I just finished reading "Think Like a Freak" by the authors of Freakonomics. Rather than talking about the chapter that is so obviously tied to selling – How to persuade people that don’t want to be persuaded – let’s talk about the connection to thinking like a freak.

The authors suggest that we can’t possibly think like freaks until we don’t know all of the answers. Not only that, but we have to know which questions to ask to get the answers. Well, most of us who write for Top Sales World, our own Blogs, as well as the other sales Bloggers in cyberspace, all tend to know what we are talking about.

So I would like to be the first to admit that maybe I don’t know everything there is to know about everything sales related. In doing so, perhaps we can come up with some real, fact-based data that tells us what impact social selling, inbound and inside, are having on sales overall.

There are plenty of white papers, reports, and surveys that tell us how well the new way of selling is working, but most of the inbound data comes from dedicated inbound teams. Most of the social selling data comes from dedicated social selling teams, and most of the inside data comes from dedicated inside teams.

That’s all terrific, but it doesn’t show us what happens when a traditional sales team adopts these new strategies. It doesn’t tell us how conversions, pipelines, sales cycles, and win rates change as a result of this adoption. And it neglects the millions of smaller companies that can’t afford to hire dedicated inbound, social selling and/or inside sales teams. Can small, traditional teams apply these strategies on their own and find success?

For most companies, the new world of selling will never be more than a hybrid, and for better or worse, we need to set appropriate expectations, share data from companies like theirs, and make a case for adoption based on what the data tells us.

We’ll need a big sample size, from all kinds of companies, big and small, in all kinds of industries, and with all types of sales teams. Won’t you help us gather the information we need by participating in this short, simple survey:

Today's guest blogger, Dave Kurlan, is the CEO of Kurlan & Associates and is the senior strategist for Kurlan & Associates' largest clients. With over 30 years of experience in all facets of sales development, management and consulting, he has become one of the nation's top experts on sales process, sales development and sales strategy. Dave was named one of the Top 50 Sales Influencers for 2012 and 2013 and in 2012 was inducted into the Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame. He is a best selling book author, top-rated international speaker and a foremost expert on sales.