Unlocking pipeline with sales networking

“It’s all about who you know.”
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It might be somewhat of an oversimplification, but when it comes to B2B sales, there’s certainly some truth to the expression. A seller’s network can be indicative of sales performance and sales success. But not all connections and networks are equal. 

So how can your sales team build a professional network that translates into pipeline and deals? 

Let’s talk about it.

What is sales networking? 

Sales networking is the process of creating connections and building relationships to generate sales. 

At its core, sales networking is similar to other types of networking where you might be making connections to gain knowledge or source a new career opportunity. But with sales networking, you’re targeting contacts that have the potential to turn into customers. 

For example, a sales rep will look to fill their network with contacts that fit their ideal customer profile (ICP) or individuals who might eventually connect them with those target contacts. But unlike lead generation or cold outreach, sales networking aims to build relationships that turn into closed deals over time.

What are the benefits of building a sales network?

Having a strong sales network is critical to effective deal sourcing. However, it goes beyond just finding potential clients. 

Here are three benefits of prioritizing sales networking as a B2B organization.

Uncover new sales opportunities

The more people you know and the more conversations you have, the more likely you are to uncover opportunities that you may not have found otherwise. 

When sales reps build a strong relationship with one new person, they don’t just gain that one contact. They also gain access to everyone within that contact’s network. So as your sales network grows, you have access to exponentially more contacts and opportunities for referrals that can lead to new business opportunities.

Sales networking also exposes sellers to diverse perspectives and industry insights, which can help identify unexpected leads or even new applications for existing products or services.

Increase your sales representatives’ confidence

Navigating the ever-evolving sales landscape certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. Between cold calls and increased competition, sales reps often face objections and rejection, which can impact their ability to prospect with confidence.

Having a robust and growing sales network puts a pipeline right into a seller’s back pocket. Instead of relying on inbound leads or non-tactical strategies to drive pipeline, sellers can reach into their network for referrals and introductions to key decision-makers to hit their sales targets.

Share knowledge with your team

The primary goal of sales networking is pipeline generation, but it also creates a network of like-minded individuals in the industry. This might include sales leaders, executives, or other influential decision makers at target companies. 

By simply speaking to other people within the industry, you open the door to learnings and insights that may otherwise be difficult to obtain through pure sales interactions. For example, reps may discover problems that potential customers are experiencing and how they’re approaching them. 

As this knowledge is shared amongst your team, sellers can refine sales messaging and better position your offerings to create a more efficient and effective sales process. 

How to build your sales network with 5 networking tips

There are many ways for sales teams to approach sales networking initiatives. Here are some tips to help fill your network with the right people. 

1. Attend industry networking events

In the post-pandemic era, in-person events seem to have picked up right where they left off. After years of limited networking opportunities and a focus on online communities, in-person industry events are one of the best ways to identify new connections and prospects. 

People who attend networking events are usually looking to expand their own professional network, making it a low-stakes opportunity to get your foot in the door and open up future conversations. Even something as simple as exchanging business cards can be a vital first step to building a valuable long-term business relationship.

But networking shouldn’t be limited to sales-driven events such as conferences and trade shows. Even professional association events, networking groups, or a happy hour meetup can spark a potential deal down the line. 

2. Turn to your past and current clients for referrals

Warm intros aren’t just for new leads and sales. They can also help you build out your network. 

If you have your sights set on a specific connection, but don’t have anyone within the company who can provide an introduction, you don’t have to relegate yourself to cold outreach. Current or even past clients can be an invaluable source of referrals.

Not only can they facilitate an introduction, but they can directly vouch for you and your product or service. So once you finally make the connection, closing the deal becomes that much easier.  

3. Focus on your social media presence

Despite the highly personal nature of B2B sales, social media can still be a valuable tool for finding sales opportunities and boosting your visibility among potential connections. Social media has become so effective, that social selling has been shown to increase deal size by as much as 25%.

1. Social media has become so effective that 78% of social sellers outsell peers who don’t use social media.
2. Social media has been so ingrained in the sales process that nearly half (46.5%) of buyers would be happy to connect with sellers over social media. 
3. Social media has become so valuable in the sales process that 60% of U.S. B2B marketers claim that it’s the most effective B2B sales channel.
4. Social media has become a source of truth, with up to 46% of B2B buyers turning to social media at some point in their buying journey.

Even a decade ago, 75% of B2B buyers used social media platforms, like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (now X) to make purchasing decisions. With social media even further ingrained in our lives, it’s fair to assume that stat is even higher today. 

This doesn’t mean sales reps have to aspire to become the next LinkedIn influencer. But maintaining a professional profile that’s up-to-date and demonstrates expertise can go a long way to support your networking efforts and can even increase the likelihood of inbound leads. 

That being said, social media sales networking goes beyond simply sending connection requests. Engaging with potential buyers and companies can help you show genuine interest in their business and build relationships that eventually materialize into sales. 

4. Look for “super-connectors” on your sales team

We’ve all met those people who just seem to know everyone. 

These are your super-connectors. They’re individuals who have the ability to build rapport with almost anyone. Super-connectors have large networks themselves and play a key role in supporting the rest of your team with securing the connections they need to reach their sales goals.

By identifying these super-connectors within your organization, you accelerate the growth of your sales network. Not only are they a valuable resource to facilitate warm introductions to prospects, but they’re often able to share strategies that enhance the overall networking skills of the team.

5. Find ways to improve your existing relationships

Networking isn’t just about finding more relationships, it’s also about improving the quality of your existing ones. 

