Changing The Game With Social Selling, Presented By Sap

The buzz: 'We go together like rama lama…' Grease, 1978 film. Even if you’re successfully using Social Selling, you still need good partner relationships for your business to grow, scale and thrive. Why? A partner model in your go-to-market strategy can help ensure your customers receive the best experience every time. How to make it happen? Your organization needs to provide ongoing support, enablement, training, more – especially for partners who rely on you for innovative ideas and strategies. How does the partner model fit in with Social Selling? The experts speak. Lorraine Maurice, SAP: 'Succeeding in business is all about making connection' Richard Branson. Phil Lurie, SAP: 'You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you find you get what you need' The Rolling Stones. Marco Argaez, SAP: 'Coming together is a beginning: keeping together is progress: working together is a success' Henry Ford. Join us for Social Selling and the Partner Ecosystem.

The buzz: Weather at six. Microsoft’s headline-grabbing LinkedIn acquisition announcement was followed immediately by widespread speculation about what this would and could mean for the Social Selling world. How open – or not – will LinkedIn’s platform stay? What new features are in development and when can we expect a reveal? What will be the impact on Social Selling newbies versus those who have been in the game for a while? Could this open the door for other social platforms to shine in the social selling arena? So many questions! Tune in for insights and predictions. The experts speak. Kurt Shaver, The Sales Foundry: “The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow” (Rupert Murdoch). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth” (Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee). Join us for LinkedIn and Microsoft: The Perfect Storm for Social Selling?

The buzz: Viva le Video! The 1978 lyrics of “Video Killed the Radio Star” (The Buggles) expressed deep concerns about the impact of 20th century inventions on the media arts. “They took the credit for your second symphony, Rewritten by machine on new technology.” Video popularity has soared since then and today video is considered the “future of content marketing” (The Guardian, 2015). What exactly is the potential of video? How can it be leveraged for Social Selling in the sales cycle? The experts speak. Gabe Villamizar, HireVue: “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it. (Rafiki, The Lion King). Jack Kosakowski, the Creation Agency: “Before you can understand and motivate anyone else, you must first understand and motivate yourself” (Black Jack Moher). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak” (John Berger). Join us for Video and the Social Seller’s Toolkit.

The buzz: “I don’t’ believe it. Prove it to me and I still won’t believe it” (Douglas Adams). Social Selling is changing the sales industry in positive and profitable ways. For example, sales people who are skilled social media users are six times more likely to exceed quota (Forbes.com 05/22/15, M.M. Biro)! Yet even with growing proof like this, you may still need to convince your entire sales organization to adopt and internalize this new selling and engagement mindset and strategy. How? The right kind of training program can speed transformation and boost adoption rates.The experts speak. Jill Rowley, #SocialSelling: “To be interesting, be interested” (Dale Carnegie). Mario M. Martinez Jr., M3Jr Growth Strategies, LLC: “The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work” (Stubby Currence, 1935). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “If we are growing, we are always going to be outside our comfort zone” (John C. Maxwell). Join us for Social Selling Adoption: How to Make It Happen.

The buzz: Finally…Social Selling has grabbed business headlines since at least 2012, with companies worldwide hanging onto every word of advice from a handful of Social Selling gurus. It’s time to peek behind the curtain and find out if Social Selling is a proven cure-all for old-school, impersonal, annoying cold-calling, and if its best practices are set in stone or still evolving. We’re asking three thought leaders to tell us once and for all if Social Selling is fantasy and hype or fix and hope. The experts speak. Kurt Shaver, The Sales Foundry: “The first thing you should do as a Social Seller is enhance your LinkedIn profile… create a good impression before jumping in.” Jim Fields, SAP: “The term ‘Social Selling’ is actually a bad name for what we are talking about.” Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Sales can’t do Social Selling without Marketing, and Marketing can’t do Social Selling without Sales. Join us for Social Selling: Fantasy or Fix, Hype or Hope? Three Experts Speak.

