I recently binge-watched Ed Sheeran’s three-part documentary, “The Sum of It All.” As well as feeling completely inspired (I mean, 150 million records, really, Ed?), it gave me some golden nuggets for the sales world. Who would’ve thought right?

1. Born with It? Think Again!

Asked if he was a “born singer,” Ed hit play on a cringe-worthy childhood singing clip. Spoiler: Young Ed wasn’t winning any Grammys.

One of the biggest myths in sales is that you’re either a natural-born salesperson or you’re not. Sure, some people gravitate to sales easier than others, but sales is a skill and a skill we can all learn and develop.  True sales professionals invest in their development and fine-tune their skills, just like Ed Sheeran!

2. The Triple Threat

Trying to break into the big leagues, Ed saw most newbies doing a gig or two a week. So, Ed, being Ed, sometimes did three gigs a night to increase his awareness and chances of being spotted by a record label. Talk about hustle!

It’s like settling for just a couple of sales meetings a week. With statistically only 3% of your target market ready to buy at any one point in time, it’s time to pump up the volume. But before you race off, the highest performers are personalising their outreach, and 71% of top-performing sellers are more likely to do research “all the time” before reaching out to prospects (LinkedIn, 2022). So don’t let quality slip and hit a bum note.

3. Be the Creator

While some singers belt out others’ tunes, Ed not only sings but also writes his chart-toppers. More songwriting, more royalties. Smart, right? He also knows the value of his own unique voice he’s mastered.

In today’s sales world, we’ve got to wear multiple hats (and not just to cover bad hair days). Great salespeople have learned that content is not just for marketing; in the age of digital sales, we also have to create, have a voice and, as influence expert Julie Masters says, be the translator.

4. Resilience Mode

Ed faced more rejections from potential record labels than I’ve had bad coffee. But he never gave up and took a leaf out of Dory’s book to just keep swimming.

In his documentary, he also shared personal struggles that would make anyone’s heart sink, yet he powered through.

As we all know all too well, sales, unfortunately, isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. We face rejection more than most; after all, 80% of sales takes 5 follow ups or more and 60% of customers say no 4 times before they say yes.

If Ed can keep strumming, we can keep selling.

5. It’s time to collaborate

From duets with Taylor Swift to rock bands, Ed’s all about collaboration. He’s known as a pop singer, yet he’s teaming up with rock bands to reach new audiences!

In sales, find your “rock band” to collaborate with who share the same target market. Building relationships with complimentary but non-competitive strategic partners is hands down one of my all-time favourite sales strategies.

Why? Warmer referrals, shorter sales cycles, higher conversion, and, best of all, it can be FREE! Need I say more?

So, even if you aren’t humming “Shape of You” in the shower, Ed’s documentary packs a punch. Highly recommend!

Before you dash off, hit that subscribe button for the Sales Rev Up newsletter. And spread the love; share with your pals!

The post 5 Totally Unexpected Sales Tips from Ed Sheeran (Yes, *That* Ed Sheeran) appeared first on Sales Redefined.

I’ve personally been on the wrong side of burnout, and it’s something I am very aware of.

I wanted to share my go-to hit list I use to try to keep my energy high and avoid burnout.

1. Setting Limits: Your Weapon Against Burnout

Full disclosure – I’m still fine-tuning this one, but I’ve struck gold thanks to Greg McKeown’s “Effortless.” His mantra? “Don’t do more today than you can recover from tomorrow.”

It’s like a guiding star urging me to establish boundaries. My go-to rule? No work beyond 9 p.m. Sure, exceptions arise (cue the end-of-quarter frenzy or urgent client deadline), but the magic is doing it more often than not.

Top Tip: Set your upper limit

2. Escaping the Grind: The Power of Planned Breaks

The sales journey often feels like a never-ending rollercoaster.

The best I’ve ever felt was having off the first week of every quarter to reset and recharge after the end-of-quarter mayhem.  In more recent years, I got slack; the months flew by with no break, and it showed (hello, business owners!).

So, in July, I took myself off the grid in the Swiss Alps, away from all email and team messages. The Wi-Fi-free zone was the best mental space and thinking space I’ve had in years.

I’ve come back recharged and ready to go big!

Top Tip: Plan your breaks after peak periods, put it in the diary today!

