Dow Jones has released the latest version of its Companies & Executives Sales tool which it claims marks an end to cold calls.
Dow Jones Companies & Executives Sales is designed to help B2B sales and marketing teams take advantage of social selling opportunities to drive sales activity.
Dow Jones says the programme keeps sales pipelines filled by fresh warm leads by seeking out triggers, or events that signal opportunity within a specific industry.
Triggers including management moves, product launches and other significant events are sent via email, helping sales people quickly prioritize their best opportunities.
Once a sales professional receives a lead, the tool taps into their social networks to identify warm introductions to target organizations, helping to shorten the sales cycle.
Dow Jones says it has created a comprehensive mapping of key executives based on their work histories which when coupled with contacts listed in an organization’s in-house email such as Microsoft Outlook or opt-in social networks including LinkedIn, provides a path of connections to influential decision makers.
A relationship maps then highlight connections of varying degrees of separation, from a mutual contact to a third degree relationship.
“Our solution offers a new approach, enabling social selling which provides sales teams with timely, qualified reasons to call, as well as warm introductions. This drives activity and helps teams focus on the best opportunities, “said Simon Bradstock, vice president and managing director, Dow Jones Enterprise Media Group.
The product will be available as a web application and as a series of widgets for integration into Salesforce.com and other CRM systems, and sales portals to drive lead flow, call preparation, territory management and sales management tasks.
Dow Jones says that according to independent research, 90% of companies that appoint a new CFO also experience other leadership changes within 12 months, a fact that opens up selling opportunities for companies in HR or outplacement industries.
