(電子商務(wù)研究中心訊) 我在數(shù)字時(shí)代之前就開(kāi)始了我作為B2B軟件銷(xiāo)售的職業(yè)生涯。那個(gè)時(shí)代的銷(xiāo)售工具和流程與今天截然不同。因?yàn)橐恍C(jī)緣巧合，我這個(gè)50歲的科技達(dá)人進(jìn)入數(shù)字時(shí)代可謂如魚(yú)得水。我在2007年左右主動(dòng)擁抱了社交媒體。隨著向數(shù)字時(shí)代轉(zhuǎn)型的歷程已近十年，我意識(shí)到精通社交渠道是B2B銷(xiāo)售必備的技能。我從來(lái)沒(méi)有抵抗這種演變，對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，這是自然而然的事情。說(shuō)到底，作為銷(xiāo)售使用的溝通、互動(dòng)工具一直在變，最早是電話(huà)，而后是郵件，現(xiàn)在則是社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。然而并非所有B2B銷(xiāo)售人員意識(shí)到這一點(diǎn)。
75%的B2B買(mǎi)家在社交渠道中開(kāi)展產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)的應(yīng)用研究(IDC)
關(guān)于B2B買(mǎi)家采購(gòu)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(diǎn)可以肯定的是，大多數(shù)B2B決策者都利用社交媒體渠道對(duì)他們所需的產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)進(jìn)行研究。根本前提從未發(fā)生變化——B2B買(mǎi)家正在尋求解決業(yè)務(wù)問(wèn)題的方法并提高其回報(bào)率。但是，與我在80年代和90年代的銷(xiāo)售不同的是，影響現(xiàn)代B2B買(mǎi)家的方式大部分是通過(guò)數(shù)字渠道實(shí)現(xiàn)的。
B2B買(mǎi)家通過(guò)博客文章、白皮書(shū)、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(xiàn)的形式學(xué)習(xí)產(chǎn)品功能，掌握價(jià)格信息并閱讀產(chǎn)品評(píng)論。他們受到在線(xiàn)的任何可靠地為他們的問(wèn)題提供答案的人的影響。
然而，許多B2B銷(xiāo)售專(zhuān)業(yè)人員低估了其社交檔案影響買(mǎi)家的能力，事實(shí)上在這里每一個(gè)銷(xiāo)售都是全天全程服務(wù)的。此外，銷(xiāo)售人員可以通過(guò)社交渠道提供有用的信息來(lái)影響買(mǎi)家，在他們實(shí)施采購(gòu)過(guò)程中提供問(wèn)題并最終拿下客戶(hù)。
67%的B2B買(mǎi)家(產(chǎn)品)評(píng)估過(guò)程完全通過(guò)線(xiàn)上完成(Global Performance Group)
B2B買(mǎi)家的采購(gòu)軌跡不是線(xiàn)性的。通常，企業(yè)通過(guò)一個(gè)委員會(huì)來(lái)評(píng)估產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)，每個(gè)委員會(huì)成員有其獨(dú)到之處，以確定產(chǎn)品/服務(wù)是否符合他們的需求。在每個(gè)階段提供給委員會(huì)每位成員他們需要的內(nèi)容對(duì)于拿下客戶(hù)至關(guān)重要。委員會(huì)的成員們有著不同的關(guān)注點(diǎn)，廠商聲譽(yù)、技術(shù)評(píng)估、財(cái)務(wù)評(píng)估等等。B2B銷(xiāo)售人員應(yīng)該識(shí)別出他們，并通過(guò)提供相關(guān)內(nèi)容，無(wú)論這些內(nèi)容是來(lái)自市場(chǎng)團(tuán)隊(duì)還是自行策劃。
舉個(gè)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(píng)估人員希望知道您的產(chǎn)品是否具備必要的功能，財(cái)務(wù)評(píng)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(guò)社交媒體渠道提供內(nèi)容，幫助決策委員會(huì)的所有成員進(jìn)行最終決策。
占比78%的使用社交媒體的銷(xiāo)售人員表現(xiàn)優(yōu)于沒(méi)有使用的人(HubSpot)