3. Cracking the Code with the MIT Power Hour

I learned the MIT (most important tasks) concept from Lorraine Murphy. I now timeblock the first hour of my day for getting my most important things done before the whirlwind and distractions of the day arrive.

Let’s be honest; some days, that time gets eaten into, but it consistently happens more times than not.

I love the 4 Disciplines of Execution, which focuses on 20% of your time should be on the wildly important which are at risk of not getting done due to the whirlwind. The wildly important is what will move the needle or the “fewest battles to win the war”.

Top Tip:  Block out MIT time in your diary for first thing in the morning before the day runs away.

4. Finding Your Inner Sales Athlete

I’m not here to tell you to get fit or sign up for the gym, but research has shown that high performers benefit from exercise.

Based on a study by Censuswide, CEOs and Athletes both believed that being more mentally resilient than their competitors was the top driver of high performance.

In a podcast interview, I spoke with Chris Muddell, an exemplar of sales excellence and a consistent chart-topper at Employsure. Chris conceptualises this prowess as embodying the role of a “sales athlete.” You can catch the full episode here.

He’s the embodiment of a “sales athlete,” ritualising mornings for peak performance and exercising.

Ironically, as I’m writing this now, I’m in my gym gear after a full day of delivering a workshop and then travelling. Quite frankly, I would kill to go straight to bed, but I’m challenging myself to do just 10 minutes in the gym as a minimum. Most times, I go past the 10 minutes, but it’s a hack to get myself there!

Top Tip: Create your rituals be it a walk or yoga or run it off.

5. Savoring Downtime: The Digital Detox Prescription

Have you ever felt your phone has become an extra limb? Guilty as charged! I’ve started to crack the code for preserving sanity – and that’s finding pockets of undisturbed tranquillity. Amidst the chaos, it’s like a digital detox oasis.

When I’m feeling the tiredness and feeling of needing space, I will often turn off my emails and notifications, as well as leave my phone in other rooms to avoid temptation. Even an hour of phone-free time recharges me!

Top Tip: Create do not disturb time.

6. Micro-Breaks: Your Instant Mind Reviver

Believe it or not, even a 60-second outdoor breather is like a potion of rejuvenation for your brain. Science vouches for this! So, don’t underestimate the power of quick outdoor pit stops – your brain will throw a gratitude parade later.

I use this as a transition between meetings or tasks to refocus.

Top Tip: Take a 60-second micro break outside to reset.

7. Double Down on Productivity

Part of why we burn out is we often develop bad habits and can be wildly inefficient without realising it.

If you are interrupted from your task, it takes 25 minutes to refocus your attention. It’s easy to burn the midnight oil when constantly being interrupted by clients’ or colleagues’ urgent requests. Creating pockets of no interruptions improves productivity. Take “follow-up Friday,” for instance, a clever tactic where we batch-process those follow-ups – a tiny habit with colossal impact.

To sum it up, I am far from perfect on any of these, and it’s something I am constantly working on. My goal is to do my go-to strategies far more often, than not. I also double down on them in high-pressure times.

Give it a go, and let me know your go-to that I can add to my list!

The post How to avoid the Sales Burnout: 7 Steps to thrive, not just survive appeared first on Sales Redefined.

These trailblazing visionaries didn’t just rewrite industry rulebooks and amass unimaginable wealth, but they also mastered the art of sales.

In this SMarketing Lowdown, we’ll delve into the remarkable sales strategies employed by these iconic figures.

• Elon Musk: Bold Vision and Category King

As the driving force behind Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk has an unparalleled ability to fuel our imagination.

Musk pushes the boundaries of what we believe is possible and goes into unchartered water to create a new market and become category king. His go-to-market strategies are unheard of; Tesla has no car showroom garage and doesn’t spend a dollar on advertising. He generates enormous free publicity by being the first to enter a market and from the personal brand he has built.

Musk’s secret weapon lies in his unwavering belief in a world transformed by innovation and sustainable solutions.

Top Tip: Sales isn’t just about selling a product—it’s about selling a vision! Find a market where you can be first and category king. Break the norms of go-to-market strategies.

• Richard Branson: Magnetic personal brand and underserved markets

Sir Richard Branson is often considered the maverick entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group. Branson’s magnetic persona and powerful personal brand have played a pivotal role in his diverse ventures, ranging from music, airlines, and trains to space tourism.

Branson’s personal brand is characterised by his adventurous spirit, PR stunts, and innovative thinking. Branson is willingness to take risks and push boundaries.

