February 26th, 2021
The biggest hurdle in B2B sales lie in the prospects. That's because they are much more sophisticated than individual consumers--they're industry professionals with in-depth knowledge in the field. That means that if you want to penetrate them, you should be able to offer the best value and meet their specific needs. In many cases, selling to corporate clients involves a much longer sales cycle, so you’ll need to lay out the features and benefits of your product and show how it can help the prospect solve a specific problem.
No better way to establish a relationship than to create a collaboration with a prospect. Allow the flow of information to be two-way. Listen to what they have to say so you can work together to help them find the solution that best meets their needs. You’ll not only increase conversions but also gain the valuable insight you'll be able to use in closing deals.
Since B2B buyers are such an informed audience and perform thorough research on their own, they will not be hesitant to use the social networks to ask questions, voice their concerns, or even vent about unpleasant experiences surrounding the industry. As a B2B company, your goal should be to enter these conversations and make the product that you offer a part of them so that you can influence the decision-making process.
Again, because your usual prospects are educated and sophisticated, you must be able to adapt to their specific needs and get to know their situation in intimate detail. With account-based marketing, you can treat each customer as a market of one, developing an individual approach for getting in contact, reaching the right people, and making sure that the most influential decision-maker from their end is convinced.
We know how tempting it could be to create a one-size-fits-all template to make the job easier. However, that’s for marketing. Instead, write personal emails to your prospects. It takes more time but the personal approach will pay off dividends in the long run.
B2B business transactions entail a lot more so if there are sensitive issues that could potentially derail an agreement, it's better to address those at the very beginning. That means, it's better to determine the risks and decide to scrap the deal in the early stages than to invest on something that might amount to nothing later on.
Client testimonies always work because prospects are more likely to believe great things about you if you're not saying them yourself. Referrals from your clients also mean that you get unbiased opinions about your services and work. In fact, one study showed that word of mouth is the most powerful influencer in purchasing decision, beating other channels like a company’s website and interaction with the vendor.
Your prospects are busy people. If you want to garner their attention, you need to be straight to the point--almost attention-seeking. They're looking at your services because they have a problem and they need a solution for it. Present them with your solution to their problem by explaining how your product or service will fulfil their need. Your solutions, if positioned properly, resonate with prospects by letting them envision how it would help them in their actual, real-world context.
Research shows that 56% of companies with both their marketing and sales teams aligned met their revenue goals, and 19% exceeded them. To align both teams, you can start by creating a content library and have the marketing teams regularly contribute materials that the sales can use to generate better leads. You can also have sales guide new content development by contributing their ideas to the marketing side (since they know the customers better and are on the field more).
AI helps to deliver more precise insights, better predict customer needs and shape everything from sales execution to channel engagements. Embed AI throughout the commercial engine to improve focus and decision-making.
What are your B2B goals and strategies for the first quarter of the year? How have the strategies become effective and helpful for you?