Growing B2B sales is a complex process, and closing a sale is not necessarily fast. Your client is likely to need assurance on multiple fronts — from pricing and purchase terms, to return policies, and the ease of working with your sales and service teams. There is opportunity in that since you’ll have several points of contact with your prospects — but there is a risk, too. If your customer feels disappointed at any stage of the decision-making process, you are in trouble.
Making More B2B Sales
Although your clients are faced with a multi-faceted decision-making process, you still have plenty of options to ensure that the sales process moves at a good clip. Technology can speed the buying process up and get you and your clients into motion together faster. Here are five go-to tips for increasing your B2B sales.
1. Understand the Buying Environment
One important point to keep in mind is that your clients are operating in the same economic and work climate that you are. If digital and remote buying is having a moment, then your sales process should support those needs effectively. This may mean you need to pivot quickly with new technology infrastructure and selling strategies.
Also, understand that managing costs may not always be the top priority for clients depending on the company’s current plans or the overall business environment. In 2021, for example, only an estimated 38% of businesses appear to have prioritized cost reductions.
2. Know Your Customers
The range of clients you could be serving is large — from small businesses to government agencies or even consumer-like sole proprietors. Starting with a baseline level of information about your buyer will help you make the right pitch. You will be even better off if you can use analytics to grasp customer trends and forecast buying needs.
According to Forrester, 57% of B2B sales leaders plan to invest more in AI and automation tools this year in order to help understand their clients. Take a cue from the research and land among them.
3. Simplify the financing process
In the same way that banks can offer pre-approval to consumers looking to buy a home, B2B marketers can offer a pre-approved line of credit as a service for B2B prospects. That way, your customer will know that financing is available should they choose to make a purchase from you.
It is also possible to centralize the financing for multiple business needs — such as net terms, lines of credit, or even leasing — in one place. Doing this significantly reduces the steps involved in helping your client be able to purchase what they need from you and quickly be on their way.
4. Create Self-Service Opportunities
Self-service is not just for the retail counter. According to Digital Commerce 360, B2B buyers have come to crave an “Amazon-like” experience.
As a B2B marketer, you should look for ways to make it easier for your clients to understand the financial commitment they’ll need to make in order to work with you. You should also make it easier for them to execute new sales orders on their own as much as possible. Along these lines, you can:
- Place pre-approval messaging in emails
- Offer financing at checkout
- Feature “pay as low as” messaging on your website
5. Maintain a Long-Term Mindset
As technology helps clients move faster and more independently, customer experience needs to be front and center for B2B marketers. There is a lot to be said for shifting your focus from monthly sales goals to client satisfaction and retention rates. These competitive advantages cannot be taken from you.
The only given in sales is that nothing is a given — so plan your processes and train your teams accordingly. Your clients’ businesses are likely to be changing rapidly in the current business climate. Yours should be, too.
Convert More Leads, Grow More Sales
There is no need to rely on simply having a great sales team to boost your B2B sales. Tools like AI and automation as well as financing opportunities can give your business the edge it needs to turn leads into conversions. Put your focus on customer experience and satisfaction, and the sales will naturally follow.
