One of the challenges that often presents itself in the life of sales and marketing is the need to sell larger and larger contracts.
One challenge, that many companies face is the need to sell global deals.
That is, selling to companies that are active in many countries around the world.
We all now are used to selling virtually
The global pandemic has forced us to sell "virtually", when I mean this, I mean, sitting on zoom or teams calls and doing what we did before the pandemic but now doing it virtually.
The pandemic does mean that we don't need to fly around the world to have meetings, we can do them through the powers of technology. We, here at DLA Ignite have found that we are doing more global business, Covid 19 has certainly made the world a smaller place.
Origination of global deals
One of the questions I often get asked around global deals is around origination.
How do you create desire in a global business for your product and service?
There are two issues with origination of global deals.
1. The company you are trying to sell to, have no idea who you are, and it will take time getting your target companies aware of you. Putting it another way, the companies you will be targeting have zero awareness of you.
2. How do you build relationships and have conversations throughout the global business?
How do you create from nothing global deals?
Social selling is the ideal vehicle for originating and selling global deals.
Why? Because it allows you to sell higher and wider than legacy sales methods, it also gets resonance with people higher in organisations.
But you are here to find out how to sell global deals, so let's walk you through it.
1. Buyer centric profile - The first thing you need is a buyer-centric social media profile. This is a profile, that when your target accounts look at you, they see you as the expert you are, they see you say a human being that can help them, they see you as that sherpa, that helper, the person that can solve their business issues. Don't forget, that they don't know they have the business issue that you are going to solve. Well they don't know, yet. Let's not forget this company has zero understanding about what your business does. Hold that thought.
The last thing you you want is your LinkedIn profile to look like is a CV, it means you are looking for a job, or maybe you look like just another salesperson? These are global deals, this is the big prize, invest some time. Don't forget, you need to look different, like an expert and look human.
2. Build your digital network - Then taking your buyer centric profile, you start building your network, that is connecting with the people you want to influence and sell to in these global accounts.
There is a tip here, don't sell. Yes I know you have an amazing solution and you are passionate about it, (after all it pays your mortgage) but I don't know that. Yes I know it's called "social selling". But simple psychology tells us all that we all hate being sold to. So don't. It's your job is to get me into a conversation.
People buy from people they know, like and trust. We don't buy from people who turn up and pitch to us on social.
Don't worry we train and coach you on how to create a buyer centric profile and how to create a digital territory at scale as part of your social selling and influence course.
One final thing on a network in global accounts, let's take BMW as they are clients of ours. How many people do you think you need to connect to in BMW to make a success of the account?
There are 100,000 people in BMW and 100,000 people in the dealer network.
To be honest, I have no idea how many people, but it will be more than 1.
We are transforming a supply chain software companies salesforce and they tell me there are 100 stakeholders in their sales. In that case, it's going to be more than 100.
3. Content - The final thing you need is content.
Please forget the brochures that marketing create, nobody reads them.
I would suggest you flip articles from an app like Flipboard or better still, create your own blogs, like this. Let's not forget, I'm not telling you "buy my product, because we are great" I'm giving you insight, I'm showing you I'm an expert, I'm explaining how to sell global deals.
This is what you need to be doing, with your content.
Explain the business issue(s) one at a time.
Post everyday, don't forget if you don't post you are invisible.
We will take you through how to create content as part of our social selling and influence course.
Selling global deals is easy
Originating and creating global deals, in fact any deals is very easy today as social gives us a global stage. Then it's down to you, do you look (on social media) like a person the company can do business with? Are you influencing, having conversations and building relationships with the right people? Are you influencing people and getting conversations with your content?
It is, that straight forward, and if you need any help you know where we are.
Related: High Growth Companies Expect a 69% Spend Increase in Digital Selling