The lifeblood of any B2B company is sales. You can’t expand your team or invest in your product if you aren’t meeting your sales goals, which makes it less likely you’ll meet future revenue expectations—it’s a vicious cycle. In the past, the purpose of B2B selling was to generate as much volume as possible. Sales executives knew that if their representatives knocked on enough doors, sent enough emails, and made enough cold calls, they’d eventually hit their targets. And if they fell short of the mark, there was always one clear solution: more activity.
Today’s buyers are savvier. They have a sixth sense for generic communications and unsolicited sales pitches. To promote company growth, your sales staff must know what customers want to hear, when they’re comfortable with being contacted, and how they wish to be nurtured throughout the buyer cycle. This article will explore nine B2B sales techniques that guarantee more customers for your enterprise.
9 Proven B2B Sales Techniques
1. Establish Thought Leadership
Your sales reps must establish themselves as trusted advisors if they’re to be successful. This B2B sales strategy means they need to know more about your industry and product than the customer. Therefore, they should be able to answer any buyer’s question and help them overcome objections. The best way to become a thought leader is to produce original research and share it with your target market. This could be in the form of a blog post, white paper, or e-book. If you don’t have the resources to produce content, you can always curate and share relevant articles from other sources.
2. Strategic Selling
In the past, most salespeople used a one-size-fits-all approach. They would reach out to as many people as possible and try to interest them in their product without much regard for whether or not they were a good fit. This led to a lot of wasted time and effort.
In the B2B sales techniques arsenal of any savvy marketer is strategic selling. Smart sellers take the time to research their target market and identify the decision-makers within organizations. Then, they craft personalized messages that speak to their buyers. As a result, they can close deals much faster and with less effort.
3. Make Use of AI and Machine Learning
The best salespeople are always looking for ways to improve their productivity. Of course, they might have used a CRM to automate repetitive tasks in the past. But now, there’s an even better solution: AI and machine learning.
Salesforce’s Einstein is an excellent example of how these technologies can be used in sales. It analyzes your customer data and provides predictions and recommendations to help you close more deals. For instance, it might tell you when a customer is ready to buy or suggest the best time to contact them.
4. Master Account-Based Selling
In the past, most B2B companies took a scattergun approach to selling, trying to interest as many people as possible in their product. But this is no longer effective. Today’s buyers are too savvy for generic sales pitches.
Instead, it would be best if you focused on account-based selling. This involves taking a targeted approach to each customer, tailoring your message to their specific needs. You’ll need to research and get to know your buyers before you can start selling to them effectively.
5. Nurture Leads on Social Media
With the rise of social media, sellers now have a new way to reach their target market. But simply being active on social media isn’t enough. You need to nurture your leads and build relationships with them before you can start selling to them.
The best way to do this is to provide value first. Share helpful articles, run contests, and offer discounts. Once you’ve established a rapport, you can start promoting your products and services.
6. Use Data to Drive Decisions
In the past, salespeople relied on their gut instinct to make decisions. But nowadays, there’s no need to take risks when you have access to mountains of data.
Before making any decisions, take the time to analyze your data and see what it tells you. For example, you might use data from your CRM to identify patterns in your customer behavior. You can then use this information to make more informed decisions about where to focus your efforts.
7. Meet Face-to-Face
Try to communicate face-to-face as much as possible if you discover that the customer’s demands and yours are in sync. B2B sales are high-stakes endeavors that require more thought. When you meet face-to-face (via video or in person) to answer the client’s questions, present your pitch, and address any emerging concerns, you build trust with the customer that cannot always be created through email or over the phone.
8. Use Tactile Negotiation Strategy
Set the idea of winning aside for a moment. The objective should be to make the other side feel like they have won. Recognize that the goal is not for you to win but to reach a “mutually beneficial agreement.” Try to get the other person to respond, “That’s correct,” and avoid telling them any specifics until the conclusion of your conversation. Preconceptions frequently cause negotiations to fail. Get the person talking by asking questions. Have them describe their specific requirements, wants, and interests first. Listen carefully, ask questions, then act upon what you’ve learned.
Some of the questions you should ask are:
- What are your goals?
- How can I help make your job easier?
- What does success look like to you?
- How can we measure if this is successful from your perspective?
9. Follow Up
The sale doesn’t end when you make the deal. That’s when the real work begins. First, you must ensure that your customer is happy with the product or service and that they continue using it.
The best way to do this is to stay in touch and build a relationship with them. Send them occasional emails, give them a call from time to time, and invite them to events. By staying in touch, you’ll be top of mind when they need your product or service again.
Conclusion
These are just a few B2B sales techniques from Techna Digital Marketing you’ll need to master if you want to be successful in 2022. Stay ahead of the curve by constantly learning and adapting your approach. And always remember that the customer comes first. If you can keep that at the forefront of your mind, you’ll be well on your way to success.