There is no end to the books and blog posts you can find hawking selling techniques. And that’s a good thing. But many of the authors who post that content haven’t done the work needed to become an expert at the new landscape that sales professionals are presented with in the digital age. Social sales and the RIGHT way to approach it is one of the most important things any salesperson can learn, and on this episode of the podcast Phil Gerbyshak and Anthony Iannarino take on that topic and much more. You’ll come away from this recording with tons of actionable content, so be sure you listen.

The selling techniques of today’s salesperson needs to have a marketing approach.
Too frequently, salespeople think in categorical terms about their role. “I’m not a marketer, I’m a salesperson.” The distinction can be important in certain contexts but in the rapidly changing internet world we are doing sales in, it’s becoming less and less important. If you’re going to be successful at sales some of your techniques have to be from the marketing toolbox. Phil Gerbyshak makes the case for why salespeople are marketers in the digital age we live in, and why it’s important for them to become skilled at that part of the equation, on this episode.
The social tech out there has changed how effective sales is done these days.
Your sales conversations are not what they used to be. Have you noticed? You used to vomit out a powerpoint presentation or slide deck, tell everything you did, and your prospects only had that to go on. But it’s not that way anymore. Now prospects can research your company, research you, and know just about everything you have to offer in a relatively short period of time. So the techniques you use to approach them, make the connection, start the sales conversation, and get to the sale have all changed as a result. Do you know how to navigate those new waters effectively? Phil and Anthony can tell you how so be sure you listen to this episode.

How to make a real connection instead of just transacting.
The “social” part of social selling has more to do with building authentic relationships than it does selling anything. The “know, like, and trust” aspects of the sales cycle are more important than ever. That means you’ve got to make a real connection with prospects instead of just shooting for a transactional approach. It takes more time, sure - but the benefits far outweigh the time spent by producing long lasting, loyal clients who trust you. If you don’t know how to make those kinds of connections with prospects and clients, you’ve got to hear this episode of In The Arena.
Why you still need to make in person connections and how to take them online.
When Anthony Iannarino and Phil Gerbyshak were talking about how to make connections in the social media age we live in, Anthony immediately took the conversation to the importance of making connections offline. He believes that the first touch with a person is much more powerful if it’s done in a personal way - face to face if possible. Those types of connections stick in the mind more powerfully and enable a more authentic and trusting interaction on social media than anything else. That’s a sales technique few salespeople are applying these days because they believe that social media is all they need. Find out how to tweak your process to be more personal and more effective, on this episode.

Outline of this great episode

[3:22] Anthony’s introduction to Phil Gerbyshak.
[4:14] The unique approach to this episode: a dual interview.
[9:56] Phil’s experience with NSA and what he’s teaching recently.
[14:20] Why keynote speakers can be “transactional” in their approach these days.
[15:46] Helping salespeople use their social toolkit in the new digital age.
[25:00] What people should be doing to expand their...