However, don’t be fooled; there is more to Richards’s success than PR stunts; he strategically chose markets with a poor lacklustre customer experience and ripe for disruption. Virgin Group is often the underdog challenging the market leader.

Top Tip: We follow people more than brands, become a PR magnet and build your personal brand. Look for underserved markets ripe for disruption.

• Jeff Bezos: Obsess Over Customer Experience

Who doesn’t love Amazon? Jeff Bezos, the man behind this powerhouse, owes much of his success to his relentless obsession with customer experience. Lightning-fast shipping, competitive prices, and a mind-boggling selection—Bezos makes customers feel like royalty!

Bezos has raised the bar in the industry, making it hard for others to compete with often same-day or 24-hour delivery. He knows that speed is a sales superpower!

The relentless pursuit of excellence is at the core of Bezos’s customer-centric approach. From when a customer places an order to when it arrives at their doorstep, every aspect of their journey is meticulously designed to exceed expectations.

Top Tip: Prioritise the customer experience; in a 24/7 instant world focus on speed and raise the bar to where others struggle to compete.

• Bill Gates: Find the hidden value and put users first.

Bill Gates, the genius co-founder behind Microsoft, has an incredible superpower—spotting the hidden value and creating a user-first model.

Whilst IBM was focusing on the hardware (PC), Microsoft understood the real value was the software.

Bill also understood that success in sales begins with a deep understanding of your target market’s needs. Microsoft has a user-first policy that guides product development. Continuous improvement based on user feedback has been a secret weapon to sales success.

Top Tip: Look beyond the surface for the hidden opportunity and create a user first culture to inspire product development.

Let their stories ignite our entrepreneurial spirit and remind us that with determination, perseverance, and unwavering commitment, we, too, can leave our mark on the world.

The post Sales Strategies of Billionaire Entrepreneurs: Unleash Your Sales Potential with Insights from Gates, Musk, Bezos, and Branson! appeared first on Sales Redefined.

The world is moving at lightning speed, and Meta and Canva are bringing the thunder with their latest releases.

These tech giants are at the forefront of the digital revolution, and with their cutting-edge tools, they’re changing the game. It’s becoming clear that the future is all about going digital.

Meta’s latest AI model, the Segment Anything Model or SAM, is an absolute game-changer.

The browser-based tool allows users to quickly and easily segment any item in an image, making it perfect for research, creative editing, and even virtual reality applications.

Plus, with over 1.1 billion segmentation masks and 11 million images licensed from a major photo company, you know that the AI is trained on the best of the best.

But that’s not all – Canva has just announced a massive update that is sure to have Adobe shaking in their boots. Their new suite of AI-powered design tools and branded workspace features are aimed at helping entire workplaces streamline their content creation process. Canva’s AI-powered tools are like a virtual design assistant that never sleeps.

Since the launch of their AI-powered tools, Canva and Chat GPT (the famous new software on everyone’s lips) have experienced significant growth in their user base.

Canva, for example, has grown by over 40 million users since the announcement of their AI features, making it one of the fastest-growing design platforms in the world.

Similarly, Chat GPT has attracted millions of users thanks to its AI-powered conversational capabilities, which have proven to be a game-changer for businesses and individuals alike.

With the rise of AI and machine learning, it’s clear that these tools are not only improving the user experience but also helping businesses stay competitive in a digital-first world.

So, what does this mean for sales and marketing teams? (I’m glad you asked)

Well, they can use Canva to create top-notch proposals, social media graphics, and website designs that are on-brand and visually stunning.

The Magic Replace and Magic Eraser tools make quick work of repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more strategic work.

And Meta’s Segment Anything Model (SAM) allows users to quickly and easily segment any item in an image, making it perfect for research, creative editing, and even virtual reality applications.

Sales and marketing teams can use SAM to gather insights on target audiences and create more effective advertising campaigns.

It’s clear that these companies are leading the charge into a digital future.

And they’re not alone – object recognition and computer vision technologies are already integrated into devices like surveillance cameras and drones, while AI chatbots are emerging as a powerful tool for customer service.

So, brace yourselves – we are going digital, and there’s no stopping it.

The question is: are you ready to get digitally fit? If not, you might want to start running – because the digital age isn’t waiting for anyone.

In today’s market, going digital isn’t just a choice – it’s a necessity.

