With the changing trends in the B2B marketplace the lines between Sales
Representatives and Marketers is blurring fast. Both the divisions need to be merged into one if the Sales Reps want their strategy to be effective.
Pitching a product for sales is not enough, marketing it well to the customers by bonding with them is very essential. Sales Representatives fail to see the probabilities and the possibilities associated with the marketing through social media, labeling it as a waste of time. They need to understand the value of developing long-term relationships through little day-to-day gestures that go a long way in establishing a brand image. B2B Sales Reps can get the edge of interacting with clients in between the formal meetings just by commenting on their updates and staying in regular touch with them.
Upgrade Your Sales Skills to Networking Skills.
Here the sales skills take a backseat and networking skills come to the fore, as it can help to establish a good image in front of the clients in an implicit manner. Traditionally Sales Reps had to push their products through advertising and promotions but now establishing an inbound marketing strategy is the action that can widen the reach of the company and help to acquire clients in a much more attractive way. Going from demand generation to inbound marketing is beneficial as it even helps the reputation of the Sales Representatives rise a notch higher in front of the clients, who usually think that they are trying to force their way into selling their products.
Moreover, they can also get valuable customer data from these websites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook etc. where the customers freely post their comments about the products they are using. This helps to understand the latest trends and what customers actually want.
Technology + Efforts= Excellent Results.
Sales Representatives should also leverage on the power of technology to guide their way through inbound marketing. If properly done, this can save them the time, cost and efforts that are usually required.
What do you have v/s you have what I need.
Look carefully at this statement. It basically implies about the changing attitude of the buyers in the present scenario. In the current times, clients do not need Sales Reps pushing their way through to sell their products; they are rather comfortable with locating the things they need on the web. So if a Sales Rep goes out of his way to make the company more visible, then he has a better chance of being noticed and valued by the client. It basically increases the ways that the clients can access and evaluate your proposition.
The foremost quality that defines Sales Representatives is their ability to be an aggressive seller working to achieve targets. But most of the times, while achieving the targets, the companies fail to realize the impact of aggressive selling on their reputation. It is much better to let the sales team work towards marketing the product and developing a lasting brand image that sells. Now it is possible for even small companies to market themselves to the buyers, if they consider the social media platform to enhance their strengths. It is necessary for Sales Reps to understand that the clients go by the image of the company while considering their proposition. A company with a totally virtual set-up has more chances of being considered than a larger company with no visibility in the market.
So it is safe to say that sales skills alone do not make or break the deal, rather it is a combination of clever marketing techniques that ultimately sell a product or service.
Some tips to summarize for Sales Reps and Companies.
For Buyer 
For Seller 
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