CASE STUDY: TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROVIDER
Increasing Channel Sales Results with LinkedIn®
About the Customer
Vertical: Telecommunications
Company: The telecommunications provider delivers solutions for IT complexity, network management, and cybersecurity risks.
Team: Channel and Inside & Alliance teams.
Clients: Their Channel and Inside & Alliance divisions build long-lasting relationships with account partners that offer their products and services to global enterprise clients.
About the Training
Challenge: To more effectively support their partner channels’ sales teams, and to recruit new channel sellers to their network, the Channel and Inside & Alliance divisions needed to learn how to more effectively leverage digital selling tools and techniques.
Solution: Vengreso’s Selling with LinkedIn® for Teams.
Results: The training provided prompt and lasting results. The two divisions gained insights into effective prospecting techniques and modern sales skills to convert connections to conversations, enabling them to build relationships and increase their pipeline.
Overview
Key Results
Average SSI (Social Selling Index) Score Growth.
Above average or better LinkedIn® acumen of sales reps after training.
Developed skills to make them more effective at their job.
Learned how to connect and engage with prospective buyers and clients.
Practiced skills taught during training to reinforce the lessons.
Learned how to prospect using LinkedIn®.
The Company
The Challenge
With their growth, they have become a major player in the network and communications industry. As the telecommunications provider has expanded, their Channel and Inside & Alliance teams faced challenges in connecting with new channel partners and providing them the tools to increase sales.
Our client recognized the significance of buyer behavior shifts. The modern buyer performs more independent research before engaging sellers. When buyers do engage with sales reps, they seek those who provide value, deliver personalized communication, and understand their specific pain points. In fact, LinkedIn® states that 93% of decision-makers are more likely to consider buying from someone who provides personalized communications and had demonstrated a deep knowledge of their business.
This telecommunications provider chose to enable their channel sellers to become a valuable resource to their channel partners so they can deliver personalized messaging at scale that conveys their understanding of the business challenges their channel partners face.
Additionally, their channel managers struggled to develop deeper relationships inside their channel partner organizations, which prevented them from efficiently sharing more information. This included specific techniques, such as how to reach their target buyer through digital platforms.
The company also strives to recruit more channel partners to sell their services. Their channel managers weren’t leveraging LinkedIn®, the largest B2B social media platform, to develop their thought leadership and position themselves as experts. To succeed in the modern business environment, they needed to learn how to leverage digital selling platforms to connect with more channel partner opportunities and to stay top-of-mind with their existing channel sellers.
Vengreso’s Selling with LinkedIn® for Teams
Module 1:
Module 2:
Module 3:
Be More “Attractive” – Your LinkedIn® Profile Makeover
Module 4:
Module 5:
Module 6:
Best Practices for Learning to Connect (Inbound)
Module 7:
Best Practices for Learning to Connect (Outbound)
Module 8:
Module 9:
Ongoing Coaching:
75%
The Solution
The telecommunications provider invested in Vengreso’s Instructor-Led Selling with LinkedIn® for Teams training for their Channel and Inside & Alliance divisions. The two teams consisted of a total of 194 people comprised of 157 sellers, 29 managers, seven directors, and one vice president.
The Vengreso training program, which won a Gold Stevie Award for Best Sales Training Product of the Year in 2019, is built on the premise that the modern buyer requires a modern seller.
The Selling with LinkedIn® for Teams training was delivered through the Vengreso on demand platform, supplemented by live instruction and live group coaching across the span of 15 weeks. The goal of the training was to equip sellers and managers with modern sales techniques to find, engage and connect with more prospective channel partners.
The training also taught how to expand their relationships with existing channel partners and earn more referrals, which helps channel managers increase their pipeline.
The Selling with LinkedIn® for Teams training has empowered the channel managers to become more effective with modern selling techniques.
Why do we include live coaching and instruction with an on demand program?
The Results
More Views
95% of sellers experienced an increase in LinkedIn®profile views. This trigger event, which is a starting point for conversations, means the data storage company’s sellers gained more exposure with their target audience.
More Connections
58% of sellers received a response from a client or prospect on LinkedIn® as a result of the training. These sellers are focused on turning their online connections into offline sales conversations.
More Conversations
74% of sellers engaged with prospective buyers or clients through LinkedIn®, providing the foundation for more sales conversations. The next step is to take these conversations offline.
Additionally, 37% of sellers booked an appointment during the 15-week training program using the lessons learned. And, 37% gained a commitment to receive a referral introduction.
During the 15-week training, 11% of the data storage company’s reps closed a deal using the techniques taught during the training. With an average deal value of $5,000 and an average lifetime value of a customer at $10,000, these Closed-Won opportunities provided immediate ROI. As sellers continue to apply the modern selling skills taught in the training they will be able to leverage digital platforms to build their pipeline.
LinkedIn® is a registered trademark of LinkedIn® Corporation
Future Considerations
On-going Coaching:
The training we delivered across the span of 15 weeks is a proven approach. On-going coaching is imperative to reinforce and support new skills by providing participants an opportunity for continuous learning, confidence building and behavior change.
Selling with Video for Teams:
Vengreso’s Selling with Video training program teaches sellers how to leverage video to create even deeper relationships with prospects and existing customers. The training includes a review of sales video technology, effective recording techniques and templates
Learn more about Selling with Video for Teams.
About Vengreso
Vengreso is a sales training firm that believes the modern buyer requires a modern seller. Our digital sales training and coaching helps B2B salespeople create more sales conversations with buyers through an omni-channel digital sales approach.