The Need-to-Know Stats of Social Selling

Everything we do generates data. Data that can be interpreted, analyzed, visualized, scrutinized, and lauded over. We can then apply what we learn through that data to distill an activity down to a precise science with specific and measurable statistics.

As sales and marketing departments become better integrated, they look to these statistics to run their business more efficiently. But what stats matter most? Organizations can quantify just about anything, and a quick search of sales or marketing stats renders hundreds of results. Layer in social selling and social media statistics into your search and the results only increase. So what social selling statistics matter and why should sales leaders care? Here’s the top three stats you need to know.

Social Selling Statistic #1:

73% of sales reps that practice social selling outperform their peers and 64% of teams that practice social selling hit quota.

Yes, these are technically two statistics, but they prove this point: social selling works. Reps and teams that leverage their social channels throughout the sales process close more and win more than those that do not. Want to go to club? Want that promotion? Want to be the number one rep, district, or region? Start social selling. People buy from people they know, like and trust. Social channels are the perfect space to start and build relationships with prospects away from sales emails and sales calls. When used effectively, social selling can help warm a lead, earn a sales call, nurture that lead, and help close the deal.

Social Selling Statistic #2:

92% of buyers will delete emails and voicemails from people that they don’t know.

If your sales team is just cold emailing and cold calling prospects, then they are missing out on one of their most important channels. Leveraging social media can help you learn about your prospects and engage with them around a shared topic of interest, answer a question, or provide a valuable insight. Using social allows you to start a conversation and remove “cold” from your initial emails and calls. Sales reps and teams that leverage social to become a person that buyers know, like and trust are more likely to succeed.

Social Selling Statistic #3:

82% of prospects can be reached via social media.

As a sales rep or sales leader, having access to your target market is one of the first steps toward success. If social media is where your prospects are, then that is where sales reps need to be. On top of that, reps need to be visible, searchable, and accessible. Social allows you to build your personal brand, build your product and services credibility and build the relationships that will help you close more business. The social sphere gives reps unparalleled information and access to their target prospects. Leverage it!

Social selling provides sales teams with countless data points that can all yield valuable insights and statistics into their social selling strategies and tactics. By focusing on the a few key statistics, it’s easy to see why market leaders like Oracle, IBM, ADP and BMC are investing resources into social selling training and strategy—because it works.