Complete Resources Guide to Social Selling
How well do you really know the social selling landscape? As industry leaders from the B2B sales and marketing space continue to gain insight into the true value of social selling, we wanted to create a curated collation of the latest and greatest content so you can stay up to date on what’s happening.
This will be a living, breathing, resource that will be updated as new content becomes available and you better believe that we want your input along the way!
Just like marketing and sales automation took years to shape, social selling will continue to evolve over time through intensive research and practice from industry leaders.
Without further ado, we’ve searched the web for the very best social selling resources to help you navigate through this new space.
We hope these resources provide you with the insight you’ve been looking for. Please do let us know in the comments below if there’s anything we missed!
Definitions
There’s one thing to consider whenever trying to define social selling - it all depends on your professional background and objectives. We strongly believe that social selling is a practice that will spill over from the sales and marketing world to be leveraged by founders, executives, recruiters and any other professional whose success is dependent on their ability to grow better relationships.
- HubSpot: The Definition of Social Selling
- Triblio: 10 Social Salespeople Define Social Selling
- Forbes: What Is Social Selling? Connections And Content
- Hootsuite: Social Selling in B2B Sales: What is Social Selling?
- Conspire: The Definition of Social Selling
Frameworks & Pillars
The early experts in social selling have developed their own frameworks which contain the key elements to any successful social selling strategy. Developing a framework for success should be one of your first objectives before getting started.
- Jill Rowley: The 5 Pillars of #SocialSelling
- Tim Hughes: 5 Pillars of Social Selling
- LinkedIn: 4 Pillars of Social Selling
- Yesware: 5-Dimension Framework to Success with Social Selling
- Hootsuite: The Pillars of Social Selling
Experts & Thought Leaders
We’re starting to see new leaders in the social selling space, however there are many early advocates that are leading the way. We have added some of the most recognized leaders in the space that we believe are sharing innovative content and applying real-world practice.
- Kitedesk: Top 100 Social Selling Influencers
- Forbes: Top 30 Social Salespeople In The World
- onalytica: Social Selling 2015: Top 100 Influencers & Brands
- Jill Rowley: Social Selling Evangelist | @Jill_Rowley
- Koka Sexton: Social Selling Tips and Social Marketing Leader | @KokaSexton
- Ken Krogue: Inside Sales Evangelist, Social Media Missionary | @KenKrogue
- Kurt Shaver: Helping Sellers Reach More Decision Makers | @KurtShaver
- Neal Schaffer: Leader in the World of Business Social Media | @NealSchaffer
- Craig Elias: Creator of Trigger Event Selling | @CraigElias
- Jill Konrath: Accelerating Sales, Winning More Deals | @JillKonrath
Training and Education Authorities
Many of the early training and education authorities are from the B2B sales and marketing world from leaders who have proven their expertise through higher quotas and stronger customer relationships.
- Sales for Life: The World’s Authority In Social Selling
- The Sales Foundry: Bringing Social Selling Skills to America’s Top Sales Teams
- Jill Rowley: Social Selling Strategic Planning & Workshops
Industry Reports, Statistics and Insight
No resources list would be complete without a few research reports and statistics further proving the true business value and ROI of social selling.
- Peoplelinx: The State of Social Selling
- Triblio: 23 Shocking Social Selling Stats
- HubSpot: 15 Social Selling Stats That Will Inspire You to Take Action
- Social Selling Impact: Aberdeen Report 2013
- 2015 Trends Report: Sales Process, Sales Strategy, Social Media Trends, Sales Techniques And Forecasting
Complete Guides
Finding the right guide for social selling that matches your professional profile isn’t an easy task. Depending on your level of expertise and objectives, we’ve listed a few different options to help you get started.
- HubSpot: The Sales Professional’s Go-To Guide to Social Selling
- Salesforce: The Mini-Guide to Social Selling
- Hootsuite: The Definitive Guide to Social Selling
- Sales for Life: The Executive’s Guide To Social Selling Success
- LinkedIn: The How-To Guide to Social Selling
Infographics and Visuals
What better way to conceptualize a new trend than with a nicely put together infographic! From building a business case to understanding how a successful social sales professional spends their day, there’s a lot of great information stuffed into these nicely designed infographics.
- HubSpot: The Business Case for Social Selling
- Sales for Life: A Proven Social Selling Routine
- LinkedIn: Collection of Social Selling Infographics
- TopDog Social Media: Social Selling In 30 Minutes a Day
- Maximize Social Media: How B2B Sales Has Changed
Assessments & Benchmarks
Everything we do in business must be measured one way or another. Whether you’re looking for individual or team social selling measurement, there are valuable assessment resources available to help you gain deeper insight into your performance.
- LinkedIn: Social Selling Index
- The Sales Foundry: Individual LinkedIn Selling Skills Score
- The Sales Foundry: Team LinkedIn Selling Skills Assessment
- Peoplelinx: Social Selling Maturity Model
It’s becoming clear that social selling is no longer a buzz word used by social media enthusiasts. It’s becoming a massive trend that will impact the entire business world. If there had to be one key takeaway from all of this content, I would argue that the key focus simply comes down to growing better business relationships.
Whether it’s by listening to your network and sharing valuable content or finding authentic ways to engage with your connections, I do believe we are headed in the right direction. I look forward to hearing your suggestions in the comments section at the bottom of the page!