10 Social Selling Lessons From Gil Gunderson

Duh! I should have used social selling! That quote is close to a Homer Simpson quote, but it is truly inspired by his friend and most unlikely Springfield salesman, Gil Gunderson!

Today’s sales person is being replaced by the self-educating customer using content and input they find on social media networks and via search. Some are becoming as useful as a highway toll collector. Unless, they figure out how to get ahead of the buying journey!

I Should Have Used Social Selling | Gil Gunderson’s Guide To Social Sales from Gerry Moran

Gil Gunderson needs to consider social-selling techniques before he’s going to make quota or written out of the Simpsons’ storyline! Here are ten lessons he would recommend.

10 Social Selling Lessons From Gill Gunderson

• 82% B2B decision-makers think sales reps are unprepared. Listen for sales triggers, conversation starters and customer connectors with social media to be more prepared and set a better first impression.

• 50% of identified sales leads are not ready to buy. Make sure you cultivate them with great content with your Twitter feed, LinkedIn updates and Group messages.

• 49.5% of LinkedIn users have an incomplete profile. Improve your social media profile’s curbside before you try to sell yourself as an expert to your customer.

• Today’s sales process requires 22% more time than five years ago. Don’t start using social selling on the last day of the quarter to make your sales-quota today!

• 90% of CEOs do not respond to cold calls or emails. Connect with customers on Twitter, in LinkedIn Groups and on blogs BEFORE you cold-call them; then it won’t be so cold!

• 75% of customers use social media as part of their buying process. You are not connecting on the customer’s terms if you don’t know how to tweet, ‘LinkIn’ or blog, then learn!

• 78% of salespeople use social media to outsell their peers. Quit breaking your back and use social to listen for social sales triggers, fine-tune your profile, build your reputation to connect with customers to successfully compete.

• 89% begin their buying process with a search engine. Make it easier to get found by your customers with social media and content.

• 57% of the buying process is done online. Use social selling techniques to connect with your customers before they walk in the door.

• 98% of sales reps with 5000+ LinkedIn connections achieve quota. Start to establish yourself as an expert in your field and increase the size of your network!

Do you have a social selling lesson to share? If so, then please note it below! Or contact me directly at MarketingThink.com or on Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+.

I can hear ol’ Gil say to his sales manager as he is trying to avoid receiving the wrath of his sales manager for not attaining quota “C’mon, help ol’ Gil out here.” If Gil only used some social selling techniques, then he’d be on top of the world, or at least Springfield.

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