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10 Must-Follow B2B Sales Influencers Of Our Time

October 27, 2017
6:59 AM

“Salesmanship is limitless. Our very living is selling. We are all salespeople.” – James Cash Penney

Every person out there must have knowingly or unknowingly done sales at least once in their lifetime. It doesn’t have to be about any particular product or service. It is a necessary skill of human nature to convince others by making them believe in you. Whether it is a job interview or a date, you are doing nothing other than selling yourself. But to be honest some people outshine others in this, mostly because the needed interpersonal skills are a part of their personality or they have learned it by hard work. These people tend to become leaders in their profession & will have the power to influence others by their personas. And in today’s business world, utilizing the help of these sales leaders for influencing key decision-makers has become a practice.

These sales leaders are not just identified for closing the deals faster than their counterparts, but also in motivating men & women who have taken sales as a career. Before getting to know about the 10 Must-Follow B2B Sales Influencers of Our Time, which this blog is about, let’s check out some brief history of Marketing & what Influencer Marketing is about.

The ever-changing methods of marketing

Marketing has been an integral part of businesses from the beginning of trade. It’s said that tradesmen used to promote their products in front of their shops by calling out to passerby’s regarding the features of the products they are offering. With time marketers started implementing different techniques for influencing their potential customers & started using the mediums of paper, radio, television, and the most recent one which is the internet. Buying has turned out to be more of an experience for the customers with the introduction of the internet. The methods of marketing have changed from its earlier pure persuasive methods to a more customer-centric approach, primarily because today’s customers don’t want to feel like they are being sold something. So as it has become a challenge for getting products sold, new methods have also come up in marketing as marketers should always think innovatively as per the situation. Attaining the help of influencers is one of them & it has gained prominent importance in today’s digital world of trade.

The idea of influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is a type of marketing strategy where marketers focus on key leaders to drive the brand’s message to a larger market. Instead of marketing directly to a large group of consumers, you can inspire, hire or pay influencers who have the credibility to get the word out for you. The idea of attaining the Influencer’s help in business is the same as kids influencing one of their parents in persuading the other for getting their wish fulfilled. The primary reason behind the success of influencer marketing is that people act when they are motivated. It might be to gain a perceived benefit or maybe to avoid any certain discomfort with their current position. As the influencers already have enough audience in the market, you can have the added benefit of reaching out to them & since they already have authority in their fields; their work can add a level of authenticity to your marketing that may be otherwise difficult to achieve. Moreover, influencers also bring in fresh content for your brand that isn’t directly associated with selling but as an advice for the audience.

B2B Sales Influencers that you should follow

Now coming to sales influencers, they are notable personalities in the online world who have demonstrated their skills in the hardcore business of sales & many have shown worth in training salespeople in the business through their forums, blogs, talk shows, etc.

These influencers have enough fan following because their audience knows their caliber in the business and that’s the reason why they trust them. Without further ado let’s get to know the sales influencers who have proved their merit in the B2B sales arena.

Grant Cardone (@grantcardone)

International sales expert who made his first million before the age of 30, New York Times bestselling author, self-made businessman who works with small companies as well as Fortune 500 companies, international speaker, owner of four companies that do almost 100m in annual sales, Grant Cardone is positioned as in the top list of B2B sales influencers in the world today. Having authored 7 sales & business books, created customized sales training programs for international companies, Grant regularly appears on Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, and MSNBC, and contributes to Entrepreneur.com, and Huffington Post. He also finished #1 among the 25 Marketing Influencers to Watch in 2017, named by Forbes on November 29, 2016

Daniel Pink(@danielpink)

Daniel Pink declared alongside Michael Porter & Clayton Christensen, is one of the top 10 business thinkers in the world by London-based Thinkers50 is one of the top sales influencers in today’s B2B world. Currently serving on the advisory boards of RiseSmart, Betterment Institutional, Helio, and Hubspot Daniel has authored five provocative books which have won multiple awards and have been translated into 35 languages & have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. Daniel who worked in several positions in politics & government ventured out on his own nearly 20 years ago. He was also a host & co-executive producer of the 2014-15 National Geographic Channel social science TV series Crowd Control.

Melonie Dodaro(@meloniedodaro)

Canadian author, social media expert & entrepreneur, Melonie gained media attention after she used Facebook to find her missing father. Considered as Canada’s first in the list of LinkedIn experts & CEO of Top Dog Social Media and author of the best-selling book The LinkedIn Code, Melonie is a well-known B2B sales influencer. A well-known trainer for corporate sales teams on how to effectively use LinkedIn for Lead generation, Melonie also creates online programs for professionals, entrepreneurs & small business owners on how to leverage social media platforms to generate more sales.