Customers are spending more time online than ever before, and if your business isn’t there to meet them, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity.

To stay competitive in a rapidly changing market, businesses must embrace digital tools and e-commerce to improve their online presence and reach more customers.

By establishing a strong online presence, businesses can meet the growing demand for online content and engage with customers through their website and social media channels.

Embracing e-commerce allows businesses to sell products and services online, opening new revenue streams and expanding their customer base.

With the help of AI-powered tools, businesses can create high-quality, on-brand content that stands out in a crowded digital landscape.

By utilising these digital tools, sales and marketing teams can improve their online presence, reach more customers, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.

So, are you ready to get digitally fit and take your business to the next level? The digital age isn’t waiting for anyone.

The post Ready or Not, the Digital Age is Here: Canva and Meta are Leading the Way appeared first on Sales Redefined.

Let’s face it, in today’s ever-changing business landscape, it’s more important than ever for sales and marketing teams to work in harmony together. After all, research shows that companies that beat their revenue goals are “somewhat” or “completely” aligned.

87% of sales and marketing leaders know the power of collaboration for driving business growth, yet one-third of sales and marketing teams are missing out on regular communication. And if that’s not enough, 9 out of 10 professionals admit to facing misalignment in strategy, process, content, and culture.

The importance of efficient collaboration between sales and marketing teams cannot be overstated, yet so many organisations are struggling to make it work!

It’s time to bridge the gap and get sales and marketing working together…

It’s time to think SMarketing.

The aim of every company is to have their marketing team sweep prospects off their feet, and then hand off those “hearty” leads to the sales team to turn into loyal customers.

SMarketing brings marketing and sales functions together, creating a harmonious duet of strategy, process, message, and culture.

Benefits of aligning sales and marketing

1. Revenue- 81% of companies that beat their revenue goals are “somewhat” or “completely” aligned (Act-On) when it comes to sales and marketing.
2. Technology Solution – 74% of organisations using CRM and marketing automation have aligned marketing and sales departments (DemandGen). Nearly half of all aligned companies use marketing analytics tools with a further 42% of aligned businesses leveraging marketing automation as a tool.
3. Higher conversion rates – 73% Higher conversion rates can be achieved when marketers align content on specific stages of the buyer’s journey.

74% of top-performing companies report good alignment between their sales and marketing teams.

If you need us to play cupid, then we’re feeling all romantic. We’re ready to unlock BIG results.

Lock in 30 minutes with us here and we’ll share the SMarketing factors behind our highest ROI campaigns.

P.S. Have you listened to the latest episode of our podcast? This week, we were honoured to have a conversation with the dynamic force, Paulo Mpliokas, Director at Olympus Technology Services. You can tune in here or catch the episode on your favourite podcast platform. Trust me, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

The post From heartache to harmony: How SMarketing is changing the game. appeared first on Sales Redefined.

This smart new piece of technology is a big deal, because it generates human-like text and can assist you with all things customer service, answering questions, composing emails, articles and ultimately it can save you a lot of time, freeing up your human agents so they can get back to dealing with more high-value activities.

It’s basically your new, go-to, tech-savvy, BFF, virtual assistant, wing woman, and right-hand man … you get my drift. ????

But the question is, how can this new wave-making technology help you make sales? (I’m glad you asked)

1. Firstly, it can help you automate your sales process by scheduling appointments, answering FAQ’s and even sending follow-up emails. This in turn frees up your sales team and enables them to use their time in a more effective way. Say goodbye to wasting time and resources on tasks that could otherwise be automated.
2. Secondly, ChatGPT can make for a more personalised customer experience by using customer data such as purchase history, past behaviours, and preferences to make personalised product or service recommendations, this increases the chances of (you guessed it) … making a sale. ????

If I haven’t convinced you that ChatGPT really is the cream of the crop, I have one more point to make…

ChatGPT is the first of its kind in lead nurturing and this is truly why the internet hasn’t stopped talking about this new viral piece of tech.

We all know building relationships with potential customers guides them through the sales funnel towards a purchase (enter ChatGPT.) The app uses customer data to personalise communication with natural, human-like context-aware conversations, giving relevant information to your potential customers and in turn, helping to establish a more trusting and positive relationship.

As you can tell from my enthusiasm, I’m loving using ChatGPT, and I swear I’m not on commission! The best part? It’s currently FREE to use. So what are you waiting for?! Have a crack and let me know if you think it’s worth the hype!