Neglecting existing contacts can significantly diminish the value of your network. Contacts that don’t qualify as prospects today can lead to referrals or even turn into deals down the line. 

Relationship intelligence can help you stay on top of the strength and nature of every contact in your network to prevent relationships from going cold too soon. And tools that surface potential connections in your network—both direct and inferred—help you make the most of every existing relationship. 

Common networking pitfalls to avoid

Sales networking is an easy way to elevate your prospecting strategy. But that doesn’t make it easy.

It's common for sellers to make errors that hinder them from fully capitalizing on networking opportunities. Here are some examples. 

Not understanding the full extent of your network 

It’s easy to underestimate the network that we already have. 

In some cases, widening your network is simply looking further into the connections you already have.

For example, consider all the employees that work within your organization. Most of those employees have worked at other companies throughout their sales careers. Affinity’s Inferred Connections functionality, allows you to tap into your company’s collective network of former colleagues. This one simple adjustment in how you evaluate relationship data opens the doors to hundreds—if not thousands—of potential contacts to drive new opportunities.

Even when there isn’t a direct connection, that shared career experience or history can help build a rapport and create a common thread that opens the door to new opportunities. 

But these types of insights are only unlocked when you have a full understanding of your company’s existing network—highlighting the value of robust sales activity tracking and relationship mapping. 

Trying to manually manage relationships to prevent them from going cold

With many sales reps connecting with upwards of a hundred prospects and contacts in one day, manual relationship management is a near-impossible task. It’s unrealistic to expect sellers to keep all those relationships top of mind—much less keep track of every detail about every connection. 

But at the same time, every relationship that goes cold could be a missed opportunity that directly impacts your bottom line.

Rather than leaving all-too-busy sellers to guesstimate the best follow-up opportunities, platforms like Affinity for Salesforce use relationship strength scores to make sure a contact never falls below the optimal threshold.

And when it comes time to follow up, CRM data enrichment offers additional context to improve the quality of their interactions. For example, Affinity allows sellers to set triggers for things like job changes or when the total number of employees at a prospective company changes significantly so they have the perfect excuse—and a reminder—to reach out at a relevant time. 

Failing to build a reciprocal relationship

No one likes to feel like they’re being sold to. 

Of course, the goal is to close a sale. But when you focus on building meaningful relationships rather than chasing transactions, it fosters a sense of trust and loyalty that makes it easier to secure deals. That’s why the most effective sales professionals are often the ones who build partnerships with their customers and prospects.

Don’t just ask for referrals. Offer introductions to your own network, share relevant content or resources, and ask how you can best support your contacts. 

While not every relationship is going to be perfectly balanced, showing a genuine interest in the needs and priorities of your contacts is critical to uncovering all the benefits of your sales network. 

Not keeping a record of your interactions 

Your relationship with the contacts in your network is only as good as your last interaction. 

Without a record of when that interaction was or what was discussed, it’s easy for relationships to fall through the cracks. This is especially true when it comes to collaborative networks where there may be multiple interactions with multiple salespeople.

This doesn’t mean that sellers should be bogged down with manual record creation. Sales automation tools, such as Affinity for Salesforce, can automatically create and update contact records by syncing data directly from your team’s inboxes and calendars.

By enriching existing contact and company records with activity tracking, sellers have access to a complete history of engagement right at their fingertips. 

Help your networking strategies convert to sales

Supercharge your networking strategy with the power of relationship intelligence. 

Affinity for Salesforce gives sellers access to your entire company’s relationship network right within their existing workflow. Affinity’s AI-driven relationship insights help sales reps stay top-of-mind with their network and source higher-quality deals.

Convert your team’s network into sales with Affinity by:

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• Automatically enriching contact profiles with proprietary data from reputable sources, so sellers have the context needed to effectively expand their networks. 
• Surfacing warm introductions across your entire team’s network to speed up sales cycles and close deals up to 25% faster.
• Unlocking sales activity and insights with automated activity capture to provide your team with a complete history of every interaction and contact.
• Setting triggers so sellers are notified the moment a contact’s relationship score drops below a set threshold or key company insights change, so they can reach out at the right time to stay top of mind.

Discover how you can elevate your sales networking strategies with Affinity’s relationship intelligence platform. 

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Sales networking FAQs 

How do you use a network to improve sales?

With the days of transactional sales tactics behind us, building relationships with the right contacts can directly influence the number of deals that cross the finish line. 

By expanding your network, you can start to build relationships with influential individuals who can help secure sales. While not every new contact will materialize into a signed contract, nurturing relationships with key contacts can lead to referrals and warm introductions to other potential prospects.

Engaging with industry professionals also gives you access to insights that can unlock unexpected opportunities and refine your sales process. 

Can LinkedIn help you with sales networking?

Yes, LinkedIn’s social media platform is designed to help build professional networks. While LinkedIn is a great tool for sales networking, you’re limited to the data provided within the platform. As a result, when sellers solely rely on LinkedIn for sales networking, they can find themselves saddled with outdated or incomplete information—creating wasted time and resources. 

The best way to use LinkedIn as part of your sales networking strategy is to pair it with a relationship intelligence tool, like Affinity for Salesforce, that connects right to your team’s inbox, calendar, and CRM to provide a complete view of potential connections.

What is relationship intelligence and why is it important for effective networking in sales?

Relationship intelligence turns data from your team’s sales interactions into actionable insights about your organization’s professional network. 

Relationship intelligence can elevate sales networking by:

• Surfacing paths of warm introduction
• Enriching CRM data with additional data, insights, and sales activity
• Identifying opportunities to build stronger networks with relationship strength scores
• Providing a complete history of engagement to improve outreach

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