Sales 2.0: A Buzzword That Every Sales Leader Must Know

Like me, you are probably tired of sales and leadership buzzwords, but as responsible sales leaders we should understand hot trends, new technologies and best practices. The phrase or buzzword “Sales 2.0” falls into this category.

If you search the web for Sales 2.0 information, you’ll get a wide selection of ideas and opinions. I’ve summarized below a few Sales 2.0 questions and answers, then provided links to more info.

Short and Sweet – What is Sales 2.0?

From Sales 2.0 for Dummies: “Sales 2.0 means integrating the power of Web 2.0 technologies with proven sales techniques to increase sales velocity and volume. As customers have become more adept at using the Web to mine information, gathering data from corporate Web sites and seeking out comparisons using search engines, they’ve also become more informed. Today’s sales teams need to keep pace by using the Web to understand and communicate with their customers.”

From Anneke Seley and Brent Holloway, authors of the book “Sales 2.0”:  “Sales 2.0 is the use of innovative sales practices, focused on creating value for both buyer and seller and enabled by Web 2.0 and next-generation technology.”

So….Sales 2.0 combines traditional, sales methodology best practices with up to the minute Internet and SAAS technologies and processes- to get the best results for both the customers and the company. It’s a blend of sales best practices and marketing best practices.

Who Invented The Buzzword “Sales 2.0″?

There are two schools of thought on who invented the buzzword Sales 2.0: There’s Nigel Edelshain, CEO of what was Ivy Technology Partners and is now Sales 2.0 consulting who may have invented the term in 2007. And, there’s David Thompson, the CEO of Genius.com who wrote the book Sales 2.0 for dummies. (Click here to order a free copy of the book). It’s unclear who owns it.. but both know a lot about it!!

Give Me An Example of Sales 2.0 In Action

Based on my research, if you were practicing Sales 2.0 you would…

• Have a well thought out contact strategy,  attempting to touch the right prospects/customers at the right time, with a well defined, compelling and specific message.
• You would only be reaching out to clients that would truly have a need for your product or service – versus a “blanket or generic” approach.
• You would be leveraging up to date sales technologies to both enhance your productivity and effectiveness (ex. CRM, Automated sales triggers, Twitter, Bogs) and to help deliver the message to the customer- (ex. Webinar, podcast etc.)

Sales 2.0 Resources

The Sales 2.0 Conference (currently stopping in major cities across the United States)

The Sales 2.0 Blog

Follow On Twitter: @Matt_Genius, @nedelsha, @bridgegroupinc, @InsideView

What do you think of Sales 2.0? Add your comments here..