A B2B sales and marketing trend getting a lot of buzz is social selling and the opportunity for sales teams to up their game and consider new opportunities to engage with prospects. My experience is that B2B buyers find more value in the sales rep that plays the role of advisor to help them through their research process and buying journey. This is a big part of the social sales concept; it’s not about “we gotta get on Twitter!”.

Why should B2Bs care about this concept? A blog post from Sterling Klor (Social Sales Outperforms Traditional Sales by 78%) cites a recent study that indicates: Sales reps that use social media as part of their efforts outperform their peers and are 23% more likely to exceed quotas by more than 10%.

Here are some other articles offering insight into opportunities and considerations as it relates to social selling in B2B.

How B2B Decision-Makers Are Using Social Media 
This article from Marketing Charts covers results from a recent Forrester Research survey that asked respondents about their purpose and participation when visiting social channels. The findings give insight in the context of consumption vs. interaction. For example, it states that among LinkedIn users, 88% have connected with peers or colleagues in the past month.

Social Selling Anatomy Of A B2B Decision-Maker
This article from Business2Community is another one that looks at the buyer’s perspective and the ways B2B decision makers may consume content across the social media landscape.

6 Top Reasons Sales Leaders are Scared of Social Selling 
This article from Sales Benchmark Index may resonate with many. Social Selling means using social media to gain intros to buyers, usually via referral. Add on the nugget that 84% of B2B decision makers begin their buying process with a referral and you have a reason to at least consider the possibilities of social selling.

Social Capital Is Path To Social Selling
This article from Forbes gives excellent insight into the importance of social capital and listening tools to sell and serve better. It also refers readers to a form to get the Definitive Guide to Social Selling from HootSuite.

A Foolproof Approach to Social Media Selling
Here you’ll find more on the “how”. This article from Joe Pulizzi gives great tips on how sales reps can transform to be expert consultants. “Develop a social media process that positions you as the “go-to” expert in your industry, so that prospects and customers actively call you instead of you having to call them.”

Also check out: Are You a B2B Leader With a Struggling Sales Team? Looking For a More Strategic Approach to Your Sales and Marketing Initiatives? 

The point is: The B2B buyer’s journey is evolving. Sales teams slow to adopt social selling strategies may want to consider changes to ensure they have the best advantage possible.