在銷(xiāo)售過(guò)程中集成社交互動(dòng)是一種策略，畢竟你的用戶(hù)都在使用社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。在采購(gòu)前的調(diào)研階段，買(mǎi)家不是很愿意和銷(xiāo)售人員溝通，但是卻對(duì)獲取調(diào)研的材料感興趣。成為買(mǎi)方的調(diào)研來(lái)源之一，是影響買(mǎi)家、建立銷(xiāo)售管道的有效手段。當(dāng)你的產(chǎn)品迎合了買(mǎi)家的需求，并成為有效的信源，這些潛在買(mǎi)家有望轉(zhuǎn)化成真正的買(mǎi)主。
64%的使用社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)的銷(xiāo)售人員達(dá)到其銷(xiāo)售指標(biāo)(HubSpot)
當(dāng)銷(xiāo)售人員將社交銷(xiāo)售整合到他們的銷(xiāo)售流程中時(shí)，連續(xù)達(dá)成銷(xiāo)售指標(biāo)的能力大大增強(qiáng)。有效的社交媒體參與可擴(kuò)大您的覆蓋面并提高您的銷(xiāo)售潛力。
事實(shí)上，有效的社交銷(xiāo)售可以創(chuàng)造競(jìng)爭(zhēng)優(yōu)勢(shì)。請(qǐng)記住，大多數(shù)B2B買(mǎi)家在開(kāi)始評(píng)估過(guò)程時(shí)使用社交媒體來(lái)查找信息。當(dāng)您將社交銷(xiāo)售整合到銷(xiāo)售流程中時(shí)，您可以更快地與買(mǎi)家接觸，并可能享受競(jìng)爭(zhēng)優(yōu)勢(shì)。
超過(guò)5000名LinkedIn聯(lián)系人的銷(xiāo)售中的98%可以完成銷(xiāo)售任務(wù)(HubSpot)
在細(xì)分行業(yè)的曝光率越高，完成或超標(biāo)完成個(gè)人銷(xiāo)售任務(wù)的機(jī)會(huì)越大。因此你應(yīng)該始終努力擴(kuò)展社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。與客戶(hù)的連接為你帶來(lái)信譽(yù)，也可以通過(guò)他們的網(wǎng)絡(luò)開(kāi)辟新的機(jī)會(huì)。你也應(yīng)該在自己的圈子中開(kāi)展類(lèi)似的操作。
B2B銷(xiāo)售人如何通過(guò)社交銷(xiāo)售獲取商機(jī)
我們準(zhǔn)備了兩個(gè)案例探討如何通過(guò)社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)獲取商機(jī)。
1)案例：如果通過(guò)社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)短路潛在客戶(hù)與競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的連接
我們的一個(gè)技術(shù)客戶(hù)有一個(gè)銷(xiāo)售人員正在監(jiān)控LinkedIn上的對(duì)話(huà)和來(lái)自潛在客戶(hù)公司/競(jìng)品公司推特上的留言。她觀察到競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的銷(xiāo)售人員和代表潛在客戶(hù)的公司的人員之間的在線(xiàn)交流。這種交流清楚地體現(xiàn)了潛在客戶(hù)詢(xún)問(wèn)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手產(chǎn)品特征的意圖。旁注：這樣的公共查詢(xún)可能是不可避免的，但是盡可能通過(guò)Twitter直接聯(lián)系、短信息、電子郵件或電話(huà)交談這樣的私下交流。
在這種情況下，我們客戶(hù)的技術(shù)銷(xiāo)售人員成功與潛在客戶(hù)實(shí)現(xiàn)對(duì)話(huà)，她成功解答了客戶(hù)的問(wèn)詢(xún)。最終她贏得了業(yè)務(wù)，而競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的銷(xiāo)售人員只能失望而歸。然而故事中的商機(jī)仍有可能溜走。買(mǎi)家當(dāng)然會(huì)在線(xiàn)上對(duì)你進(jìn)行調(diào)查。想象一下，如果在這個(gè)故事中的潛在買(mǎi)家訪問(wèn)了銷(xiāo)售人員的LinkedIn個(gè)人資料，卻沒(méi)有發(fā)現(xiàn)任何亮點(diǎn)，很有可能買(mǎi)家不會(huì)再與該銷(xiāo)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(mǎi)家可能會(huì)與其他銷(xiāo)售人員達(dá)成合作。因此，銷(xiāo)售人員需要一套完整的社交檔案，有力的標(biāo)題，以客戶(hù)為中心撰寫(xiě)的摘要，以及個(gè)人的職業(yè)經(jīng)歷。