The post ChatGPT, the new bombshell of sales?!? appeared first on Sales Redefined.

Change is on the horizon

Having a sales function that operates in a silo, separate from the rest of the business, is soon to be a thing of the past as sales leaders shift from sales enablement to revenue enablement in response to a complex B2B buying and selling environment.

Buyers are increasingly engaging with digital channels in their buying journey, with B2B procurement organisations forecasting 59% of their annual B2B purchases will be through websites and other online channels by the end of 2023¹. Customers are using online content to inform decisions, often rather than speaking to a sales rep, and those conversations (when they do happen) tend to happen remotely.

So how can sales leaders prepare for the future of sales enablement?

Here are 4 predictions on the key focus areas for future-proofing your sales team’s success.

1. Think RevOps

The prediction from Gartner is that by 2025, 75% of the world’s highest-growth companies will deploy a revenue operations (RevOps) model², rather than working with siloed functions that follow a linear buyer model.

This means taking a truly end-to-end approach to revenue operations and enablement, with a continuous feedback loop across the buyer journey. It’s an approach to revenue growth and customer acquisition that recognises the many ways customers are engaging and buying, and focuses on providing a consistent approach.

For sales leaders, it’s about enabling all revenue-generating touchpoints and providing the right enablement and support for all revenue-producing roles, not just those in traditional sales positions.

SR Hot Tip:

Can you kick off 2023 by getting your revenue-generating teams together into one workshop? The alignment must start somewhere; treat the start of 2023 as a ‘turning over a new leaf’ strategy and get a date in the diary. This will start creating collaboration, shared understanding and better cross-function teaming.

2. Bias for execution

Empower your revenue team by focusing on building a culture that feels supportive and conducive to selling, as Forrester research found that B2B reps sell more when the culture around them feels right³.

This means creating an environment where revenue team members are given opportunities to learn and encouraged to proactively execute. This focus on the ‘doing’ of the new strategies

being learned is key – Gartner research shows that B2B sales reps forget 70% of the information they learn within a week of training⁴. But if this learning is turned into action, it’s much more likely to stick.

This focus on action was also highlighted in a Forbes report, where executives identified the top two characteristics of their high-performing salespeople as being able to sell value over price (81%) and consistency of execution (74%)⁵. High performance is not a lack of knowledge – we know what we need to do, but we often aren’t proactive in doing it.

Sales and revenue leaders need to lead by example, and to actively coach their people – this is cited as the most important role of sales managers by 74% of top companies in the same Forbes report.

SR Hot Tip:

We love teams embedding small bite sized proactive daily habits that are realistic such as 15 minutes in proactive sales mode each day rather than reactive.

We also love the 4 disciplines of execution as a methodology to put those great strategies into action. Check it out as a way to ensure action!

3. Think SMarketing

A revenue-enablement approach recognises that the sales team cannot achieve success alone, evidenced by the strong alignment between sales and marketing departments amongst companies that come out on top of the sales productivity scale. Three-quarters (74%) of top-performing companies report good alignment between their sales and marketing teams, compared with just half (49%) of other firms. Of those companies reporting below their revenue plan, 87% admit to poor alignment between their internal sales and marketing teams⁶.

Bringing together sales and marketing makes sense – both functions are focused on revenue, and both play a part in the customer journey from awareness, to understanding, to action.

SMarketing bridges the gap between these two functions, uniting strategy, process, messaging and culture to give customers a more consistent experience and reduces any leaks in the pipeline of customer acquisition.

SR Hot Tip:

Schedule a 2023 planning session with sales and marketing. Get both teams to share where they are seeing success, opportunity, and the greatest challenges amongst customers. This will create the ideal brainstorming environment and put the wheels in motion for next year.

4. Customer expansion, not just acquisition

The majority of companies are now embracing a recurring revenue model, where once you acquire customers, the focus is on retaining and expanding business with them. So, revenue enablement is as much about customer retention as it is about customer acquisition.

To do this well, sales leaders need to help their people focus on selling value to existing customers and to recognise the changing needs of their customers (and be prepared to help solve them).

Communicating value to customers means providing value across the customer lifecycle, and as a sales leader, you’re able to help customer success teams to articulate value better.

