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.

Brian: Jill, can you tell us a bit about your background?

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.

The Shift to Social Selling

Brian: What inspired you to start 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.

Outdated Sales Tactics: Why They’re Failing

Brian: Are salespeople still being pressured to make more calls and send more emails?

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

The Need for a Mindset Shift in Sales

Brian: Why does it seem like things are only getting worse?

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.

Common Social Selling Mistakes

Brian: What mistakes do you see in social selling?

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.

Empathy: The Heart of Social Selling

Brian: How does empathy play into social selling?

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.