Social Selling for B2B Sales: Prospecting, Buying Committees and Pipeline – Paris, 7–11 Jun 2027

Programme overview

Introduction:

B2B buyers now research suppliers, compare peers' views and form a shortlist on professional networks long before they speak to a salesperson, yet many sales teams still rely on cold calls and generic connection requests that go unanswered. Social selling closes that gap by turning professional networks into a disciplined prospecting and pipeline channel. This Core Concept course trains account executives and business development staff to map buying committees, act on trigger events, start relevant conversations and convert them into meetings logged in CRM. Participants build a 30-Day Social Selling Plan for a named-account list.

Course Objectives:

• Position social selling within the B2B buying journey and identify where buyers form shortlists before contacting sales
• Rewrite a professional profile so it addresses buyer problems, shows customer proof and invites a conversation
• Map target accounts and buying committees on professional networks and set listening alerts for trigger events
• Engage stakeholders with insight-led content and personalised messages that move a connection to a booked meeting
• Run employee advocacy and measure social selling activity and sourced and influenced pipeline with a clean CRM handover
• Apply etiquette and data privacy rules to prospect research, messaging and outreach automation

Target Audience:

• Sales staff who own a territory or named-account list and a new-business target
• Business development staff responsible for opening conversations with organisations that are not yet clients
• Key account staff who need wider coverage across the buying committee inside existing clients
• Pre-sales and solution staff who support client conversations with subject expertise
• Sales development staff who qualify inbound interest and book first meetings

Course Outline:

Day 1: Social Selling Foundations and the B2B Buying Journey

• Social Selling Versus Social Marketing and Cold Outreach: Scope and Boundaries
• B2B Buying Journey Stages and Self-Directed Supplier Research
• Buying Committee Roles: Economic Buyer, Technical Evaluator, User and Procurement Gatekeeper
• Four Social Selling Practices: Prospecting, Buyer-Facing Profile, Advocacy and Relationship Management
• Current-State Social Selling Audit of Network Reach, Activity and Sourced Pipeline

Day 2: Buyer-Centric Profiles, Account Mapping and Social Listening Models

• Buyer-Centric Profile Rewrite: Problems Solved, Customer Proof and Call to Conversation
• Ideal Customer Profile and Named-Account Tiering Matrix
• Buying Committee Map on Professional Networks: Stakeholders, Influence and Warm Paths
• Social Listening Set-Up: Saved Searches, Keyword Alerts and Account Follow Lists
• Trigger Event Catalogue: Leadership Changes, Funding, Expansion, Hiring and Tender Signals

Day 3: Content-Led Engagement and Personalised Outreach

• Insight-Sharing Content Mix: Curated Research, Customer Stories and Point-of-View Posts
• Comment-First Engagement Routine on Target Stakeholders' Activity
• Personalised Connection Request Framework: Relevance, Reason and Low-Commitment Ask
• Connection-to-Conversation-to-Meeting Message Sequence with Timed Follow-Ups
• Voice Note, Video Message and Referral Introduction Request Scripts

Day 4: Employee Advocacy, Pipeline Measurement, CRM Handover and Etiquette Risks

• Employee Advocacy Programme: Approved Content Library, Sharing Guidelines and Subject-Expert Amplification
• Social Selling Activity Metrics: Connection Acceptance, Reply Rate and Meetings Booked
• Pipeline Attribution: Socially Sourced Versus Socially Influenced Opportunities
• CRM Handover Protocol: Contact Records, Activity Logging and Lead Qualification Criteria
• Etiquette, Data Privacy and Consent Rules for Prospect Data and Automated Outreach Tools

Day 5: Social Selling Role-Play and 30-Day Plan Build

• Role-Play: Profile Critique by a Simulated Buying Committee
• Role-Play: Trigger-Event Outreach to a Fictional Named Account with Peer Scoring
• Role-Play: Moving a Comment Thread into a Discovery Meeting Request
• 30-Day Social Selling Plan Build: Daily Cadence, Account Coverage and Activity Targets
• 30-Day Social Selling Plan Presentation and Sales Manager Challenge Panel

Skills You Will Gain:

• Buying Committee Mapping
• Trigger Event Monitoring
• Buyer-Centric Profile Writing
• Insight-Led Prospect Engagement
• Personalised Outreach Sequencing
• Social Pipeline Attribution
• CRM Activity Hygiene
• Prospect Data Privacy Practice

Why Attend This Course:

• Return with a 30-Day Social Selling Plan covering a named-account list, a daily cadence and activity targets
• Replace unanswered generic connection requests with messages tied to a trigger event and a clear reason to talk
• Show sales leadership which opportunities professional networks sourced or influenced, using the CRM records they already review
• Rehearse outreach and profile critiques with peers selling into different sectors and deal sizes

Conclusion:

Social selling works when it is treated as a sales discipline with targets rather than occasional posting. The course moves from the B2B buying journey and buying committee roles, through buyer-centric profiles, account mapping and trigger-event listening, to insight-led engagement, personalised message sequences, employee advocacy, pipeline attribution, CRM handover and privacy rules. The final day rehearses outreach through role-play and produces a 30-Day Social Selling Plan for a fictional named-account list, ready to run from the first week back at work.