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One Sales Rep Proving That Social Selling Is A Marathon, Not A Short Race

Amar Sheth
Amar Sheth

The one thing that I have a personal passion for is learning from sales professionals that are doing extraordinary things with social selling.

Garrett Graston is no different. He is poised, polished and taking social media head on.

Check out the video below and hear Garrett’s story.


Resting on Laurels

Most people (not just sales professionals) operate in short races. I started working out on January 2nd and my actions have decreased a bit since then. I’ve clearly adopted the attitude of “I’ll get back up there…someday”.

What sales professionals like Garrett have figured out is that it’s a marathon, not a race. Last year in 2014, Garrett was declared the # 1 Inside Sales Representative (ISR) at his company. That’s no small feat. I can only imagine the countless hours of preparation, prospecting and sheer uphill hustle he had to exert to get there.

But, Garrett is not content with this. He knows that he needs to keep on keeping on.

The Social Selling Chapter

ISR’s are frequently the ones that feel the pinch and pressure on building the funnel. It is an excruciatingly tough task. You need willpower and mental stamina to approach prospecting every day with belief and passion.

So when Garrett started to read, hear and learn about social selling, he was instantly intrigued. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that our buyers are now doing a significant portion of their due diligence and research online before reaching out to us as sales professionals.

But, what do you do about it?

Garrett decided to jump in social media a little by little.

Usually, when I interview sales professionals for The Social Success Factor, they’ve got blockbuster social selling results. 30% of pipeline, revenue in the millions from social selling and more.

Garrett’s case is the epitome of the marathon runner.

In 2014, 10% of Garrett’s revenue could be attributed to social. But, he’s now so inspired and motivated, he’s realizing in early 2015 that he may finish the year with at least 25% of his revenue coming from social selling efforts.

Clearly, he’s able to connect and add value to buyers very early on and impact them in ways that traditional and normal sales reps just aren’t accustomed to.

The Bottom Line

How Does This Affect You?

It doesn’t matter what you do in sales. Whether you’re an ISR/SDR, Account Executive, Account Manager or going after a named list of companies, social media can help you.

Think about how you’ll acquire the knowledge to get started, what you’ll do to apply it, who you’ll talk to and more. In short, think about the basics and start there.

Buyers are online. They’re leaving information sound bites that you can use in your sales process.

All you need to do is start.

Remember, social selling isn’t difficult. It’s just different.

Did you like this story? Tweet me and let me know @AmarSheth. Connect with me on LinkedIn, too. If you have any questions, feel free toreach out to me here.

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