Using Thought Leadership to Earn Your Way Into Sales Consideration | Steve Watt | 415

Leveraging Thought Leadership

When it comes to thought leadership, every corporation needs people that are building new ideas, sharing new insights - in essence, creating new maps to move things forward! But it's not just about the "map makers." It's also about the "expedition leaders," people who can share those ideas and insights, and bring others onboard - even if they didn't create the maps themselves. To discuss "map makers" and "expedition leaders," and really delve into the most effective ways to invite your whole organization to do thought leadership, I’ve invited Steve Watt to join me on the podcast. Steve is the Director of Market Insights at Seismic, the world’s largest enablement platform. In both social selling and thought leadership people need to show up, speak up, and publicly demonstrate both subject matter expertise and org-centric passion. Not every sales person can or should be a thought leader, but they can always be a spokesman for the org's thought leadership content. We discuss the need to empower not just sales people, but everyone within a company, by showing them the benefits that being associated with an org's thought leadership can have on their careers and reputation. Steve shares why it is important to start with the right mindset, which may mean tearing down and overcoming staid beliefs and old perceptions about "how sales are done." We discuss the way social media is constantly misused by sales people seeking to use it as a hunting ground full of traps rather than a fertile field for relationship-building. Steve is changing the mindset towards meaningful conversations and interactions, and teaching insights that will magnetically draw clients in. Many sales people agonize over the deals they lost out on, while remaining blind to just how many deals never even gave them consideration. Steve explains the importance of conversation, interactions that build relationships, and how to stay top-of-mind when a client enters a buying cycle. Three Key Takeaways: * Many smart and capable people in your org are sitting by, silently, because they aren't "map makers." Speak up early, and build your reputation as a subject matter expert. * In order to build thought leaders in your organization, you have to empower people and help them see the benefits - not just to your organization, but for their careers and reputations. * If your thought leadership boils down to “and that is why you need me,” that's not thought leadership. That is just selling - and in today's market, you need more than a pitch to make your organization stand out.