The buzz: The little engine that could. We previously explored how Social Selling is transforming the large enterprise. Today we’ll focus on Social Selling for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Hubspot reported (2014) that SMBs contributed $5.5+ trillion to the US economy in 2013, and are increasingly turning to social media to market products and services, learn about trends, and interact with customers. Stats bear this out: 94% of SMBs that adopted social media use it for marketing, 80% use it to drive growth, and 61% find it useful in gaining new customers. Ready to learn how? The experts speak. Mario Martinez Jr., Social Selling Evangelist: “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful (Eric Thomas, The Hip Hop Preacher). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Change before you have to (Jack Welch). Joao Branquinho, SAP: “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door” (Milton Berle). Join us for How Social Selling is Changing the SMB Market.

The buzz: The times they are a-changin’. Yes! Social Media has not merely changed the way we buy – but also the way companies sell. Established businesses around the world are aware that they must get smarter about Social Sales in order to stay ahead of the competitive curve. But according to Adweek, 61% of Fortune 500 CEOs still have no Social Media presence. Why not? What are the implications for slow-to-adopt / slow-to-adapt companies and executives, as Social Selling continues to dramatically change the large enterprise? The experts speak. Maggie Fox, SAP: “Fortuna audaces Iuvat or Fortune favours the bold” (Latin proverb). Chris Boudreaux, EY: “Leaders grasp nettles” (David Ogilvy). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Your success in life isn't based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers and business (Mark Sanborn). Join us for How Social Selling Is Changing the Large Enterprise.

The buzz: Game Face. Game On! As humans, we all like games. Why? Games enable us to try to be the best at something, whether Scrabble, cards, video games, football or even the Olympics, and to challenge each other. Games motivate and bring out the best (and the worst) in us. Can games help your sales reps get up to speed in Social Selling, which challenges them to change how they do business? Yes! Join us to learn the best ways to incorporate games into your Social Selling program, get pointers on how to do it, learn what outcomes to expect, and hear the challenges that may emerge along the way. The experts speak. Mario Martinez Jr., Social Selling Expert: “If your “WHY” doesn't make you cry, then it's not big enough” (Unknown). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another” (John Dewey). Join us for The Gamification of Social Selling.

The buzz: Stargazing. Since this series debuted in Sept. 2015, we’ve discussed the state of Social Selling, strategies to build a Social Selling program, and best practices. Our thought leaders shared proof points to validate their insights: 98% of sales reps with 5000+ LinkedIn connections achieve quota (Sales Benchmark Index); 80% of social introductions generate a sale (DSWA); 72.6% of salespeople using social outperformed peers (Social Media and Sales Quota Survey); and 61% of US marketers use social media for lead generation (IBM). Today, to cap Season 1, we’ll look back at 2015 and ahead to 2016 with our experts from the debut episode. Kurt Shaver, The Sales Foundry: “80% of success is just showing up (Alvy Singer, Annie Hall). Jim Fields, SAP: “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded” (Yogi Berra). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress” (Frederick Douglass). Join us for The Future of Social Selling: 2015 Surprises, 2016 Predictions.

The buzz: Count what counts. If your company is already on the Social Selling bandwagon, are you ready to justify the cost and effort when your management demands impact results? Reality check: a promising new connection on LinkedIn doesn’t always convert to a new deal on the bottom line. If your current metrics tools aren’t up to the task, take heart. Our panel will define meaningful metrics, best practices and tools. And we’ll explore the bigger question: can social relationships really be measured? The experts speak. Mario Martinez, Jr., PGi: “Whatever you choose to do, my son, always put 150% into it and be the best” (Mario Martinez Sr.). Kevin Thomas Tully, rFactr: “I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd but when they said 'Sit down' I stood up” (Bruce Springsteen). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule” (Charles Dickens, Great Expectations). Join us for Social Selling Accountability Metrics: How Are You Doing?

