The document discusses strategies for leveraging social media to generate leads and accelerate sales in business. It emphasizes engaging with prospects early, building trust through community participation, and utilizing targeted content to attract new customers. Additionally, it highlights the importance of integrating social media into the sales process while maintaining a strong focus on email as a primary communication tool.

1. Using Social Media to Find & Close More BusinessAA-ISP Annual Conference5/11/2010Robert PeaseVice President of Marketingrobert@gist.com@RobertAtGistMatt HeinzPrincipal, Heinz Marketingmatt@heinzmarketing.com@heinzmarketing

2. Last slide first*Find & engage prospects “upstream” before they are active buyersParticipate in their communities as a peer to build trust & credibilityUse research tools to customize approach with new targetsPublish your own source(s) of value-added content to attract new prospects to youMarketing is too important to leave to the marketers (let alone the sales reps)#gist/@RobertAtGistCopyright © 2010 Gist 2*Thanks to Zach Nelson, CEO, Netsuite

3. Quick Audience AuditSocial media usageSocial lead generationSocial deal acceleration#gist/@RobertAtGist@HeinzMarketing

4. Prospect Engagement Funnel#gist/@RobertAtGist@HeinzMarketingNext Step Accelerator IdeasCustomer Targets (based on persona profiles)Network-exclusive access to contentValue-added special offersDiscovery eventsWhite papers, top ten tips, etc.Network / Open CommunityChannels: Twitter, Facebook, Blog, LinkedInGoal: Drive RegistrationDrip MarketingChannels: Email Newsletters, CRM SystemGoal: Drive Active ProspectsTestimonials, Success StoriesProfile-Specific MessagesNew product/service offersActive Sales CycleChannels: CRM, 1:1 Goal: SellNew Opportunity Alerts1:1 with Existing CustomerIn-Market EventsReferral & Tell-a-Friend OffersNetwork / Community InvitesNew Customer

5. Social Media & Sales SurveyCollected via on-line survey (n=499)Gist users so skewed in terms of use of social mediaBut…a good leading indicatorWanted to understand usage as well as resultsYou know what they say about statistics…5#gist/@RobertAtGist

6. Finding information…6#gist/@RobertAtGist

7. Social media generates revenue…7#gist/@RobertAtGist

8. Up to 20% more…8#gist/@RobertAtGist

9. But does not always reduce sales cycles9#gist/@RobertAtGist

10. Popular tools…10#gist/@RobertAtGist

11. Email isn’t going anywhere…11“Email is life's database”“Email is the foundation of all that I do.” “Email is part of what I do everyday. Going outside of Outlook slows my productivity.”“I prefer to stay in email. It is where I live and where work gets done.”“Most of the time spent is in Email, it becomes - with all its quirks - the primary organization and contact management tool.”#gist/@RobertAtGist

12. The Social Inbox - Email +Content12

13. Social CRM – have intelligent conversations13#gist/@RobertAtGist

14. Social when you need it most…14#gist/@RobertAtGist

15. Four Zones of EngagementZone of AmazementZone of AffectionZone of IndifferenceZone of DisdainOver 6 hours to respond

16. Generic response

17. Direct sales tactics

18. Nothing worth sharing

19. Partial coverage

20. Response within 4 – 6 Hours

21. Sales = Support

22. Actionable & meaningful

23. Contribute domain knowledge

24. Response within 1-10 minutes

25. Personal & authentic

26. Speed wins

27. Complete coverage

28. DO NOT outsource

29. No coverage

30. No responseReal-time/Near-time ResponseNo ClueBatch & Act#FAIL#gist/@RobertAtGist

32. Tweetdeck#gist/@RobertAtGist@HeinzMarketing

34. It’s your turn…Let’s make this personal:Your industryYour customersYour product/service/solutionYour opportunity

35. Thanksrobert@gist.comtwitter.com/robertatgistmatt@heinzmarketing.comTwitter.com/heinzmarketing