, and even new rules, as to how business works. Chad Levitt recently posted about the new rules of B2B sales in his New Sales Economy blog. Here we see how the rules have changed: the lines between marketing and sales have blurred, so Chad urges salespeople to make themselves visible by publishing relevant content and promoting themselves through virtual channels content.

Chad is onto something here, and a few of his points really stand out to me. He mentions that the cause of this shift to sales 2.0 is web 2.0; meaning the increase in the flow of information that social media and the web has created is allowing for more informed customers. It also allows for more informed sellers; for example it is incredibly easy to look up a prospect on LinkedIn, get a sense for their business personality and then to look up the company they work for through information services or by simply googling it.

Chad also mentions that at the “center of all this change is content and how we interact with it”. If you have interesting blog posts, tweets that speak to your buyer’s needs, or some other sort of intriguing or valuable thought, you will drive a following and in turn drive more sales opportunities. However it is also important to monitor others content; if your buyers can find information about your product and about you, then you can certainly find information about some of your prospects and their companies. In addition, you can find all sorts of valuable tricks of the trade by searching for articles, blogs, etc. Since you are reading this blog I guess you already know that.

Beyond the necessary information on your prospects, monitoring social networking and/or business sites can also keep you up to date with client events and will keep you on top of certain activities that can trigger sales, such as a merger or management change. While it may prove time consuming to do this on your own, there are information tools that can help you do this (iSell for example).

Bottom line: Make yourself visible on the web through effective content and self promotion, and take advantage of existing content by searching social channels or through business information tools.

]]> http://www.b2bsaleslounge.com/the-rules-have-changed-web-2-0-calls-for-visibility/216/feed 1 Leverage Data Sources To Fill In the Gaps, Better Yourself http://www.b2bsaleslounge.com/leverage-data-sources-to-fill-in-the-gaps-better-yourself/184 http://www.b2bsaleslounge.com/leverage-data-sources-to-fill-in-the-gaps-better-yourself/184#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:40:51 +0000 Dan Vescuso http://www.b2bsaleslounge.com/?p=184 Geoffrey James recently posted in the bNet Sales Machine blog about some of the qualities a “salesperson of the future” should possess. The post is a compilation of the best answers he received from CEOs and sales experts, some of which are right on track with our thinking.

One particular trait he highlights is the ability [more...]]]> Geoffrey James recently posted in the bNet Sales Machine blog about some of the qualities a “salesperson of the future” should possess. The post is a compilation of the best answers he received from CEOs and sales experts, some of which are right on track with our thinking.

One particular trait he highlights is the ability to be a collaborator rather than a communicator. The article states that both sales reps and customers are generally very familiar with each others’ business. Because of this, the process of selling should be more about hammering out the details in order to come to a deeper understanding and mutually beneficial agreement – rather than the sales rep just, well, selling (aka only providing information and not working with the prospect).

To that point, you can never be too prepared. If you’re a salesperson of the future (and I’m sure you are), the more information you have about your customers and prospects the better.

“In general, sales professionals who exceed expectations do so because they are more informed and have better prepared themselves than their counterparts.” Says Bill Murphy, Director of Channel Sales, OneSource. “Using external resources to keep yourself current as well as using information services to gain insight into each call are essential tactics for staying on top in sales.”

Make sure you’re leveraging a data source that can provide you with accurate, up-to-date information. This information will not only arm you for a discussion with your client, but provide you with enough information about what they might be looking for – the holes they might be trying to fill- to help them achieve their goals.

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