The buzz: Reps for reps. “Education is not the learning of the facts, but the training of the mind to think” (Einstein). But 93% of sales execs have received NO formal training on Social Selling (Accenture). How do you train key departments and organizations on Social Selling, then get them to exercise it to develop a‘Social Selling Muscle’? The experts speak. br Gabe Villamizar, HireVue: “Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you; Beginners are many, but enders are few” (Thomas S. Monson). Shawn Robertson, SAP: “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, knowing it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed…a lion wakes up, knowing it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. Whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running” (Christopher McDougall). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand” (Confucius). Join us for Your Social Selling Program: Training and Enablement.

The buzz: Tell me why. MSLGroup reported that 77% of buyers are more likely to purchase from a company whose CEO uses social media. If your CEO, executives and employees are not active on, don’t believe in, or are shy about social networking – they need to be convinced it’s a make-or-break business activity that should be taken very seriously. But how? Start by telling them Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, Elon Musk, Michael Dell and Bill Gates are “Social CEOs”. The experts speak. William Arruda, Reach: “If you don't show up in Google, you don't exist” (W. Arruda, 2003). Lindsey Boggs, SmarterHQ: “It's never as good as it feels, and never as bad as it seems” (Ken May). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns no vehicles. Facebook, the world’s most popular media owner, creates no content. Alibaba…has no inventory. Airbnb…owns no real estate. Something interesting is happening”. (Tom Goodwin). Join us for Convincing Your C-Suite to Invest in Social Selling.

The buzz: A race to the finish…! Time is money. And it’s especially precious in the last quarter of your fiscal year. According to a Dell study, 70% of B2B purchase decision makers now use social media to help them decide what to buy and from whom. If your sales people aren’t using Social Selling – or lack the Social Selling savvy to read customers’ and prospects’ digital signals along the buying journey, they’ll need help reaching the finish line this year. Listen up! The experts speak. Koka Sexton, LinkedIn: “Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way” (George S. Patton, Jr.). Tom Nusko, SAP: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” (Walt Disney). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “It’s just not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results” (Warren Buffett). Join us for The Final Sprint: Closing Strong with Social Selling.

The buzz: Stuck. It's Oct. 27. If you're 1/3 through your 4th quarter, we bet your Sales team is putting the pedal to the metal to drive year-end success. But if they use traditional pipeline-accelerating strategies, deals could be getting stuck. Listen up! The Aberdeen Group found that 72.6% of Salespeople using Social Selling outperformed peers and exceeded quota 23% more often. How can Social help you? The experts speak. Barbara Giamanco, Social Centered Selling: “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else” (Albert Einstein). Liam McLaughlin, LinkedIn: “Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow (Liam 'Liga baby' McLaughlin). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Forget today. Think about the future. While it can be rewarding in the short-term to focus on transactions, it will harm you in the long-term. Build and sell relationships” (Amar Sheth). Join us for Is Social Selling Closing the Deal?

The buzz: Fred and Ginger. Partners and social selling – what’s the deal? Many companies use partner channels to access markets, and share resources, to ensure the best customer experience. As these companies start to leverage Social Selling for their own sales teams, some are wondering how to also fit partners into this new selling model. But how do you invite, train and encourage partners to support your own social selling strategy and who in your organization owns the responsibility for enabling the partners? This new segment of Social Selling is evolving as we speak! The experts speak. Bryan Kramer, PureMatter: “80% done is 100% incomplete” (Mark Waxman). Russ Fradin, Dynamic Signal: “A CEO’s job is simple. Don’t let the company ever run out of money (Fred Wilson). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Change is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. Survival is not the goal, transformative success is” (Seth Godin). Join us for Social Selling 101: Partners and Social Selling.

