Web 2.0 tools and Sales 2.0 tools

Via his comment on this blog Nigel Edelshain shed some light on the origin of the term ‘Sales 2.0’:

“The definition of Sales 2.0 is still being nailed down.

It all started 3 years ago with a personal story of my frustration with being in sales. The definition I put out there was a “new way of selling” to show my frustration with how we sell today (the lack of science, repeatability and what I call “investability”). Some more pragmatic folk have helped make a more actionable definition around using Web 2.0 tools but the discussion continues.

Even though the discussion continues on the exact definition of Sales 2.0 there is real ROI NOW in some of the Sales 2.0 tools and techniques out there. And this ROI is continuing to build.

I believe this is just early days in something that can have a significant impact on sales effectiveness.”

So, what are the Web 2.0 tools and Sales 2.0 tools one has to check out?
In his blog post Don’t Become A Sales Dinosaur: Interview with Jill Konrath Chad Levitt from New Sales Economy.com got some answers from Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies and the Selling to Big Companies blog:

Jill Konrath: “Blogging, combined with my e-newsletter which has 20,000+ subscribers, has been my biggest way of establishing thought leadership in my market space. My goal is to become ubiquitous. Right now, my blog is syndicated by a number of other sites. I’ve also done a ton of webinars in the past few years. These are typically sponsored by an organization that’s selling to the same people I’m trying to reach, so it’s a real win-win to have my expertise marketed to their database.“

“I’m also experimenting with several other social media vehicles right now. I have a Facebook page. I set up a Ning community for women sales experts. I have two LinkedIn groups too. I’m learning what it takes to lead a “Tribe”. I’m using Twitter as a way to deliver snippets of information and to share resources.

I’ve done a number of podcasts – but for other people to post on their website. I want to do my own, but there’s only so much time in the day. I’m also gearing up to do lots more videos so I can have a bigger presence on YouTube. I even did a Internet TV program a few weeks ago. […]”

Jill Konrath: “I started blogging 4 years ago. Since it’s only one of my many thought leadership initiatives, it’s difficult to determine which of my corporate clients have come through that door.

What I can tell you is that anybody who looks at my blog is convinced that I know my stuff! They can read my articles, listen to podcasts, sign up for some of my free webinars. It’s a great way to test my expertise before hiring me.”

Jill Konrath: “Sales 2.0 technologies make me drool – literally. From the moment I saw Jigsaw five years ago, I was hooked. The sheer amount of information that’s available today is amazing. Savvy sellers can leverage Sales 2.0 to get themselves in front of the right people at the right time with the right message – ultimately shortening their sales cycles, creating demand and differentiating themselves from competitors.

Here’s what sellers can do to get started.

• For finding names, researching individuals, making connections, I love LinkedIn, Jigsaw, ZoomInfo, Netprospex, & Hoovers. I recently discovered Xobni too and was really impressed.
• To leverage business intelligence, my favorites today are InsideView – which alerts you to user-selected trigger events; Genius – which allows you to know if a prospect opened your email, read it, forwarded to others and more.
• To increase sales productivity, sellers can also use GoToMeeting or Webex to initiate conversations, demonstrate services, review proposals and more.”

[…]
Jill Konrath: “Be smart about sales. Each contact you have with a prospective client should be treated as the most important meeting in the world. That’s why it’s imperative to do your homework in researching the company and the individuals. It’s the price of admission.

But, you also need to leverage the information you learn in terms of creating customer-focused messaging, insightful questions, provocative statements, and spot-on presentations. Plan your meetings in advance, then review what you’ve created from the customer’s perspective. If it’s not relevant or tied to an urgent priority, you’re wasting everyone’s time. Plus, you’re killing your credibility. […]”