So, your team's putting in the hours, but the results just aren't stacking up, and you're scratching your head wondering why.
It's a frustrating spot to be in, right? But hey, no need to panic! With a bit of elbow grease and some savvy tactics, you can turn things around in no time.
So, we've put together a list of ten tried-and-true B2B sales strategies to help you connect with more prospects, strengthen those client relationships, and, ultimately, seal more deals. Sound good? Let's dive in…
1. Sales and Marketing Alignment
When sales and marketing teams collaborate effectively, remarkable outcomes occur. Businesses with robust sales and marketing alignment:
- Are 67% more effective at closing deals.
- Are 58% more effective at retaining customers.
- Drive 208% more revenue as a result of their marketing efforts that’s a lot of revenue!-
The critical question is, how can these two teams be aligned? If it was easy, every company would have already accomplished it. But with deliberate effort, you can make it happen with these tips:
- Align your Goals:
Aligning goals ensures that both marketing and sales teams are working towards a shared objective. For instance, if the sales goal is acquiring new business in a certain market, marketing can focus on generating high-quality B2B leads, within that market, while sales can concentrate on closing them.
- Share Data:
Investing in a reliable CRM and keeping it up-to-date is essential to facilitating a free flow of information between marketing and sales teams. This allows employees from both departments to always have the latest information on every prospect, enabling both teams to understand the full customer journey and tailor their strategies accordingly.
Why the correct CRM system is KEY to your success
- Regular Communication:
Finally, make sure marketing associates and sales reps talk regularly. Is the content that marketing creates generating quality leads? What are the current trends and prominent pain points? Do sales need to adjust its messaging to match marketing campaigns? Talk to each other and find out, if not you’ll lack the consistency and appear disjointed.
Is your content attracting the right leads?
2. Maximise Your Pipeline Potential
So, every sales team is on the lookout for more leads, right? Well, sometimes you have to think outside the box to reel them in. Here are a few tricks to give a shot:
- Use website chat
According to HubSpot's 2024 State of Sales report, 64% of B2B sales professionals are using self-service tools like chatbots to influence purchase decisions. Don't get left behind - it's a fantastic way to engage visitors, provide better customer support and capture leads instantly.
- Use video as a Sales and Marketing tool
Video is an incredible digital marketing tool. Why? Because every 2024 content guide has said so. But here's the kicker: video isn't just for marketing; it's also a super personal way for sales to snag their prospects' attention. Think short video intros and demos sent via email. Tools like Loom make it easy-peasy.
- IP tracking
IP tracking software is a sneaky way to identify site visitors and convert them into quality sales leads through effective lead nurturing.
At Shortlist Marketing, we've successfully converted 20% of identified visitors from Lead Forensics and other tracking software, into qualified business opportunities for us and our clients, making it a key source for acquiring new customers and driving growth.
Learn more about the importance of introducing IP Tracking into your Lead Generation
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3. Solving Real Problems, Not Pitching Features
Instead of just talking about your product's features, focus on solving your customer's problems. Yeah, you heard it right! Think about what keeps your customers up at night, what bugs them, and then show them how your product can make their lives easier.
Trust me, when you address their pain points, they'll be more interested in what you have to offer. It's all about making their lives better, not just listing off what your product can do.
This is where it gets tricky though...
Sometimes, your prospects will be aware of their pains and will have a makeshift solution in place to paper over the cracks. In this situation, you need to convince the prospect your solution is better than what they’ve currently got in place – without just yapping about your latest and greatest product or service. It’s that fine line between alleviating pains and being a narcissist, and you’ve got to find it.
4. Harness the Power of Sales Tools and Training
As a sales manager, you need to empower your reps. This will help them reach their full potential and close more deals for your company. So, how do you do it?
- Quality Training: Provide ongoing training opportunities beyond initial onboarding. Offer access to online courses, webinars, or workshops that cover advanced sales techniques, industry trends, and product updates. Additionally, consider investing in attendance for your reps at relevant conferences and seminars to broaden their knowledge and networking opportunities.
Top 10 Certifications Shaping B2B Sales Excellence in 2024
Call Coaching:
Implement regular call coaching sessions where reps can practice new strategies, receive feedback, and refine their sales skills. This interactive approach helps them gain confidence and proficiency in handling different sales scenarios effectively.
Sales Enablement Materials:
Equip your reps with proven sales enablement resources such as well-crafted call scripts, engaging content like eBooks, whitepapers, and case studies. These materials serve as valuable tools during client interactions, enabling reps to articulate value propositions clearly and address customer pain points effectively.
Technology Empowerment:
Give your team access to powerful sales tech tools that make their work easier and help them get more done.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems: Systems like Salesforce or HubSpot centralise customer data, interactions, and communications. They enable sales teams to track leads, manage pipelines, and analyse sales performance.
- Email Marketing Platforms: Tools such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or Brevo facilitate automated email campaigns. These platforms enable personalised email sequences based on customer behaviour or demographics, improving engagement and nurturing leads.
- Social Selling Tools: Social media platforms and tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator or Hootsuite allow sales professionals to identify and connect with prospects through social networks. They provide insights into prospect behaviour, facilitate engagement through personalised messaging, and enable relationship-building by sharing relevant content.
