It’s so much easier now, with Sales 2.0.

OK so that’s the attention grabber – I can already hear the protests about how tough it is on the street, especially in an economy like the one we have now.

And the protesters are right, in some ways.  Corporates just don’t seem open to new ideas anymore.  The executives are so focused on what’s happening in their business, they don’t have time to notice what’s happening to their business.  They certainly don’t want us outsiders interrupting.

But actually there are a number of things going on which can make it easier for us to know who to talk to, and how to get to them.  Social Media sites such as Linked In, Xing, and Facebook, plus lots of others, give executives ways of engaging with the rest of the world, including us sales guys.

With “who knows who” information it’s a lot easier to get introductions to people who would normally be unreachable.  And when we do get to them, they’re a lot more open than they would be if the contact was in their office.

This is all very positive, but only answers the “how to reach them” questions.  Unfortunately we have to fall back on the old fashioned way of figuring which companies we want to talk to, and which executives in those companies.

In my day this used to involve driving around industrial parks, looking for businesses, and asking receptionists for contact names.  Nowadays it’s much easier, with directories and and associations on web sites.  But it still involves a lot of research, digging out the information we want.

The really good news is that’s about to change.  Just a couple of days ago I came across implu a start-up focused on providing us with the information we need, and giving us tools to manage it.

implu is consolidating information from public filings, press releases, news feeds etc. and using social media software to help us put together our own picture of what’s happening in the parts of the world we’re interested in.

The social media features will offer Bios, blogs, forums, and answers, which means ultimately implu will take over from the other sites, becoming the preferred networking platform for corporate sales people.

I just know with the help of Implu I’d be totally on top of my market intelligence, with everything I need in one place.

Sales 2.0 really is Real.