“How often do you pick up the phone from a number you don’t recognize?” asks Jennifer Roberts, Cisco’s Marketing Manager. “Probably not that often.”
She says that at Cisco, to help make a warmer introduction than a cold call, they’ve created a program for their sales reps to reach customers through social media. It’s based on the idea that their sales reps need to meet their customers where they are and earn their trust before earning their business.
In her presentation at SocialMedia.org’s Member Meeting, she explains how Cisco builds their networks and adds value to the conversations their customers are having online. But to make the transition into social selling, it takes support and training, evaluating their resources, and measuring their success.
This case study also covers:
- Why quality connections are better than a huge network of customers
- How one employee used private LinkedIn groups to build trust
- What convinced Cisco to get their sales team on social media
Watch her full presentation below:
Cisco Systems: Social selling at Cisco, presented by Jennifer Roberts from SocialMedia.org on Vimeo.
