B2B Sellers: 5 Ways To Approach The Buyers for Higher Sales

By: Gaurav Batra In: Sales & Marketing Last Updated: 2018-01-30

Selling in B2B ecosystem is much more challenging and complex than selling to the end-use aka consumers. Where a single buyer makes the purchase decision in B2C selling, there is a whole team assessing the business proposition from all possible angles before making the buying decision in B2B selling. The success of sales in this competitive marketing hinges majorly on the sales approach. The way the B2B sellers approach the buyers hugely impacts the decision-making process. Even a small selling mistake while approaching the buyers can result in lead abandonment. Advance preparation and research is essential to know the tricks and practices that can help the sellers gain a competitive edge over other sellers. This write-up encompasses the 5 ways to approach the buyers for getting increased sales figure. Read them to know hone your B2B selling skill kit.

Reach Out Directly To The Decision Makers & Influencers

One of the biggest selling mistakes that B2B sellers make is to elongate their sales process by contacting different people in the firm instead of directly contacting the decision makers. There may be a team of decision-makers in the firm, each with different areas of expertise, reach out to each one of them with your value proposition. Majorly, the C-Level executives are the final decision makers, but 81% non-C-Suite executives influence this decision. Most of these influencers are millennials who turn to social media and other digital platforms for information. Scale-up your digital marketing game and reach out to these influencers directly where they actually are.

Research The Prospect Before Cold Calling

Cold calling to generate leads has gradually faded out. Many studies have revealed that less than 5% of the total cold calls lead to any sales progress. Instead of high volume dialing, indulge in intelligent dialing. The B2B sellers should research the prospects before making the call about sales. The internet is a treasure trove of information about the top decision-makers of various organizations. Try Twitter, LinkedIn, Google News, and the company website to get some information about the prospect before hitting the dial button. Research about them, understand their requirements and find out a solution to their business problem. Spending a few minutes in trying to understand the prospect can lead to interactive conversation and eventually to a better sales opportunity.

Take The Rational Approach Instead Of Emotional One

The biggest difference between selling to businesses and selling to consumers is the tone and approach of selling. While selling to the end users, sellers can take the emotional approach but selling to the businesses mean you need to be more rational. B2B selling hinges on the decision and opinion of a number of people instead of just one. You cannot gain the emotional support of all those people. While talking to the B2B decision-makers, make sure that you are rationally strong and backed with data and information to prove why they should buy your product over others.

Focus on Collecting Information to Understand Their Requirements

While talking to the B2B buyer and decision maker, the B2B seller should ensure that instead of just reciting the sales pitch in a single go, they should focus more on collecting information to understand the buyers’ requirements. Remember the more information you get from the buyer, the more opportunity will be at your end to close sales. Avoid asking the obvious questions and collect information that could lead you to understand their basic requirements. Ask open-ended questions to initiate discussions instead of getting blatant yes or no as the answer. The B2B buyers would open up better if they feel that the questions are specifically for them instead of the general ones. Once you have the information, figure out their requirements and tailor a solution they cannot say no to.

Be Clear With Your Value Proposition

According to a study, 82% of B2B decision makers feel that the sales reps contacting them are mostly unprepared. And these decision makers do not take time to disconnect the calls of the unprepared B2B sellers. Be prepared with the data, information, selling points, questions, and answers to any surprise question from the B2B buyers or decision makers. Know what sets your business proposition apart from your competitions. Be clear with your value proposition and clarify the buyers what value doing business with you would bring to them. Articulate your value proposition and be clear in reciprocating it to the client to enhance the chances of closing more leads.

These were some of the top ways that are ideal for approaching the B2B buyer. Follow them in your selling process to approach the B2B buyer. This way, you would not just gain their attention but also keep them interested in your business proposition, eventually leading to increased business sales.