B2B sales is a complex process that looks very different to the B2C sales process, and it requires a totally different set of skills. One of the most obvious differences between B2B and B2C sales is that B2C sales leads typically follow a longer customer journey. After all, they’re not just shopping for themselves.
Because of this, the B2B sales industry relies much more on data and thorough research. Cold calling just doesn’t cut it anymore, and even relying on the data that people provide themselves through data capture forms on landing pages can be inefficient when compared to using customer relationship management (CRM) systems and advanced segmentation tools.
One skill that’s often overlooked is good old-fashioned manual research. With so much information publically available on the internet, it’s easier than ever before to get to know your leads by simply keying their name into a search engine and seeing what comes up. And in an era of digital systems carrying out personalised messaging, a bespoke note from one human to another can have a huge impact.
Add a little value
If you want people to work with you, you need to give them a reason to want to do that. Most of us would like to think that our business sells itself through the benefits it has to offer, but people expect that now if they’re spending money. You need to go above and beyond and add a little extra value for free.
This might be in the form of providing some free training or of making an introduction between a prospect and one of your contacts. If you have enough data on your potential customers then you can even go a step further, such as by gifting them a copy of a book you think they’ll like. If every sale is worth thousands of dollars to your company then the cost of a few low-value gifts is a small price to pay.
A great way of making an impact is to save people time. After all, time is money, and it’s also a finite resource. It also holds true across pretty much every B2B industry on the planet. If you ask busy executives what they need to be more effective at their job, nine times out of ten they’ll ask for more time.
Conclusion
Salespeople often have a reputation for being aggressive, but that approach is dying out because it simply doesn’t work in our modern day and age. Confidence and people skills will always be important, of course, but you can be confident and good with people while still going out of your way to make their lives easier.
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Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.