A lack of confidence among salespeople is the primary hurdle that holds back successful social selling in organisations, research by Forrester and Hootsuite has found.
The study found almost a third (32%) of marketing and sales professionals cited low confidence as a barrier to rolling out and sustaining a social selling programme. A limited understanding of social selling technology inhibits 29%. And some 28% said a lack of alignment between sales and marketing, or a lack of a clear business case or ROI respectively, were challenges.
Additionally, 27% said they didn’t have sufficient social selling training programmes, which in turn makes it harder to boost confidence levels. Better education and training would allow companies to overcome all these challenges, the study said.
The report concluded: “As a result of current and expected B2B buyer preferences, it is essential for B2B companies to have a comprehensive social selling strategy and supporting technologies in place. Social engagement must be leveraged across all phases of the cycle, allowing B2B marketers and sellers to engage with buyers on their terms.”
