If you’ve been on LinkedIn lately, you’ve probably seen posts about the B2B sales approach called “deep selling.” Deep selling is essentially the best practice habits used by many top sales performers. It’s all the rage lately … and with good reason.
Deep selling vs. shallow selling
Joint data analysis conducted by LinkedIn and the research firm Ipsos found that B2B sales professionals who employ deep selling tactics are twice as likely to beat their sales goals as the lower performing “shallow sellers.” And what’s more, those so-called shallow sellers are also six times more likely to miss their sales targets.
The LinkedIn/Ipsos researchers sought to identify the ingredients that go into the secret sauce of the most successful deep sellers. They asked over 2,100 sellers from around the world about 104 different actions/tactics that they use. The researchers then determined which behaviors are the common denominators among top performers who frequently exceed their quotas — the deep sellers.
The researchers found three frequently cited habits that were the most impactful “needle-movers” of the deep sellers.
1. Deep sellers make high-potential accounts a priority.
For prospecting, deep sellers research which businesses or industries are most likely to be a good fit for their product or service. This also enables them to tailor their conversations and solutions to match the prospect’s needs.
For existing clients, taking the time to stay on top of what’s going on within a business’s niche allows a deep seller to continuously add value to the relationship by sharing these insights and identifying potential cross-sell opportunities, which could be helpful or cost-saving to the client.
In either scenario, deep sellers demonstrate to the business owner that they have expertise about their industry and are actively looking for ways to help them succeed.
2. Deep sellers identify and nurture key relationships.
Sure, it helps to use your existing network to find an in with the key decision-makers, but deep sellers also form and nurture relationships with other members of the buying committee and centers of influence (COIs).
Fostering such relationships matter now as well as into the future. Why? Because the LinkedIn/Ipsos researchers found that 54% of buyers buy from the same seller, even if the buyer changes companies. And what’s more, 50% of buyers also said they buy from the same seller even if the salesperson changes companies.
3. Deep sellers seek out tailored insights for well-timed, relevant outreach.
Trigger events are any occurrence that might lead a decision-makers to consider making some type of a change to the products, services, or providers they currently utilize.
By staying abreast of what is going on within a client’s or prospect’s niche, as well as within their local economy, deep sellers can anticipate and take action as a result of these trigger events.
A simple solution to facilitate deep selling best practices
Deep sellers are the superstars of their teams, beating their sales goals and besting the competition again and again. It stands to reason that these are the reliable revenue-generators who power your sales roster, yet the LinkedIn/Ipsos research found that only 18% of sellers are consistently adhering to these three deep selling habits and thus attaining top performer status. Conversely, a plurality of salespeople — 46% — fall into the shallow sellers category; they are not adopting these three best practices and their less-than-stellar sales results show it.
There is an easy way to put the valuable industry and local economic insights salespeople need to succeed right at their fingertips, however — making these three deep selling tactics faster and easier for your top performers and lending a helping hand to your shallow sellers, which can help boost their performance.
Covering more than 97% of the economic revenue in the U.S. and Canada through more than 920 Industry Profiles and 3,400 local economic reports, Vertical IQ offers the easy-to-digest, sharable insights that deep sellers (and the businesses they work with) are clamoring for. Industry Intelligence makes it simple to implement deep selling best practices by enabling sales professionals to:
- Research a prospect’s niche prior to a call by reviewing the Industry Profile and/or the Role-Based Prep Sheet, facilitating more targeted conversations that showcase the sales pro’s industry knowledge
- Stay on top of the latest industry trends a client might want to capitalize on … or a potential risk they may need to hedge against
- Speak the business owner’s language by incorporating the Executive Talking Points found in each Sector Profile
- Identify right-fit solutions, as well as cross-sell opportunities that could benefit the client (and your organization)
- Tap into Localized Industry Data down to the MSA level, as well as Local Economies data, to uncover local insights that could inform a business owner’s decisions
- Continuously nurture prospect and client relationships by sharing useful industry insights and timely Industry News articles with each touchpoint
Deep selling is a hot trend right now, but the successful sales tactics behind the concept have already endured the test of time. And just like a favorite recipe passed down through the generations, Industry Intelligence truly may be the most important ingredient in the deep seller’s secret sauce!
Want to learn more about how Industry Intelligence from Vertical IQ can help your deep sellers thrive and boost your shallow sellers’ performance? Contact us today for a demo!