Simple because it’s a lot more cost-effective to grow an existing customer’s revenue than it is to lose a customer or to acquire new customers from scratch.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is increasing in popularity because it gets results. According to Gartner, ABM programs show a 70% increase in the number of opportunities created. It helps revenue-generating teams increase conversion rates and delivers a higher ROI than other marketing-related activities.

SR Hot Tip:

Identify your top 25 high-growth potential clients to focus on first. Not just the largest but where you have maximum growth opportunity to increase your share of wallet and lifetime value. Map out an ABM-based approach for these 25 with a dedicated focus.

The revenue enablement journey

There’s plenty to consider when transitioning to a revenue enablement approach, and it’s a journey, not a destination. By taking a big-picture view of your customer buying journey, empowering your people to be revenue-focused, and making the most out of every customer expansion opportunity, you’ll be setting your company up for success.

What’s next?

We’re about to launch something BIG! The one and only transformational revenue enablement platform & community that future-proofs your revenue-generating talent & capabilities so that you improve your revenue through upskilling your people.

We move beyond traditional growth strategies and siloed teams. Together we’ll empower your revenue-generating teams using our Revenue Growth System.

To find out more, register your interest via the link below and get exclusive access to our early-bird special! Get in quick, though; early bird rates expire on the 23rd of December 2022.

https://register.salesredefined.com.au

The post 4 Game-Changing Predictions on the Future of Sales Enablement appeared first on Sales Redefined.

So why are B2B marketers choosing video over other content formats?

• It’s the most impactful way to build brand awareness and educate.
• Video can create deep emotional connections with B2B buyers across the customer lifecycle!

Forrester indicated that video is 1800 more valuable than written content, and now that is something! Not only this, but between 60-80% of people are visual learners, making video a highly effective way of conveying information.

The question for sales professionals is how can we utilise video to engage with our B2B audience across the sales funnel?

Think… Product reviews, demos, tutorials, webinars, personalised introductory videos, and podcasts.

It’s not uncommon to send videos as part of the prospecting process. For instance, embed an intro video into a personalised EDM for your prospects; it’s a memorable way to build an instant connection. 97% of Brightcove respondents said that they would be more receptive to sales communication from a business after consuming their video content. So, brainstorm how you can use this at the top of your sales funnel.

While nurturing, you could utilise videos in many forms, from product demos and tutorials to reviews. They all educate and help to build credibility and trust. 93% of B2B buyers say video is important in building trust in a brand.

Once the deal is signed, sealed and delivered, it’s not time to take your foot off the gas. 97% of B2B buyers said that they find content and comms in video format useful post-purchase (Brightcove). This could be anything from FAQs, sales support, troubleshooting, you name it. Continuing the nurture journey post-purchase is tremendously important for customer retention and brand loyalty, so keep this in mind as you plan your video content at each customer touchpoint.

If you’d like to check out how we utilise video, head to our Youtube channel where we have the amazing ? Rebecca Saunders unpacking how video has changed as a sales and marketing tool and many more! Some pretty epic videos are to be released soon, so don’t forget to hit subscribe.

The post Simple ways to use video to influence sales appeared first on Sales Redefined.

Why is everyone talking about it?

More importantly, what is the B2B business opportunity now?

In 2021, Mark Zuckerberg rebranded his company to Meta, and instantaneously chat of the Metaverse exploded.

But let’s be honest, most of us are still scratching our heads questioning, what on earth is it? And would someone please explain it in English!

We were fortunate enough to have Michelle Schuberg, CEO of Curiious: Immersive Impact on the Redefining Sales podcast recently, where she helped unpack the Metaverse.

Michelle set the scene and explained that at present, the internet is two-dimensional, almost like a magazine or a brochure that you flick through, but the metaverse brings us the opportunity to go inside, walk around and physically experience the internet.

Let’s keep it simple, it’s essentially the next iteration of the internet!

For those of you ready to get your geek on with a more technical description, Gartner explanation is that it is a collective virtual space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical and digital reality. In other words, it is device-independent, not owned by a single vendor and is an independent virtual economy, enabled by digital currencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs).

If you think this is just for the cool kids, think again…

The Accenture Tech Vision Report predicts that the average adult will spend equal amounts of time in immersive worlds (ie the Metaverse) and the real world by 2034

So, what’s the opportunity for B2B business?

The immersive world will be a key source of B2B revenue in the next ten years.

