Career in Sales

12 Practical Tips to Create B2B Sales Strategies That Converts

When it comes to your B2B business, using the correct sales strategies is essential. Giving people a reason to purchase from you – improving the value of your products and services – is the best approach to getting customers.

A sales strategy explains the specific actions businesses take to pitch and sell products or services to specific clients to indicate that their product or service provides better value than those offered by competitors. Hence, the sales strategy is built on the value proposition, or why a buyer should select a product or service over its competitors. 

This article will see 12 such sales strategies that highlight value propositions and deliver the correct message to buyers to choose you. 

12 Tips to Create Effective Sale Strategies

B2B sales challenges are very different from B2C sales challenges. However, the sales cycle duration, customer engagement, and customer experience are all common challenges in B2B. 

Developing genuinely effective B2B sales strategies can be difficult for any salesperson, but hopefully, these tips will help:

1. Research before creating B2B sales strategies

Research is vital regardless of the target market or what sales strategy is adopted. Research doesn't end once you've completed your sales strategy. It's a never-ending procedure that should adapt to changing market conditions.

Your sales strategy should be built around customer and market research. Otherwise, you'll have a flimsy sales strategy with no practical or realistic objectives to meet customers' wants. Effective sales techniques do not appear out of thin air. Customer data and insights should be used to create an informed sales strategy.

2. Create case studies with existing clients

Buyers rely on case studies in B2B purchase decisions in considerable numbers. Examine how your customers use your products and how they save time and money. 

Ideally, you should include customer testimonials, quotes, and figures, such as "This product saves us INR 12,500 per month and 100 employee hours."

Try to incorporate data into the design of case studies, no matter what your company does. Because they are measurable proof of what your company does, they are an important tool for getting clients interested in your product or service.

3. Understand the buyer's journey

What factors influence your prospects' decisions? 

Understanding your buyer's journey is crucial to mapping out your sales process. Understand the steps, the information required, and the individuals involved. This enables your company to coordinate its sales and marketing operations. Typically, the marketing team identifies leads and passes them along to the sales team to follow up on

4. Listen to your customers’ needs

Online research might not be enough to know what your customer wants. If this is the case, contact them and have a conversation. Make sure you listen to their needs before asking questions about how you might help them. Ask open questions rather than closed ones (closed questions only allow for a "yes" or "no" response). You should listen more than you speak.

5. Collect feedback about your product or service

Collect feedback about your product or service

Feedback is an excellent approach to finding new features that need to be developed and price changes. There are various methods for gathering anonymous or non-anonymous feedback from your B2B customers:

  • Website surveys
  • Interviews with current customers for feedback
  • Purchase feedback forms 
  • Email surveys in your newsletter 

6. Learn about your competition

You may set yourself apart from the competition simply by learning more about them than they do about your company. Determine whatever aspects your product offers and that the competition lacks.

Make sure to bring up these points with a prospect during your next sales meeting. You'll also be more prepared if the prospect begins to compare your product to one of your competitors.

7. Qualify your leads carefully

You shouldn't approach the sales process with the mindset of always wanting to clinch a deal. It's also crucial to determine whether a lead is worth following or not.

Whatever technique your firm uses to qualify leads, it should meet two goals:

  • To begin, it should assist you in determining whether the problems your prospect is experiencing are ones that you can solve.
  • It's also crucial to determine whether your prospects can work with you on a realistic schedule. You should also see if the potential customer can afford your price point.

All of these are important data that will help you save time and avoid wasting your prospects' time.

8. Make use of a customer relationship management system (CRM)

A CRM system allows you to keep track of leads and track their progress, such as sales pitches, phone calls, and emails. To assist you in making better strategic decisions, you can combine your CRM with analytics collected through your website and other sources.

This necessitates your teams determining what they need to know and what they want to measure and ensure they have the necessary tools.

9. Meet with decision-makers in person

Meet with decision-makers in person

Sell in person whenever possible, especially if you're selling a high-end, expensive product. Do whatever it takes to meet with decision-makers face to face.

When selling high-end products or services that require a significant investment, you must go above and beyond to meet your prospects in person. A quick trip to your client’s place or office can mean the difference between closing and losing a sale.

10. Sell actual business results and outcomes

Your product or service isn't appealing to businesses. They care about the outcomes and results you can help them attain. If you want to surpass your competitors in B2B sales today, you must focus on selling tangible, bottom-line business results.

11. Invest in content creation for B2B marketing

One approach to ensure that your B2B sales strategy is successful is to ensure that all the company's essential departments are working toward a common goal. Your B2B marketing efforts, in particular, should be in sync with your sales plan.

Hence, the sales and marketing departments must communicate and strive toward the same goal. Content marketing is an effective technique to align marketing and sales.

12. Give multiple buying options for your product or service

Make sure you don't limit your B2B product or service to just one option. Decision-makers are far more likely to browse alternative options, better pricing, and different services.

Give each company 3-5 choices that differ in price and value. Allow them to select the option that best fits their budget and meets their requirements. The number of people who choose the most expensive choice will surprise you.

The Bottom Line

Businesses need to examine the B2B sales strategy regularly if they want to improve B2B revenue. This is especially true in the recent transition to a customer-centric sales strategy.

As information about products and services becomes increasingly available, B2B buyers trust online information and product reviews more than a self-interested sales representative. As a result, B2B salespeople must focus on building customer trust rather than making agreements.

If you are looking forward to beginning your sales career, we at Juno School of Business invite you to begin the journey with us. In an eight-week interactive online session, we teach all you need to know to begin a successful sales profession (and get hired). Start your application now! 

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