B2B.Selling complex services and products to corporate clients is a tall order for any company. You know you can offer great value, but your potential customers do not always share that conviction, especially when they’re buying from a firm they’ve never worked with before.
To help B2B companies increase their chances of closing deals and generating revenue checks eWorldTrade, we put together five proven tactics that work as long as you execute them the right way. We used our own experience selling to enterprises and surveyed several industry experts to come up with these tips:
1/ Always be closing
You might think there’s nothing wrong with waiting until later to talk about pricing or logistics, but according to Wendy Weiss, author of Business Building Boot Camp, this strategy will only result in lost opportunities.
“Closing is a continuous process,” says Weiss, who has consulted with companies in the telecommunications space for over 20 years. “Salespeople wait until they have everything perfect before asking for the sale, but their prospects are busy and distracted, too,” she explains. “If they sense your timing isn’t right, they’ll tune you out.”
In order to close more deals, approach each interaction as if it were your last opportunity to make an impression. Ask questions that show you’re taking this potential client seriously and keep pressing them about what needs to happen in order for them to sign on the dotted line. In most cases, people will be happy to tell you exactly what it will take because they want their problems solved.
2/ Close Early and Often
According to Brian de Half, CEO of AHA, closing early doesn’t just show you’re interested in working together; it also gives prospects the feeling that their time is valuable. “If prospects can tell that you aren’t trying to waste their time by drawing things out, they’ll be more inclined to work with you,” says de Half.
The key here is knowing which questions to ask and when. If you push for a specific answer before your prospect feels ready, or if you overwhelm them with unnecessary details, then it might seem like you only want them as a client for the sake of having a new account. However, if your questions are relevant and timely (and delivered in an engaging way), you’ll be able to close more deals, even if your product isn’t an obvious choice.
3/ Recruit a Master Marketer
Weiss advises that every B2B company has someone on their team who is an expert marketer. This person should do everything they can to promote the business internally and externally, including sharing relevant content with customers on social media networks.
“A lot of salespeople don’t realize they can post updates about their business or valuable content related to it on LinkedIn,” explains Weiss. “As long as they approach this correctly by being helpful first, they won’t come across as salespeople.”
Having a designated marketer within your organization not only gives you access to valuable knowledge about how your clients want to interact with you online but also provides a chance to increase awareness of your company’s products and services without being too aggressive.
4/ Choose Your Words Carefully
According to de Half, one mistake that salespeople make is trying to trick prospects into buying something they’re not ready for. “They’ll try too hard to inch someone toward making a decision,” explains de Half. “For example, they might say something like ‘That product would be perfect for your scenario.’ If someone doesn’t know what the product is or if their scenario even exists, then they won’t be able to evaluate whether it will deliver any value.”
If your prospect senses you’re withholding key details about an offer — no matter how helpful it may be — there’s no way they’ll move forward. Instead, de Half recommends that salespeople focus on helping their prospects understand what needs to happen in order to accomplish a specific goal and then offer them the tools and resources they need (even if those same resources aren’t directly related to your product or service).
5/ Throw out Your Marketing Material
According to Weiss, sales reps are essentially trying to do two things when they hand out marketing collateral: Introduce themselves and explain how their product works. “Most company information is put together by people who don’t know how sales teams operate,” says Weiss.
Instead of focusing on explaining how your services work, explain why the prospect should care. This will give you an opportunity to showcase why you’re different than everyone else and show that you’re not just in it for the sale.
“Instead of explaining what your product or service can do, tell prospects how they will benefit if they work with you,” says Weiss. “Doing this will give them a reason to explore working together further.”
Weiss also suggests taking these same ideas one step further by talking about your prospect’s business instead of yourself. She says all too often, salespeople only talk about their own products when it should be obvious why someone who isn’t even their customer should care. “You have to get into the mindset of looking at things through your clients’ eyes,” adds Weiss. If you can do something that helps them solve a problem they’re having, they’ll be more than willing to work with you.
Summary
Sales are not just about making the sale it is also about the process of getting there. If you are experienced in sales then most probably you know what I am talking about.
Getting closer to closing a deal is an art and if done right can give enormously rewards for your business.
We will touch upon 5 B2B Sales Tactics that actually work when executed correctly by Marylou Tyler Hub Spot It all starts. Asking questions relevant or irrelevant depending on product type but the real key here is how good your timing is.