從該授權(quán)供應(yīng)商搜索出不同的銷(xiāo)售人員。該銷(xiāo)售人員必須具有作為銷(xiāo)售資產(chǎn)的社交資料，包括強(qiáng)大的標(biāo)題，以客戶(hù)為中心的精心撰寫(xiě)的摘要，以及以客戶(hù)為中心的相關(guān)經(jīng)驗(yàn)。這樣的內(nèi)容將增大銷(xiāo)售對(duì)話(huà)的可能性。
2)案例：銷(xiāo)售人員如何銷(xiāo)售研討會(huì)
另一個(gè)銷(xiāo)售員的故事。一個(gè)石油天然氣領(lǐng)域的銷(xiāo)售員，他的公司計(jì)劃舉辦為期半天的研討會(huì)，向石油和天然氣行業(yè)提供解決方案。在研討會(huì)前不到兩個(gè)月，沒(méi)有人簽約參加這次活動(dòng)。銷(xiāo)售人員使用Twitter來(lái)識(shí)別在這個(gè)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(huì)議的潛在人群，他發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)行業(yè)協(xié)會(huì)的地方分會(huì)。他聯(lián)系了協(xié)會(huì)并告知他們召開(kāi)研討會(huì)的計(jì)劃，協(xié)會(huì)同意通過(guò)他們的Twitter帳戶(hù)與會(huì)員分享有關(guān)活動(dòng)的信息。最終活動(dòng)門(mén)票售罄，而活動(dòng)為他提供了豐富的用戶(hù)進(jìn)一步開(kāi)發(fā)。
從這兩個(gè)例子中吸取的經(jīng)驗(yàn)教訓(xùn)
上面的兩個(gè)例子都有共同的思路。銷(xiāo)售人員都將社會(huì)化商業(yè)戰(zhàn)略視為接觸和吸引人們進(jìn)行有效銷(xiāo)售流程的重要手段。此外，銷(xiāo)售人員都在社交渠道中投入時(shí)間，尤其是對(duì)LinkedIn和Twitter兩個(gè)渠道。做到在社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)上的傾聽(tīng)耗時(shí)耗力，但在目的明確，操作得當(dāng)?shù)那闆r下會(huì)獲得巨大回報(bào)。
77%的B2B買(mǎi)家在完成在線(xiàn)研究之前不愿意與銷(xiāo)售人員交談(Global Performance Group)
B2B買(mǎi)家有意識(shí)在網(wǎng)上進(jìn)行采購(gòu)調(diào)研。在潛在買(mǎi)家的社交媒體上提供有用的內(nèi)容是開(kāi)始銷(xiāo)售對(duì)話(huà)的好方法。如果您不分享解決潛在客戶(hù)面臨的問(wèn)題的信息，那么您可能錯(cuò)過(guò)了銷(xiāo)售機(jī)會(huì)。典型的B2B買(mǎi)家正在尋找相關(guān)信息，而你應(yīng)該是這些信息的來(lái)源。因此，您必須通過(guò)社交媒體提供他們需要的信息，以影響他們與您進(jìn)行銷(xiāo)售對(duì)話(huà)的意愿。
57%的買(mǎi)家在銷(xiāo)售人員與他們接觸之前已經(jīng)完成(HubSpot)
務(wù)必與潛在客戶(hù)通過(guò)社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)進(jìn)行互動(dòng)，幫助他們進(jìn)入到采購(gòu)流程的下一階段。大多數(shù)時(shí)候，買(mǎi)家不想提前與銷(xiāo)售代表交談，直到他們進(jìn)行了足夠的研究，以驗(yàn)證該供應(yīng)商是合適的交易對(duì)象。買(mǎi)家通過(guò)博客、LinkedIn，Twitter，F(xiàn)acebook，YouTube、產(chǎn)品評(píng)論等渠道的信息來(lái)獲取內(nèi)容。因此，請(qǐng)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(huì)錯(cuò)過(guò)向他們銷(xiāo)售的機(jī)會(huì)。
本文作者Bernie是數(shù)字營(yíng)銷(xiāo)機(jī)構(gòu)“Find and Convert”的創(chuàng)始人和首席執(zhí)行官。
國(guó)際B2B欄目介紹：眾所周知，國(guó)際B2B業(yè)務(wù)的發(fā)展比中國(guó)早了約20年，與B2C的占比約為8:2，80%的美國(guó)上市公司都是B2B；而在國(guó)內(nèi)，B2B的投資只占全部投資的5%，美國(guó)則達(dá)到40%。這表明國(guó)內(nèi)B2B未來(lái)有著巨大的發(fā)展空間。
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“listen”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.（來(lái)源：托比網(wǎng) 編選：中國(guó)電子商務(wù)研究中心）
