Tags
Date
18 September 2025
Author
Le Anh Nguyen
Table of Contents
Share
In this edition of the Masterclasses of Managerial Excellence, we had the great pleasure of welcoming Patrick Barrabé, founder of Social Selling Advisor and expert in social business networking. With 30 years of experience spanning management, sales, and digital, he is revolutionizing our approach to social selling by integrating it into a comprehensive complex-sales strategy.
Beyond Automated LinkedIn: The Real Social Selling
Patrick immediately debunks common myths: “Many people think social selling is just sending connection requests to lots of people on LinkedIn with automated scripts, hoping to land a sale. That’s far from what we envisioned back in 2007.”
The real social selling, which he and his associate developed in 2007, draws inspiration from proven models such as Neil Rackham’s SPIN Selling and Miller-Heiman’s Strategic Selling. The goal: to integrate LinkedIn intelligently into three crucial phases—account mapping, identifying key stakeholders, and personalized influence.
Connecting the ecosystem, not just the account
Patrick’s major innovation lies in his systemic vision: “It’s not enough to connect with the customer; you have to connect with their entire ecosystem: their suppliers and their customers.”
The example of Cegid is telling: instead of prospecting SMEs directly, Cegid targeted accountants who recommended their solution. “The day they understood they needed to approach the accountants and not the SMEs, they started to gain clients in all directions.”
This ecosystem-based approach highlights the importance of Partner Relationship Management and Customer Relationship Management both upstream and downstream in the value chain.
Turning Directors into Influencers
Patrick’s revolutionary method transforms every company director into a recognized expert in their field. The HR Director becomes a leader in the HR community; the Marketing Director animates the marketing community, and so on.
“When your sales rep struggles to get into an account, you ask your HR Director to call their counterpart and say: ‘I know you’re dealing with this issue, and our sales rep would love to speak to someone on your team—no pressure,’” Patrick explains.
This peer-to-peer strategy bypasses the natural resistance to salespeople.
The advantage is twofold: building genuine relationships between peers and opening tough accounts without direct sales pressure.
The LinkedIn Algorithm: Emotion and Consistency
Patrick shares LinkedIn algorithm insights from his own experience (growing from 3,000 to over 100,000 contacts): “You have to create emotion and avoid trying to sell directly.”
Content that performs well triggers an emotional reaction—satisfaction at learning something, a smile, stress, or concern. His personal example: a simple photo of Bill Gates waiting in line for a burger with the caption “even he waits in line” generated 1.5 million views from just ten minutes of work.
The golden rule: post at least once a day with emotional or educational content. “Those who share information consistently are favored by the algorithm because LinkedIn wants to keep you on the platform.”
B2B and B2C: A Single Mind
Patrick notes a fundamental shift: “Twenty years ago, when a manager went home, they left their business mind next to their keys. Today, there’s only one mind.”
This blurring of professional and personal life changes everything: “The buyer scrolling Facebook at night is the same person checking LinkedIn in the morning.”
It opens new opportunities to reach decision-makers across different channels, including Facebook for B2B events.
Employee Advocacy: Every Employee an Ambassador
Patrick champions a holistic approach to Employee Advocacy: “Every employee in the company should sell if they believe in it. They are the best possible ambassadors.”
The goal isn’t to turn everyone into a salesperson, but to make employees proud of their company so they talk about it naturally. “People who work at Nike, Google, or Apple proudly show their affiliation. Why? Because they’re proud to have been hired by these companies.”
In a nutshell…
- Authentic social selling means weaving the entire ecosystem of the prospect, not just the direct account.
- Turning directors into industry influencers creates natural openings through peer-to-peer connections.
- The fusion of B2B and B2C calls for a holistic approach where every employee becomes a company ambassador.
Don’t miss the next Masterclass!
Tags
Date
18 September 2025
Author
Le Anh Nguyen