The buzz: Behind the hype. Social Selling is being hyped as the magic bullet for all kinds of companies to engage authentically – vs. traditional old-school hard-sell methods – with future and current customers on the booming social media platform landscape. Reality check: Social selling can be a minefield if your sales reps lack the right training, skills and tools, or if your organization lacks a solid social strategy to nurture their success. It’s time to replace the hype with straight talk and examples of real-life social selling heroes and zeroes. Ready? The experts speak. Brynne Tillman, Social Sales Link: “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there” (Will Rogers). Jeff Zelaya, Triblio: “What do you desire? (Alan Watts). Phil Lurie, SAP: “Join the revolution! Social Selling, along with Mobile enablement, is changing the face of 21st century commerce.” Join us for Social Selling: What Makes or Breaks A Social Seller.

The buzz: Building blocks. Sales reps: If you believe a LinkedIn profile is all it takes for a positive social brand and reputation, you’re not even close. It’s just the beginning. Building on the social listening skills covered on our last episode, you need to start engaging in social conversations with prospects and customers in a targeted, relevant, caring, educational way –no “hard sell”. Tune in for best practices Do’s and Don’ts, and their impact on your brand and the brand you sell. The experts speak. Chris Boudreaux, Social Media Governance: “You are a human being, and what human beings do is art, new stuff, connection... There’s a big difference between being Dell and being Michael Dell... You are not a brand. You’re a person” (Seth Godin). Casey Ryan, SAP: “I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate” (George Burns). Reuven Gorsht, SAP: “There are no old roads to new places.” Join us for Social Selling: Engaging in the Social Conversation.

The buzz: Say what? Greek philosopher Epictetus’s (55-135 AD) adage, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak,” still applies to life today – and great advice for Social Selling. Say what? Your customers really want to be heard. And you can listen to them on social media platforms where they freely share ideas, opinions, challenges. If you’re new to the “social listening” skill set, we’ll tell you how to do it well, and share insights on how it impacts your customer relationships and sales. The experts speak. Hilary Carter, inTune Communications: “Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road” (Stewart Brand). Julio Viskovich, rFactr: “Social selling is not for the hard sell, it’s to build trust and credibility.” Kirsten Boileau, SAP: “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply” (Stephen R. Covey). Join us for Social Selling: Can You Hear Me?

The buzz: Who are you? To succeed in Sales, you have to be authentic, relevant, and add value to interactions with customers and prospects. The premise of using social platforms to sell is basically the same, but the stakes are much higher. How? You, your social brand and every interaction are viewable by anyone anywhere 24/7/365, 'forever'. It’s complex. Ready to learn what a good brand looks like, how to build your own unique brand, and how your brand impacts what others think about you and the solutions/services you offer? The experts speak. Mario Martinez Jr., PGi: “The most dangerous phrase in the language is, ‘We’ve always done it this way’” (Grace Hopper). Jamie Shanks, Sales for Life: “Always do today what we teach, and innovate tomorrow's path to be taught.” Nick Robinson, SAP: “The modern consumer is digitally driven, socially connected, and mobile empowered. Sales reps need to adapt or be replaced” (Jill Rowley). Join us for How Your Brand Impacts Social Selling.

The buzz: The NBT for Sales? The term “Sales 2.0” was coined nearly a decade ago by Nigel Edelshain. Soon after, the buzzword “Social Selling” emerged. But it is just now gaining real momentum as a valuable tool for sales reps. As a Sales methodology, it covers everything from branding and listening to engaging and collaborating. Join us for the next 13 weeks to learn what Social Selling really is, how it can positively impact your sales organization, and the best way to board the fast train to Social Selling success. The experts speak (via the Blues Brothers): Kurt Shaver, The Sales Foundry: Elwood: “It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.” Jake: “Hit it.” Kirsten Boileau, SAP: Elwood: “Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, don't fail me now.” Jim Fields, SAP: Jake: “How often does the train go by?” Elwood: “So often that you won’t even notice it.” Join us for Social Selling 101: All Aboard!