Want to excel in social selling or help your sales team succeed? If you’re not focused on social selling yet, you should be. Here’s why:

B2B marketing has evolved to align better with how people buy today. But now it’s time for sales to catch up. As Jill Rowley, social selling pioneer and Chief Evangelist, explains, “We’re long overdue for a transformation, a modernization of the way we sell.”

Recently, I sat down with Jill, who brings years of expertise in marketing automation and B2B sales. She shared her insights on social selling and how to do it right.

Editor’s note: This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Jill: Sure, Brian. I describe myself as a sales professional trapped in a marketer’s body. I spent 13 years in software sales, and for 10 of those years, I was selling to marketers.

This unique experience lets me understand both sides of the equation—sales and marketing. For the past three years, I’ve been helping companies use social media strategically in sales, creating programmatic, organization-wide approaches to social selling.

Jill: Honestly, it was my frustration with traditional sales methods. Cold calling and mass emails weren’t getting my prospects’ attention. Social media offered a way to be where my customers were, be visible, add value, and join the conversations they care about. It was also an invaluable research tool for understanding my buyers.

Jill: Yes, and that’s a huge part of the problem. The mandate for many sales teams is simply to “make more calls, send more emails.” But more isn’t better—more relevant is better.

Today, everyone has access to contact data, so prospects are flooded with generic, impersonal messages. Automation tools are only amplifying this with sequences that come across as tone-deaf and absurd by the seventh touchpoint. The result? Prospects are annoyed, not engaged.

Key Insight: “More isn’t better. More relevant is better.” – Jill Rowley

Jill: It’s because technology is enabling bad practices. Sales leaders need to wake up to the fact that buyers have changed dramatically. People buy differently now—they do their own research, trust peers, and value insights over pitches. But too many sales teams are still using outdated methods that don’t align with this new buyer behavior.

Takeaway: Buyers have changed. Sales needs to evolve to match how people and companies want to buy today.

Jill: A big one is taking old-school tactics and applying them in new-school channels. Too many salespeople are using the “me, me, me” approach on social media, where they talk about their product, their company, and what they want, rather than focusing on the prospect.

I recently received a generic LinkedIn invite from someone claiming to be a social selling expert. That’s a red flag! If you’re not even personalizing your outreach, you’re missing the point of social selling entirely.

Pro Tip: Always personalize your LinkedIn invites—it’s your first impression, so make it matter.

Jill: Empathy is critical. Social selling allows you to see through the eyes of your customer. LinkedIn, for example, lets you get insights into someone’s skills, career history, and what others say about them. Use this information to craft a thoughtful approach.

Empathy isn’t about pushing a sale—it’s about genuinely understanding what the customer needs and how you can help them achieve their goals. That’s how you build trust and rapport.

Takeaway: Empathy in social selling is about understanding and respecting the customer’s needs. It’s the foundation of trust.

Jill: First, if you’re ineffective offline, you’ll be even less effective online. Social media amplifies both the good and the bad, so focus on adding value, not just pushing for a quick sale.

Social selling also requires ongoing training. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook each have their own cultures. Sales teams should invest in training to learn how to use these platforms effectively and align them with their overall sales goals.

Pro Tip: Social selling isn’t about rushing to close; it’s about being a facilitator of the buyer’s journey.

Jill: ON24 is a great example. They put their sales team through a 10-week training program with Sales For Life, culminating in a certification that requires reps to use social media to source new opportunities. This structured approach ensures that the team is aligned and ready to succeed with social selling.

Jill: I’m excited about the balance between technology and human connection. AI and other tools can take over administrative tasks, freeing up sales reps to focus on empathy, research, and relationship-building. But remember, technology can’t replace human interaction—it’s there to support it.

Key Insight: The future of sales is a balance between technology and the human touch. Use tools to enhance empathy, not replace it.

Jill: In social selling, trust is your greatest asset. To build trust, focus on the buyer, not yourself. Mutual benefit matters. As a mentor once told me, “To be interesting, be interested in something other than yourself.”

Takeaway: To be a successful social seller, show you care, share valuable knowledge, and focus on the customer’s needs.

The best way to connect with Jill is on Twitter at @Jill_Rowley or via LinkedIn. (Remember to personalize your invite!)