Social Selling

Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers

Tim Hughes, Matt Reynolds

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780749478018
• eBook ISBN: 9780749478025
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Sales
• Index: Business

Adopt a clear strategy for social selling, including how to build authority online, gain influence in target communities and engage with decision-makers and changemakers to 'hack' the buying process, with the bestselling book from industry thought-leader Tim Hughes. As the digital landscape continues to change buying habits at both B2B and B2C level, it has become increasingly difficult to reach customers early enough in their decision-making process through traditional sales methods. Developing relationships with decision-makers through social networks has become an increasingly critical skill - enabling sales professionals to engage early on and 'hack' the buying process. Social Selling provides a practical, step-by-step blueprint for harnessing these specific and proven techniques including:
-How to use networks purposefully to build social trust and create a high-quality community
-How to develop real influence and authority in your subject area and connect with change-makers
-How to scale the social selling strategy across an organization including maturity and investment models, risk and governance, and technology platformsWritten by Tim Hughes, a thought-leader and renowned practitioner in social selling, and Matt Reynolds, one of the UK's leading technology sociologists, this book is essential reading for sales professionals, digital sales directors and SMEs who want to embrace the power of social selling in their organization.

INDEX

Note: italics indicate a Figure or Table in the text.

Accenture 179

account-based marketing (ABM) 53, 71, 81

Airbnb 10

Amazon 148

automation 94, 186

BANT 183–84

Blockbuster 18

Blogger 13

bloggers 154

blogs 89, 132–33, 175

video 167, 179

BQLs (Business Qualified Leads) 182, 183

brand 152, 180

advocate programme 150

control 16

see also personal branding

Branson, Richard 181

Broadsuite Media Group 11

Buffer (buffer.com) 128

Business news 89

buyer persona 35–37

Buytendijk, Frank 15–16

Buzzsumo (buzzsummo.com) 134

‘calls to action’ (CTAs) 31, 32, 37

Twitter profile and 41

‘change agents’ 174

changemaker 3–7, 45, 177–78

as decision maker 6, 178

buying process and 178

definition 4

persona 5–6

Social Community Manager (SCM) 21

social networks and 7

‘Changemaker Method’, The 4, 157–70

building authority and influence 165–67

champion 160

enhancing collaboration 169–70

getting started 159–60

learning to listen 162–65

optimizing 167–69

setting up shop 160–62

steps 158

channel partner advocacy 152–53

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 104–05

Chief Finance Officer (CFO) 105–06

Chief Information Officer (CIO) 110–11

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) 108–10

C-level executives 1–2, 3, 5

digital maturity 139

social selling and 104–11

close plans 184–85

cold calling 53, 103–04, 173

community 7, 99

as competitive advantage 16

as connected economy 11, 169–70

building your 19–24, 45, 58

customers and 18–19

definition 11

importance of relationships 69, 171

online/offline 95

owning your 18–19

role of tribal chief 11

tribalism and 9...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Introduction to social selling
• 01 Community and tribalism
• 02 Your identity within social networks
• 03 Talking to strangers
• 04 Controlling influence
• 05 The mechanics of traditional sales
• 06 Moving from an analogue to a social mindset
• 07 Selling the idea of social selling and measuring success
• 08 How to use technology to your advantage
• 09 Digital maturity
• 10 Five steps to getting you started
• Conclusion
• References
• Index
• Copyright