RAIN Group - Best Use of Thought Leadership in Complex Sales
Company: RAIN Group, Boston, MA
Company Description: RAIN Group is a global sales training and performance improvement company that unleashes sales potential by delivering transformational experiences. We've helped hundreds of thousands of salespeople, managers, and professionals in more than 75 countries significantly increase their sales with our sales training, consulting, and coaching services.
Nomination Category: Thought Leadership Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Use of Thought Leadership in Complex Sales
Nomination Title: RAIN Group earns spot as a top thought leader for virtual selling
At the onset of the pandemic, RAIN Group, a global sales training company, was working with its clients when it became clear that sellers were feeling challenged in the new sales environment.
With a reputation for providing B2B sellers and sales leaders with the knowledge and skills to succeed, RAIN Group’s first instinct was to help.
In May 2020, the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research surveyed 500+ buyers and sellers to better understand their experiences with virtual selling. The data confirmed that sellers were struggling, and that buyers’ expectations weren’t being met.
In response to the survey results, RAIN Group launched a Virtual Selling Campaign, comprised of multiple pieces of content.
In June 2020, survey data was shared in the Report Virtual Selling Skills & Challenges,” and the following month, complete findings were released in the book “Virtual Selling: How to Build Relationships, Differentiate, and Win Sales Remotely.”
Subsequent contentthat incorporated the research included:
eBook:4 Imperatives for Virtual Sellers
Ultimate Virtual Selling Toolkit
Virtual Selling Checklist
Slideshares
Infographics
Numerous blogs related to virtual selling
Content was distributed viaRAIN Group website, social media, ads, article placements, press releases, email, and speaking engagements.
Since launching in June 2020, the report won Gold for Research Report of the Year in the 2021 Stevie Awards and has been downloaded by 5,400+ sellers and sales leaders around the world.
The feedback has been incredibly positive:
“Your report is incredible. A must-read!”
“Fantastic advice at a critical time.”
“Desperately needed this right now.”
“Best sales book I have read in my career.”
Other notable success metrics include:
The Ultimate Virtual Selling Toolkit: 4K+ downloads
Book Virtual Selling: 12K+ copies sold worldwide, secured Amazon bestseller status in several categories, Fortune 100 companies purchased in bulk for sales teams, and won Silver for Best Sales Book in the 2020 Top Sales World Awards .
The campaign earned 450+ backlinks from sites with high domain authorities.
The research and content from this campaign have been featured on sites, including Entrepreneur,MarketingCharts, eMarketer, MarketingProfs, Training Industry, and Sales & Marketing Management, and on reputable blogs such as IMPACT, Hubspot, LinkedIn, and others.
Top podcast programs run by well-known sales speakerslikeVictor Antonio and others havediscussed the findingsfrom the reporton their episodes.
AA-ISP found the topic and research so timely that it asked RAIN Group to provide the closing keynote at its Virtual Sales Summit.Companies likeHighspotand Prezi have partnered with RAIN Group to co-host webinars onthetopicofvirtual selling.
The world ofsalesas weknow ithas changed forever.
To call this report (and the several other resources in this campaign)incredibly helpfulwould be an understatement.Virtual selling is a relatively new topic that hasn’t been widely researched. And if it has been, rarely do you hear from both sides (buyers and sellers).
Selling virtually is a challenge for even the best sellers.Regardless of if someone is a veteran seller or just getting started, these resourcesprovide crucial insights and tips to help them succeed.
Since the launch, RAIN Group has achieved its overarching goal—to help sellers and sales leaders navigate virtual selling.
And while not the intended audience of this campaign, professors are using the book and other resources tohelp their students, a sign that the reach has gone further than planned. The authors spoke at events for Baylor’s Center for Professional Selling, LSU’s Professional Sales Institute, and for other top-ranked sales schools.
RAIN Group has earned its position as a recognized thought leader for sales and virtual selling topics.
See attachments