3 Business Partners Gretting Each other - Sales Pipeline

Accelerate Your Team’s Sales Pipeline Using this One Method RIGHT NOW

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I have a couple of questions for sales leaders—Are your sellers having a hard time making their numbers? Is it because they’re not having enough sales conversations? Are they struggling to fill their sales pipeline?

Unfortunately, this is becoming more common for sales teams in every industry. In fact, according to CSO Insights’ 2019 World-Class Sales Practices Study, only 56.9% of sellers attained quota in 2019.

That’s because the sales process has changed! To succeed in the new business environment, your team must embrace digital sales techniques. After all, the modern buyer requires a modern seller.

Continue reading or watch the video below to learn how sales leaders can accelerate their team’s sales pipeline!

What Impacts Win Rates

Several aspects affect successful win rates of your sales teams, such as:

  1. The number of sales conversations your reps have.
  2. How your team leverages digital selling techniques.
  3. The digital sales tools your team uses to become more efficient.

Don’t worry, you are NOT alone! We have developed the PVC Sales MethodologyTM to teach sales teams how to build relationships online. And I am here to share with you one thing that you can ask your sales reps to do right now to boost your organization’s sales prospecting success.

The ONE Method To Accelerate Your Sales Pipeline

Are you ready to know what the not-so-secret strategy is?

Of course you are. But first, did you know that 82% of modern buyers start the buying process with a referral? The referrals of their colleagues, friends, family, and business connections greatly influence their buying decisions, especially during the consideration stage.

With that in mind, what is the one method you can teach your sellers right now that will accelerate their sales pipeline?

It’s to earn more sales referrals!

One thing you can do to accelerate your #sales team’s pipeline is to teach them how to get more sales #referrals! - @LinkedInExpert #SocialSelling #SellingWithLinkedInClick To Tweet

Leveraging LinkedIn Connections

Now you might be thinking about what to tell your sales reps when they ask you where to find someone who can introduce them. Your answer? It’s none other than the biggest B2B networking platform in the world—LinkedIn!

Imagine the cumulative number of connections your team has, including past and existing customers. If each of them finds a connection that commits to making a beneficial introduction, your sellers will generate more high-quality leads. That is the power of a connected network and it is the cornerstone of social selling.

Best of all, asking for referrals is not a one and done task. It is an ongoing behavior that, when done properly, can help your team consistently fill their pipeline.

How to Ask for Sales Referrals

In Vengreso’s Selling with LinkedIn training, we teach our strategy on asking for referral introductions to grow the sales pipeline. We also include templates that you and your team can use.

Watch the following video to see this referral process in action.

Now, keep reading for the complete step-by-step guide of that exact strategy so you can teach your sales team!

Prepare Your List of Past and Existing Customers

Before starting, have your sales team pull out their list of existing clients and past clients who have had good sales experiences.

Then, have your sales reps choose which prospects they want to focus their energy on. Send them to the prospects’ profile and view the mutual connections section on LinkedIn or shared connections on Sales Navigator.

.@LinkedInExpert prepared a step-by-step guide on how your sales reps can earn more #SalesReferrals that will help them increase their sales #pipeline. Learn more about it here! #Sales #DigitalSellingClick To Tweet

Normally, I would never recommend someone connecting on LinkedIn before transforming and optimizing their profiles, but we can make an exception this time because your sellers are already acquainted with your clients.

Employ The Two-Step Referral Method

Step #1: Ask for an Introduction

At this point, your reps should choose three to five people with whom they share a mutual or shared connection with their targeted prospect. Their goal is to find which of these mutual connections have the strongest relationship with the prospect. Whoever has the best relationship, that’s the one your rep should ask for a referral from.

Then, your seller should write a personalized message to the connection asking them if they are willing to introduce them to the prospect. This message should reference their business relationship and any other personal details, such as how they met.

Don’t forget to allow a few days for a response. Once all three to five mutual connections have responded, choose the connection with the best relationship for Step #2.

Step #2: Send the Prepared Message to Your Connection

Next, your rep should write an introduction letter the mutual connection can send to the prospect. This should be brief and to the point. When your rep sends this to the connection, they should also include the option that they can, of course, write their own introduction message. The purpose of providing them with a template or a drafted letter is so you wouldn’t need to steal precious time from their busy schedules.

The prewritten message should also include a phrase such as, “I’ll let you two take it from here.” That way, once your connection has made the introduction, they can be removed from subsequent emails.

Either way, always ask them to CC you. That way, you’re already included in the message and you know your referral actually introduced you.

Make sure that you tell your #salespeople to CC them on their connection’s #referral introductions. This way, they are already included in the message and it becomes easier to engage. @LinkedInExpert #LinkedInTipsClick To Tweet

Incorporating an Omni-channel Approach

We’ve had clients who have had 100% success using this particular method on sales prospecting. Add this method to an omni-channel social selling strategy, and you and your team will be on your way to maximum digital selling success. Start boosting your pipeline today!

Learn more about our social selling training program with a FREE webinar. You’ll learn the Three Shifts necessary to generate high-quality leads on LinkedIn. Register today!

Selling With LinkedIn Webinar Recording

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