B2B sales are quite different from B2C sales. By acknowledging the differences, you can ensure you use sales techniques which speak to the business and help you to close more sales. Here are seven techniques to consider:
1. Get a holistic view of your customer
Make sure that your sales, customer service and marketing team are on the same page when it comes to the ideal customer for your business. By getting insights from these three departments, you will be able to get a holistic view of who you should be targeting.
2. Create a library of informative content
Even though your customer may not have a direct connection with you during the research phase, they will be looking for answers to their pain points. Ensure that your content is up to date, easy to digest, and speaks to the pain points or interests of your target audience.
3. Get face-to-face with the decision-makers
With B2B sales, there is usually more than one decision-maker when it comes to buying products for the company. You must ensure you get a face-to-face meeting with them so that you can build rapport and learn more about them. Don’t only focus on the company’s overall goal but also understand the personal career goals of the decision-makers.
4. Hone your sales pitch
You don’t want to repeat your sales pitch in a parroted fashion, but you do need to say it with confidence. You need to understand the features of your product or service and how they will benefit your customer. Keep it short and sweet and highlight the top benefit for your potential audience.
5. Embrace cold calling
Cold calling has got a bad rap from all the salespeople who phone an unknown list of customers and rattle off a sales pitch with no more than a hello. It is important to structure your cold call so that you warm up your potential customer to be receptive to the message you want to share with them. Learn a bit about your lead before you call them so that you can fashion your call, so they know you have done your homework before you made the call. You can learn more about cold calling here.
6. Prepare for a long buying cycle
Because there are more decision-makers and the decisions may have a big impact on the business, the buying cycle can take a long time to complete. You need to be mentally prepared for the long haul, so you don’t give up just before your customer says “yes”.
7. Share success stories
Show your customers how others have succeeded by using your product. This will help to give you social proof that your product or service does achieve what you say it sets out to do.
By implementing some of these strategies you will be well on your way to mastering B2B sales.
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