The Myth About B2B Social Selling in B2B Sales

By thought-horizon | Jun 4, 2019

Like SEO experts of olden days, social media and digital marketing executives appear to drive sales terrifically. Businesses are mining great potential of the same mixed with their expertise to try selling mud to desert nomads and still be successful at the same. Whether you are a mom-and-pop shop looking to optimize your few hundred dollars budget or a Fortune 100 business looking to hire an agency, it works for each one of you. That said, being an expert in the social selling arena, it drives us absolutely nuts to come across some of the drivel that we hear about the same. And so we, today, decided to debunk some of the myths related to B2B social selling and help you out.

Here we go!

1. Social media delivers results overnight

Social media accounts for 3.48 billion users worldwide. Huge number. And with that comes the first misconception, “social media delivers outstanding RoI in the blink of an eye”.

Not that we doubt social media’s potential. Social media can deliver great returns when used effectively. However, those results require more than just one night stand. Building a community takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention the trust factor. Having a targeted content strategy in place is the first step to great social selling.

2. Social selling is just a fad

While many of the marketers argue in favor of this statement, numbers clearly deny the same. Research suggests that users buyers spend 28% of their online time catching up with their social media profiles. And that clearly tells that nothing can replace social media’s potential to reach the customer’s mind. In case you are the one avoiding social media, you are probably the one fighting against the tide. Users use social media as a research tool that guides their buying decision. With more users joining the clan enthusiastically, the popularity of social media to generate business is only going to soar in the future.

3. Social selling is merely sales pitches taking place on social

If this myth is what drives your sales team, you are sure in the biggest misconception ever and so there are very less chances of getting any value. Social selling is more a marketing and branding effort than merely sales pitches. It requires you to leverage your professional identity to build striking brand credibility among the right people by identifying the right prospects and engaging with them.

Social selling begins with the social identity of the sales pro and extends to how they add value to the network and connect with buyers, ultimately to the point of taking conversation offline when the sales process begins.

4. Customers don’t prefer interacting with sales pros on social media

“Consumers don’t appreciate the brands that pitch their products/ services.” Well, no one does. But then, that’s not an issue with social selling. The problem is your approach.

None of us want to be shoved sales pitch with the very first interaction.  Buyers today are more informed and savvy than ever. You, therefore, have an opportunity to research, find the right prospects and establish your brand as a compelling option in front of them.

5. Social selling is all about salesperson

Sales today, is not an action- it is a journey. The first milestone of this journey is customer’s interaction with brands, ideas, opinions, and other aspects. They research about the brands, go through the reviews and posts by the peers, twitter feeds, LinkedIn and a lot more. All that requires sales professionals to join hands with marketers. While social media marketing specialists establish brand credibility, salespeople can make the best of their persuasion skills to close the deal.

6. Social selling training is a myth, it comes natural

Social selling is all about strategy. It’s about following a clear, logical set of steps towards measurable goals. And while it’s not necessarily something you can simply pick up overnight, it’s absolutely something that can be learned and developed over time.

Simple, quantifiable things like updating your status on social media sites, engaging with content posted by companies in your target market and reaching out to all your new connections via LinkedIn.

While (in most cases) social media platforms aren’t going to become the places where you actually do your selling, this is where you locate your target market and establish your relationships with potential customers, before guiding the relationship offline to make your sale.

The starting point, always, is to think about how to be useful to your clients and customers. How to guide them, rather than simply sell to them. It’s about giving away just enough for free to get them hooked on what you do.

And it’s about looking at your brand and your offering through their eyes.

Social selling- The Right Way!

B2B social selling is a game changer. Buyers have changed how they buy. Therefore, sales people MUST change how they sell in order to meet buyers where they are today. Social selling is the solution, but it is hard work. It will not suddenly start happening and create lots of new revenue. That said if sales teams DO NOT use Social Selling they will be left behind. They will eventually regret this choice. Stick with it and learn or else risk being behind the competition.