Check out Shortlist’s top 7 tools for lead generation
5. Upgrade Your approach to Cold Calling
Cold calling is not—I repeat, is not—dead. But here's the deal: you've got to do it right. Gone are the days of dialling random numbers and crossing your fingers for sale. Nope, that's just going to waste your time.
According to Cognism’s 2024 State of Cold Calling Report, having fresh and complete contact data is key to improving your B2B cold calling performance. So, instead of winging it, do your homework on every prospect before you pick up the phone.
Personalise your pitch to them, and show you've done your homework. And once you've got them on the line, don't just dive into your spiel. Ask them questions and get to know their struggles and goals. Trust me, it'll lead to way more success.
6. Continue to Build your long-term Sales Pipeline
In sales, there are a few golden rules: know your audience, always be closing, and put your customers first. But here's another one: never stop following up with longer-term prospects.
A long-term pipeline is essential because it ensures a steady flow of potential clients for months (if not years) to come.
But the reality is that your team might not always have the time or resources to nurture every lead, often only focusing on more immediate opportunities, inadvertently neglecting leads that could convert into significant revenue with the right attention.
At Shortlist Marketing, we have a saying: "Today's Ds are tomorrow's As." This means that today's non-opportunities can become tomorrow's appointments. We believe that with the right nurturing and follow-up, even those leads that don't seem promising at first can turn into valuable sales opportunities.
It was found that the companies that nurtured leads were able to generate 50% more sales with 33% lower cost expenses.
Learn more about our methodology to lead nurture, taking the pain away from your sales team by handling the initial engagement and nurturing of leads, freeing your sales team to do what they do best: closing deals.
By consistently building and nurturing your sales pipeline, you can keep on top of market changes and evolving customer demands while also ensuring the sustained success and longevity of your sales pipeline.
7. Don't Sleep On Email Outreach
Crafting personalised emails and managing follow-ups can feel like a time-consuming chore, especially if there are no immediate results.
But here's the thing: email outreach, when done correctly, is a powerful tool for nurturing leads into qualified sales opportunities, especially when it comes to making those all-important touchpoints.
According to Emailtooltester, a warm inbound lead typically needs 5-12 touches before a sale, while a cold prospect can require 20-50 touches before making a purchase decision.
This highlights how vital it is to have a well-planned email strategy to ensure you're making enough touchpoints to move leads through the sales funnel.
Here's how you can improve your B2B sales with email outreach.
Personalised Content:
One of the biggest advantages of email outreach is the ability to send relevant content directly to your prospects.
By providing valuable information tailored to their needs and interests, you can establish yourself as a trusted resource and keep your company top-of-mind ready for when they want to make a purchase decision.
Nurturing Leads:
Automated email sequences can be set up to nurture leads over time making sure no lead falls through the cracks. These sequences can include a variety of content, from introductory information to deeper dives into your offerings, gradually guiding leads through the sales funnel.
You can track engagement metrics such as open rates and click-through rates to gauge interest and prioritise follow-ups. This data-driven approach allows you to focus on the most engaged prospects, improving your chances of closing deals.
So, don’t sleep on email outreach—it’s a proven method for driving B2B sales and turning leads into loyal customers.
8. Assign the Right People to Each Stage of the Buying Process
One key to improving your B2B sales is ensuring that the right people are handling each stage of the buying process. Specialised roles can streamline your efforts and improve efficiency.
- For lead generation, have a dedicated team focused on identifying and attracting potential customers.
- For relationship building, use skilled sales reps who excel at connecting with prospects and maintaining ongoing communication.
- During the discovery phase, assign experts who can uncover and understand the specific needs and pain points of the customer.
- Finally, for closing deals, rely on top-notch closers who can effectively negotiate and finalise sales.
Consider whether it’s practical for one person to handle all these stages or if breaking down the process would benefit your team. Having specialists at each stage can ensure that every part of the sales process is handled with the right expertise, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and better customer satisfaction.
9. Use Proposal Software to Track and Tailor Follow-Ups
After presenting your proposal in person or remotely, the next step is to share the document, along with any supplementary materials.
But how can you ensure that it's opened, read, and understood? Modern sales enablement systems, like Qwilr, play a crucial role here. These tools track insights into how buyers engage with your content at critical stages of the deal.
This valuable data allows you to tailor your follow-up communication to address specific areas of interest, increasing your chances of closing the deal. Remember, the sales process doesn't end when the proposal is sent. Staying proactive and following up effectively helps to avoid the common pitfalls of ghosting.
10. Track results and improve
Understanding why prospects decide to engage—or not—is crucial for refining your sales strategy and increasing your win rates.
By partnering with Shortlist Marketing for win-loss analysis, you gain a clear understanding of what drives your sales outcomes.
By understanding why deals are won or lost, you can refine your approach, capitalise on strengths, address weaknesses, benchmark against your competitors, and ultimately win more sales.
Let us help you turn every lost or won opportunity into a learning experience that propels your business forward. Learn more about our service and methodology here.
All right, let's wrap this up.
So there you have it! Implementing these ten B2B sales strategies can give your team the boost it needs to start seeing real results. Align your sales and marketing efforts, maximise your pipeline potential, focus on solving customer problems, leverage the right tools and training, and don’t forget the importance of effective communication and follow-up.
Remember, sales success doesn't happen overnight, but with consistent effort and the right strategies, you'll be on your way to closing more deals and growing your business. You've got this!