Dan Waldschmidt(@danwaldo)

International business strategist, speaker, author & extreme athlete, Dan Waldschmidt & his team are helping companies all over the world to arrive at business-changing & breakthrough ideas. Dan who has spearheaded his own multi-million dollar company turnaround had fought depression in earlier years is now an inspiration to millions of more people around the globe. Proud owner of a blog that is read by over 30 million people around the world, Dan was praised by The Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential sales and business writers. Having his insights being published in Business Insider, Forbes, Vanity Fair, CNBC, and countless other news, radio, podcast, and TV outlets Dan’s name is a must in the B2B sales influencer list.

Neal Schaffer(@nealschaffer)

Neal Schaffer who is the Founder & Editor-In-Chief of Maximize Social Business is a leader in helping professionals & businesses strategically maximize their social media outreach. In addition to being recognized as Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencer & Forbes Top 5 Social Sales Influencer, he was also named as one of marketing’s ten biggest thought leaders by CMO.com. In addition to being a top-notch sales influencer, Neal is also a faculty member of Rutger’s University Mini-Social Media MBA program as well as the Irish Management Institute’s Digital Business Certificate.

David Meerman Scott(@dmscott)

Author or co-author of ten books, David is a well-known marketing & sales strategist in today’s B2B business world. Being best known for his book “The New Rules of Marketing & PR” which got first published in 2007 is said to have opened people’s eyes to the modern realities of marketing & public relations & for six months was on the BusinessWeek bestseller list. David’s insights help organizations, individuals & products to stand out, get noticed and capture minds & hearts. As an avid speaker who has performed on all 7 continents & in over 40 countries, David is one among the top in today’s B2B Sales influencer lists of corporates.

Joel Comm(@joelcomm)

American author & internet marketer Joel Comm is the CEO of InfoMedia, social media consulting company, author of 15 books, a professional speaker, a futurist & a well-known B2B sales Influencer. Being in the business for more than 20 years Joel has tried & succeeded in multiple platforms which stretch from radio to snapchat. Joel conceived & hosted The Next Internet Millionaire which was the first internet reality show in 2007. His tested approach makes him an in-demand speaker and consultant for brands both large and small in the B2B business worlds.

Kim Garst(@kimgarst)

A marketing strategist, international bestselling author, international keynote speaker, Kim Garst is one of the world’s most retweeted people among digital marketers. Being the co-founder of Boom! Social, she helps organizations create more sales using the power of digital & social media. A well-known sales influencer in the B2B world, Kim was also named as one of the top 10 Social Media Power Influencers by Forbes. Her client list includes the world’s top brands like IBM, Microsoft, and MasterCard as well and hundreds of influential business leaders on digital and social media business strategies.

Evan Kirstel(@evankirstel)

A great resource in the B2B community, Evan Kirstel was recently named the 5th most influential B2B marketer in the US. His 20+ years in combined fields of sales, alliances, and biz dev experience with deep knowledge of social, mobile, IoT, cloud, security, and voice/video/web collaboration has helped him in helping dozens of clients grow from zero to tens of thousands of engaged followers. Social Business has been a personal obsession of Evan who has around 125K Twitter followers, 100K Instagram followers & 11k LinkedIn connections has also been named on the top 20 most mentioned & RTs by both CIOs & CMOs on Twitter in 2016. All these make him one of the top B2B Sales influencers of our time.

Heather R Morgan(@heatherreyhan)

The founder & CEO of Salesfolk, the company which has helped over, the company which has helped over 50 companies revitalize their sales prospecting strategies. Combining the best copywriting practices & game theory, Heather has developed a new process for crafting mass email templates that still feel personal. An avid traveler who has hands-on experience in emerging markets as an economist & business consultant, Heather has helped brands in improving their pitches, developing marketing strategies, running campaigns, managing P.R & is one of the top B2B sales influencers of our times.

Wrapping it up!

The way of business is changing according to time as it always has been. Organizations should try to keep up with the changing trends to be on par with the competitors & influencer marketing is one technique that should not be left out. With the power of social media, it’s now possible to access the expertise & wisdom of these Sales Influencers. Whether your business is a startup or an established corporation utilizing the help of B2B sales influencers is necessary to survive & thrive in today’s cutthroat competitive world.

Also, check out our Blog regarding 6 MUST FOLLOW B2B CONTENT MARKETING INFLUENCERS of 2017.