The document describes an IBM case study where traditional sales approaches like telemarketing and email were not effective for selling web-based services like cloud computing and data security. IBM implemented a strategy of having sales representatives intelligently listen in social media groups to understand customer needs and problems. The reps participated in discussions and edited social media posts to sound authentic. This low-cost approach helped the reps gain 3,000 new LinkedIn followers, expanding their potential reach from 54,000 to 1.3 million and boosting engagement and sales.

1. IBM – Sales Boost by 400%
A case study – Problem & Solution
Pradeep Maurya – Engineer Bonfiglioli Transmissions
maurya59@gmail.com
Raga Priyanga – Immigration Executive
ragapriyanga03@gmail.com

2. Organic Approach for Sales
The Following points were applied across domains / solutions
developed by IBM
• Telemarketing
• Email
This was well for Hardware & Software Solutions but not
effective for web-based services ( Cloud Computing & Data
Security)

3. Problems
• Traditional / organic approach don’t work for web-based
services.
• Typically this services need more of human touch and
understanding exact requirement of customers.
• It requires a lot of content, a labor-intensive creative task that
most sales teams don't have interest in adding to their daily
chores.

4. Strategy
• INTELLIGENT LISTENING
- Conversation about cloud computing in social media groups
- Trends & issues
- Hot button topics developers / coders they face in real life
problems

5. Solutions
• Inside rep. were provided with LinkedIn / twitter account
where they could participate in group discussions

6. Solutions
• The reps were given the ability to edit the exact wording of
the tweets and posts to make them as relevant as possible to
the discussions they were taking part in within social
channels, and to make them sound like authentic one-to-one
messages.

7. Outcome
• Got lots more pairs of eyes reading content with a very low-
cost investment
• Those individual rep pages serve a couple of different
functions in the social selling process. At a high level, they
help create a "brand" for the seller.
• Social media causes engagement and boost the number of
engagements, helping reps extend their networks to people
they might not know

8. Power of Social Media
The seven inside sales reps were able to gain
about 3,000 new LinkedIn followers which
therefore expanded their reach (followers of
followers) from 54,000 to 1.3 million.