The Prospecting Masterclass ep. 32
Hey there Croners! Welcome back to The Prospecting Masterclass, the original Crono column that gives you insights and tips from the best minds in sales.
In this episode, we’ll have a sales rockstar whose career is a rollercoaster of adventures. His social selling game is one of the best out there and he’ll answer some of our questions.
It’s Nate Hiser, LinkedIn Sales Specialist at UnlockAI.
Hey Nate! quick one to get started: 5 words to describe yourself...
Goofy, Bold, Loyal, Funny, Nostalgic.
Can you give us an overview of your career? How did you end up being a sales and leads expert?
After college, I tried a variety of jobs.
I worked at ski resorts in Colorado and Montana, a national park in Wyoming, and travelled across Southeast Asia and Europe. I also spent time driving an RV for a friend who ran across the U.S. from New Jersey to San Diego.
Then, I started flipping couches on Facebook Marketplace, inspired by a YouTube video.
After that, I worked on a food truck in Salt Lake City, where I began learning Spanish.
I got my first sales role with Sitecore as an SDR, which allowed me to travel around Latin America. Later, I joined Sprout Social as a BDR, continuing my travels.
I eventually came to Australia because my girlfriend is currently studying here. I briefly worked at a cold call centre; the people were awesome, but the job sucked. I finally found my current role at Unlock AI with Matt.
Your LinkedIn profile is great: how do you use your social selling skills to improve sales? Do you think social can be a consistent inbound source?
I use my social selling skills on LinkedIn to improve sales consistently.
As a former SDR and BDR, I’ve experienced the frustrations of cold calling and emailing, and I find social selling to be much more effective and lucrative.
I absolutely believe social selling can be a consistent inbound source, and it also works well for outbound strategies.
How do you deal with creative blocks when it comes to posting?
Honestly, I’d like to say I take a walk or do something like that, but the truth is, I just step outside for a bit, come back, sit down, and make it happen.
I don’t have a magic formula!
Do you combine social selling with other channels (mail, phone)? Do you think outbound is still relevant?
Currently, I’m 100% focused on LinkedIn, so no other social media like MySpace or Vine.
I do think outbound is still relevant, but it has changed dramatically over time.
What would you suggest to someone wanting to boost their sales or at the beginning of their career?
My biggest advice is to learn how to clearly illustrate where the client is now and where they could be.
Show that gap clearly and let them realize it themselves, rather than talking them into it. The key is asking questions that highlight that gap.
And, of course, don’t forget about the power of social selling!
What are the main challenges you see in the future of sales?
I believe the biggest challenge will be learning to meet the buyer where they are.
Cold calling will likely be dead in the future, and cold emailing has already seen a massive decline in effectiveness. Social selling will be the way forward.
Prospects now have so much information that if we don’t clearly illustrate the problem and provide a solution that makes sense, they’ll go elsewhere.
It’s no longer like it was 50 years ago when information was scarce. We’ll need to be more creative and much better at understanding the buyer’s journey since traditional methods are becoming less effective.
