In the B2B buying process, the internet has become the warm-up act. As sales pros, we need to earn our headliner status by syncing our sales routine with what buyers want to see.
By the time B2B buyers sit down with us, chances are they are ready for the main act. Research shows that the majority of prospects prefer to engage with a sales pro after they’ve perused numerous product websites and devised a short list of possible solutions. One in five like to hold off until they’ve focused on a single option.
These stats don’t herald the end of the B2B sales pro. Instead, they indicate the heightened expectations buyers have for interactions with sellers. Because of online research, buyers are already warmed up, and expect more than awkward banter about key decision-makers and organizational goals. They expect astute answers to their questions and superior product-solution knowledge. By wowing buyers from our first appearance, we can take the warm up act to the next level to become the star of their buying process.
The week’s trending sales content highlights how B2B buyers are being underwhelmed, with plenty of recommendations for flipping the script.
Here’s What Sales Professionals Were Reading and Sharing This Week:
Still Thinking B2B? It’s time for H2H, Human to Human Selling
More and more B2B buyers are pointing to a single area in which sellers underwhelm: the live interaction. This post by Deidre Moore highlights data from a recent B2B buyer experience survey and exposes the poor responsiveness of organizations and B2B sellers. For example, 84% of respondents reported that they “Always” or “Frequently” do not receive responses to their questions prior to purchase. Post-sale, things weren’t much better—76% of buyers were in the same boat. Check out the post for more enlightening stats as well as recommendations for accelerating and easing the buyer’s journey.
5 Non-Obvious Ways to Improve Your Sales
Do you feel like your sales process is in a rut? This post by Ken Kupchik offers tips outside the standard fare. One against-the-grain recommendation is to tell prospects more about yourself as a way to forge stronger personal connections. Check out the post for four more ways to improve your approach.
How to Write Cold Emails That Quickly Convert Sales
The days of spray-and-pray email are over, says John Rampton. The good news is that it’s still possible to leverage email as part of your sales process by using the right tools and following key steps. It’s key to map out what your prospects care about, develop an eye-catching subject line, followed by a clear, concise, personalized message that address the prospect’s unique needs. Then, LinkedIn can help you zero in on and connect with the right B2B buyers. Click through for Rampton’s top nine tips.
How to Model Master Salespeople to Become One
If you want to be a better sales pro, Robert Terson believes the number one method is simply asking for help. In this post, he highlights the benefits of modeling and how to get started in four easy steps.
6 Steps to Stop that Leaking Sales Bucket
What should sales pros do when account attrition becomes a problem? Matt Sunshine outlines a 6-step process for identifying potential issues and getting back on track. Through a methodical analysis of losses and associated causes, sales pros can better understand the reasons behind the attrition and take measures to prevent future issues.
Helping Your Clients Understand Value
Here, Anthony Iannarino illustrates the difference between price and cost. Often a focus on the immediate price can have an unfortunate effect on long-term costs. If a product costs 50% less but needs to be replaced five times more often than a competitive product, is that really a good value? Iannarino challenges sales pros to ensure that customers understand how soft costs impact product value so B2B buyers don’t unknowingly commit to a higher total cost of ownership.
For more tips that can help you wow B2B buyers and strengthen your sales skills, subscribe to the LinkedIn Sales Blog.
Topics: Sales trends
Related articles