PROJECT DETAILS

REFERENCES / BECHTLE

PORTFOLIO / BECHTLE

Bechtle_AG_20xx_logo.svg

LOCATION

Austria, Europe

GROUP SIZE

20 participants

DURATION

4 weeks

Bechtle IT Systemhouse – A Lesson in Social Selling Effectiveness

The internet, especially social media networks like LinkedIn, have become a cold place. What's more annoying than receiving a sales pitch as an introductory message from a new connection you make on LinkedIn?

All those hopes, opportunities and possibilities shattered with an impersonal and hollow message. These sales pitches have their origins in a similar technique that is used in the offline world – cold calling.

This cold and impersonal model of sales, which seems more like an interruption rather than an actual solution of any kind, is what leads to the perceptual curse that most businesses suffer from. The IT company Bechtle wanted to innovate a process around the industry that was much more than the mindless process of cold calling.

Moreover, they also wanted to achieve the following objectives:

  • Creating more employees skilled in digital communication
  • Establish the brand as an industry leader in its own niche
  • Reap the benefits of successful digital transformation, within and without
  • Improve internal strengths associated with marketing and brand communication in general

So, they turned to me to save them from the bleak pit of indifference that companies using such tactics succumb to sooner or later. What was needed was nothing short of a digital transformation – a paradigm shift in socio-digital interaction.

The Problem Faced

In an age when the number of people involved in the B2B decision making process is higher than ever before, being well connected is extremely important. Today, there are up to 6 to 8 people involved in the decision-making process as compared to the past, when one or two was a more accurate number.

A business looking to close a deal or to explore new opportunities in the B2B IT industry does not have the privilege of being primitive in their communication methods anymore.

The key is to identify the right decision makers, create a stable and laying rapport with them, thereby educating and engaging them in order to shorten the sales cycle.

As a part of this problem Bechtle IT Systemhouse, a Microsoft Partner, wanted to up its game in terms of social communication, brand expression and sales conversion in general.

The Solution Proposed

The basic solution that we proposed was to create a pilot of 20 participants who would be responsible for implementing the social selling strategy. Followed by a company-wide roll-out of social selling.

In order to prepare for the actual implementation of the strategy, the team was allowed to validate the use of social selling through social media for various positions such as HR, sales, and marketing.

 

The implementation of the strategy involved the following steps:

  • Positioning the company as an industry expert by developing powerful content, thereby increasing trust, credibility, and visibility.
  • Using conversations and customer reviews in order to develop content that is specifically catered to their needs, aspirations, and requirements.
  • Undergoing a LinkedIn Crash Course to understand the various tools and techniques that it offers to businesses.
  • Strengthening the LinkedIn profile of the business in order to improve online brand identity, thereby attracting the right target audience.
  • Mastering the use of the Lead Builder on Sales Navigator in order to curate personalized conversations between salespeople and BDMs (Business Decision Maker).
  • Creating personalized InMails and using PointDrive to enhance digital selling methods.

In order to prepare the team for the journey ahead, we developed a 3-month coaching program, which included 6 webinars, as well as 2 on-location training techniques that were implemented twice on a daily basis.

The Outcome

After the coaching period and the implementation procedures that were followed, one of the main and most apparent changes was a shortening of the sales cycle.

The use of personalized messages sent to prospects after proper background checks in terms of preferences, obstacles faced and overall aspirations had immense benefits. The response rates increased considerably as compared to their previously used tactics.

The use of tools like Lead Builder, Sales Navigator and PointDrive also allowed the company to find new prospects that would have under normal circumstances been way out of their reach.

After a point of time, the company was able to find new business opportunities solely through the social influence that their brand had mustered through these techniques. This helped them become a market leader in their respective niche, and above all, a business that was known for being warm and human in terms of interacting with its customers and partners.

Would you like to experience the power of social selling yourself?

Schedule a call with Franscha and learn about the opportunities that lie in wait for your business.