The sales process was simpler and more predictable in the past, but today it has become much more complicated. It doesn't depend on the work of a single salesperson to drive home prosperous results anymore; it's much more than that.
What is B2B sales? B2B sales refer to one business selling a product or service to another business. It is converse to B2C sales in which one company sells a product/service to consumers. B2B sales are enormous and complex and require multiple people who perform specific roles across a large sale cycle. It occurs over weeks rather than hours through several meetings and discussions. B2B sales have a high price because their solution is often hard to find. They are much more complex and strategic as compared to conventional sales.
With increasing complexities in the business world, How do you increase B2B sales? Here is a practical guide you can use to close more deals.
Tips To Increase B2B Sales
Before implementing the B2B sales tips below, learn everything about your product. Learn the things about it that can drive your consumers away and toward you.
1. Create an Ideal Customer Persona
It is essential to have a good understanding of marketing before starting the sales process. To have B2B sales, create a well-round customer persona to build trust with your prospects.
Ideal customers person is a fictional representation of a person that is most likely to buy your product. By understanding your ideal buyers, you'll get to know about their motivations and the concerns they have with your product. This proven B2B sales strategy will help you create content that attracts your ideal buyers, ultimately leading to more conversions.
2. Be Far-Sighted
Being far-sighted and looking at the bigger picture can significantly increase your B2B sales. It not only aids you in getting more customers but also builds your authority in the prospect's eye. Being patient with the client, especially in online marketing, is highly beneficial. This is done by creating a customer value proposition beyond personal and immediate benefit.
For successful B2B sales, companies should focus on long-term success rather than immediate benefits. Being far-sighted can set you apart from other companies, as most focus on the immediate benefits.
Far-sightedness can be attained by having a vision for the future of your company that includes your business's key strategies and what you want to achieve by implementing them.
3. Align Sales With Marketing
Whenever sales and marketing come together, wonders happen. It is found that whenever sales and marketing teams coordinate, the company's revenue increases many folds; not only that, it also enhances brand awareness, ultimately leading to more customers.
- Ways For Alignment of Sales with Marketing Aligned Goals
Ensure that your marketing and sales teams have the same goal if the objective is to attain more customers. The marketing team can emphasize generating high-quality leads, and the sales team can focus on closing in on those leads.
- Data Sharing
Image taken from Strikignly’s user’s site
Ensure that info between sales and marketing teams flows freely. The simplest way to invest in potential CRM and keep it up-to-date is for both marketing and sales team member has all the essential information about the prospects.
- Communication
Finally, ensure that sales associates and marketing reps communicate regularly. The content that marketing creates and sales messages align according to the campaign; thus, communication is necessary.
4. Be a Consultant, Not Be a Salesman
An effective B2B sales strategy is that Instead of selling your product, try making everyone in your sales team a consultant to your client who provides them with information solutions and an understanding of the deal.
Avoid talking about sales always, as the customer might be fed up. Observe past purchasing history to get an idea of customer behavior. It will help you know what the prospect wants to hear. Assist your prospect with your sales material and educate them about what product is in demand. Provide them with case studies and other related resources which might tempt them into buying from you.
For successful B2B sales, listen to your client's opinion about your product, as it will help you resolve the issues he is facing
5. Cold Calling to Enhance B2B Sales
Many people believe that cold calling is dead, but if done righteously, it can help you increase your B2B sales by generating healthy leads. The main reason is that human beings are social animals. Cold calling offers real-time human interaction between the prospect and the salesman. Engage the prospect in deeper, product-related conversations to enhance your B2B sales.
6. Get a Website For B2B Sales
Image taken from Strikingly’s user’s site
To increase B2B sales, get your business a healthy online presence. A stunning website ensures it. Nearly half of your b2b customers are millennials who research your business before buying the product. Ensure to provide all the essential information about your product/service on your website. You can also use several tools to get info about the potential leads that have visited your site.
Get a free website using Strikingly's website builder to ensure a healthy online presence. Strikingly is one of the most dynamic yet accessible website builders that enables you to build a website in a pen's stroke without any professional programmer. In addition, it has many features that can boost your B2B sales.
One of them is the Strikingly online store. It helps you showcase your service/ product to a broader audience, generating more customers.
Image taken from Strikingly
Features of Strikingly Online Store
- It enables you to showcase and sell more than 500 products.
- It allows you to accept payments from multiple methods and in 135 currencies.
- Provide options for adding a product filter and categorizing your items. This enhances the user experience of your site.
- Analytics for tracking your store's performance.
- Coupons for returning consumers, increasing customer loyalty.
- Custom checkout forms.
- You can show consumer reviews to gain new visitors' trust.
Image taken from Strikingly’s user’s website
How To Create Online Store With Strikingly
1. Create a Strikingly account. You can sign up for free or start a trial with any of our yearly plans.
2. Select a template for your store. Strikingly provides you with a vast range of templates to choose from.
3. Set up the store by selecting the store section from the section bar
4. Insert images and appealing product descriptions.
5. Enable suitable payment options. Strikingly provides you with a list of payment options, such as Google Pay, Clearpay, etc.
7. Social Media To Generate Leads
Nowadays, nearly every other person has internet access, and the quantity of social media users has increased rapidly. It is not only confined to posting family videos and random stories but can be used to your business's advantage.
Social media helps you build a strong base for future business relations. Building a solid social media presence for your B2B business will ensure constant communication with potential customers. You can have conversations and share valuable information, which helps increase customer loyalty.
To increase your B2B sales, Post regular quality content on your social media such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., and collaborate with other brands.
8. Email Marketing For B2B sales
Email Marketing can greatly increase your B2B sales. It is one of the most effective ways to reach out to prospects. Email is a great technique to update your existing customers about new features and sales in your business to increase customer retention.
Email provides an excellent opportunity to present your product and nurture people to buy it for the first time. Ensure to avoid your Email getting in the spam folder as it negatively impacts your B2B sales.
9. Produce Quality Content
Content marketing is an effective B2B sales strategy. Produce engaging and entertaining content, especially videos, as people prefer watching over reading. Quality content helps increase the chances of your customer closing the deal.
You can start by making a Youtube channel and social media account for your brand. Start a blog for your business. You can also send personalized videos of your product to people through Email. Ensure to value the audience's suggestions as it aids you in working on your flaws and improving as a brand.
Benefits of Content Marketing
- Brand Awareness
- Enhance Conversion Rate
- Grow Brand Personality
- Establish Brand Authority
10. Showcase Previous Business Collaborations
In closing a B2B sale, most customers rely on case studies to make decisions. It proves that you are a genuine brand and enhances your authenticity. A case study shows that your product delivers a unique value to your audience and that a potential collaboration would benefit both sides.
Making a case study can be an effective B2B sales strategy. If you have some successful cases that you can be proud of, analyze and present them to your audience instead of hiding them.
11. Use Referrals
Many sales officers don't ask their customers for referrals even if they did a good job; that's a costly mistake. Referrals can be an effective B2B sales strategy. They provide you with the opportunity to promote your product passively. So whenever you sell a product, remember to ask your customers for referrals.
That's a wrap on tips on how to increase B2B sales. You can use these as your ultimate guide to B2B sales and close in on more deals.