There are countless organisations using immersive learning experiences, any industry that delivers a learning experience (think universities, sales training, customer service, medical training, flight simulation), is going to benefit from the Metaverse. Saving time, resources, and bucketloads of money in the long run.

People learn four times faster in virtual environments than in a physical classroom (PWC).

Michelle shared an example of her aviation client in the US that uses flight simulator technology to train pilots, which significantly reduces costs and the risk of incidents.

Now bringing it back to something closer to home, let’s think of virtual events. Gaining huge popularity in recent years, the Metaverse provides an opportunity for event organisers to take their events to the next level, with more integrated and interactive opportunities. Sayonara to boring zoom meetings, and hello to the new era of networking and nurturing!

We of course asked Michelle the essential question, is there a first mover advantage to be had?

Her answer, was YES but it’s a small window!

So run, don’t walk, the time is now!

Delve in a little deeper with our full podcast with Michelle here and if you like what you hear, don’t forget to hit subscribe!

The post WTF is the Metaverse?! appeared first on Sales Redefined.

With 81% of buyers more likely to engage with a strong, professional brand and 84% of C-Level buyers using social media for purchasing, it’s time to leverage LinkedIn for sales success.

So, here are three things you could do today to start kicking goals with LinkedIn?

1. Nail your customer-centric profile 

Your LinkedIn profile showcases your personal brand, and guess what, digital-first impressions count! Don’t stress, though, if your profile doesn’t currently cut the mustard, it’s a reasonably easy fix, and we’re happy to share some pointers.

Firstly, check you’ve nailed the basics; a glorious photo of yours truly (avoid the ten wine-deep selfie you took on Friday night) and make sure it’s visible to the public, as non-visible pics mean 9 times out of 10, your profile will be overlooked!

Your headline is prime real estate. For senior roles, e.g. VP or CEO, typically, a job title approach is taken on LinkedIn for sales professionals; it can be more impactful to make it customer-centric. Who do you serve, and how do you help them?

When you’re speaking about your skills and experience, is it sales-centric i.e. I hit the 100% club or customer-centric? I helped customers reduce their costs by 20% / achieve X outcome.

We’ll be dishing out profile essentials in our lunch and learn, Mastering LinkedIn as a sales tool for B2B businesses. More details on that one later on!

SR TIP: Do a mini profile blitz and check yours is up to scratch. Is it the first (digital) impression the one you want to make?

2. Building your network 

Building your following on LinkedIn is slightly more strategic than on other socials. It’s not a popularity contest, so scrap striving for the biggest following; it’s about gaining quality connections over quantity, especially when prospecting.

Only 3% of your target market are ready to buy at any given time, so finding ways to nurture your prospects and stay front of mind is critical. LinkedIn is the perfect way to educate and nurture prospects.

The starting point is simple but overlooked, have you connected with all your existing clients and prospects on LinkedIn?

When expanding your network, always keep in mind the profile of your ideal client and search using those perimeters, e.g. location, company size, industry, role etc.

Consider what LinkedIn groups your prospect might be a part of, can you join and be part of the conversation?

If you’re serious about prospecting, check out Sales Navigator. You’ll be able to target the right prospects, get access to key insights and engage with them via personalised outreach.

SR TIP: Top tip, never get married on a first date. In sales, this means never leading with a sales pitch about your product/service. Make it all about your prospects and date before you get married! Consider what nurture touch points you can use, e.g. invite to an event, share a blog, share a whitepaper. Don’t go in for the kill!

3. Engage and OUT-CONTRIBUTE

A digital-first sales approach has become a top priority for many organisations, which means that content is well and truly still king!

Did you know that 41% of B2B Buyers will consume more than 5 pieces of an organisation’s content before engaging with a salesperson?

So, now is the time to get comfortable with creating, sharing and engaging with content that speaks to your customer’s pain points and meets them where they are on their journey. Don’t worry; you don’t have to go gangbusters from the get-go; start small and build the habit.

When sharing with your network, use the 80/20 rule: 80% of the content you share should be valuable to your network, and the remaining 20% can be your selling proposition.

SR TIP: As our good friend Julie Masters says, strive to out-contribute. This can be by sharing a post from your company page and adding your own 2 cents to it, sharing an industry report, or sharing takeaways from an event you attended.

The post 3 Ways to Master LinkedIn as the Ultimate Sales Tool appeared first on Sales Redefined.