Do you know what makes customers happy? An easy and reliable sales process that gives them peace of mind throughout the buying process. Designed to give your customers a seamless buying experience that keeps them with you longer.For example in B2B sales cycle, if your product is subscription-based, create a simple renewal and invoicing process to make it easy and time-saving for business people. According to the report, a large number of B2B customers, nearly 90% of them start their buying journey through online search.
Searching online should return positive results about your business, including good customer reviews and testimonials, software listings, and more. The B2B selling process basically involves selling your product/service to other businesses. An example of a B2B business is an accounting firm that manages the books and helps businesses file their taxes. Since it’s about businesses and not ordinary people like B2B, reaching out to business people in their spare time and getting things done quickly is a key factor to consider.
B2B Sales Cycle Stages
The different stages of the B2B sales process are as follows:
- generation ahead
Lead generation is the process of finding potential customers for your business, engaging them through various activities to use your product, and converting them into paying customers. There are several free tools on the market that can help you streamline the lead generation process. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is one such tool that has all the features to connect and message business people. Use these tools effectively to build a strong sales pipeline.
- Discover
Just getting leads is not enough. You have to get to know them better before approaching them. What are some ways to learn about them? Take a deep dive into their company’s website to learn about their vision and goals. Research the LinkedIn profiles of key participants. Read the latest news and press releases about their company. Gather as much information as possible. Remember, the discovery phase will help the entire B2B sales process.
- qualification
After discovery, you may have a clear idea of how well a prospect matches your ideal customer profile. Start reaching out to high-quality leads based on your research. During the initial discussion, you will learn more about them. Come up with an appropriate set of questions to ask them. Have a clear understanding of their expectations at this stage.
- demo demo
The next stage in the B2B sales process is to let your customers quickly learn about your products through video conferencing, demonstration presentations, product brochures, and more. Prepare an interactive, engaging presentation to captivate your potential clients. Emphasize the benefits they will get from your product, not just product features.
- Objection handling
Don’t settle for the first NO. This should be your motto as a salesperson. Even if they turn out to be cold leads, keep in touch with your business by following up on them regularly. At any time, they could become your paying customers. Salespeople should have the perseverance and growth mindset to handle objections and overcome them to foresee opportunities.
- Negotiation and closing
Transparent, competitive pricing strategies and reasonable long-term subscription offers are the best ways to close more deals. However, in the sales process, negotiations are inevitable. Train your sales team Have basic negotiation skills And close the deal with a properly signed contract to avoid any misunderstandings in the future.
- follow-up
Follow up with your customers regularly to see if everything is going well and if they find your product easy to use. Give them a great customer experience by having your customer success team ready to answer their questions/questions 24/7. Ask them for feedback through surveys and testimonials.
Tips for Creating a Solid Sales Process
Following the 7 steps above, you have created a sales process for your B2B business. Now, how to make it more reliable? Here are some expert tips to help you.
- Add value through social media
Social selling is a trending strategy in today’s highly digital business world. Anything can spread in the fastest way through social media. Create your business page to start creating content that is relevant to your industry and adds some value to your audience. You may not know who is viewing your content. However, if your content is quality and solid, it will reach the right audience.
- take advantage of automation
Most B2B businesses have a repetitive set of daily tasks as part of their work. These are time-consuming tasks that slow down your productivity. To overcome this situation, rely on automation tools to reduce workload and increase productivity. Scheduling tools, employee tracking tools, CRM, email marketing tools, etc. are some of the popular tools that businesses are using.
- Maintain good customer relationship
Treat your customers as long-term assets of your business. Build and nurture a healthy relationship with them. Don’t stop following up regularly. Sending them holiday gifts with offer announcements, communicating your business milestones through a newsletter, etc. are some of the ways to take your business synergy to the next level.
- Analyze Sales Performance
Data analysis will bring you valuable insights. Choose KPIs that fit your business goals and track them. KPIs should determine the sales cycle and sales rep performance.
- Provide multi-channel customer support
Customer Support is the main point of contact for all inquiries and questions. Therefore, businesses must provide multiple communication channels. For example, 2 or 3 contact numbers, email addresses, live chat windows, etc. in the landing page will make it easy for customers to contact your business.
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As we’ve discussed, building a solid sales process is the path to more customers. The B2B sales process should be simple and transparent. As you move up the ranks, remember to update your sales process to compete in the ever-changing business environment.