Generating B2B sales requires taking into account that certain activities are highly relevant. Some of them are visiting clients, participating in trade shows and other kinds of trade events.
However, all of them involve a factor that is extremely limited in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic: physical presence . Given this circumstance, which tends to reduce social interactions, what can be done to sell?
Here are some tips to help you start the journey to digitize your B2B sales . In this way, we hope you can achieve your business goals in 2021.
Recommendations to digitize B2B sales
We know that it can be difficult to break paradigms in terms of how to generate sales in B2B companies. However, you need to understand that digitization is much more than just one option among all sales channels.
In this sense, digitizing is a necessity, because the survival or not of your business may depend on it. So, you must assume it as an urgent process and, to help you achieve it, here are some recommendations:
Make email the star of your B2B sales
Given the impossibility of meeting and making face-to-face visits, email stands out as an excellent means of contact . Mainly, when prospecting and following up, as well as to nurture clients.
Its content will depend on the purpose of the letter. In this way, educational, informative and / or promotional material can be shared, as the case may be. What is essential is that it always adds value to the recipient.
It is very important that the content is highly personalized, to increase the open rate. For this, you need to properly segment your contact list.
Additionally, emails should be visually pleasing , even entertaining. In this sense, the use of images, gif, infographics or links is recommended. The latter, it is recommended, direct the reader to a podcast or video related to the matter.
This type of content contributes to increasing the recipient’s desire to continue receiving your emails. And therefore, increase your purchase intentions.
However, it is also necessary to optimize the time spent on these tasks. For this, the use of customizable templates is recommended. In addition, they are classified according to the target audience and the purpose they seek to fulfill.
Email is a very valuable tool for conducting B2B sales. It does not require a large investment and is highly efficient.
Get closer to your customers through online chat
Consumers value the ability to easily contact businesses when making a purchase. An online chat available on your company’s website can promote dialogue with many potential customers .
On the other hand, being available to clarify doubts just at the moment they arise or to answer questions, is decisive. The reason is that a large part of users who start an online conversation make a purchase.
Likewise, through chat, it is possible to refer the potential customer to a commercial agent. The latter will assist you in your shopping journey and in this way the number of conversions can be increased.
Reorganize your processes and employ a CRM
Digitization and automation go hand in hand. For the B2B environment, the time has come to consider a sales process that is fully digitized . It is the perfect opportunity to be more efficient with less effort.
For this, there are customer relationship management systems ( CRM for its acronym in English). These automate the marketing and sales processes by performing functions such as:
- Customer database registration.
- Qualification of potential clients based on their interests.
- Customer segmentation according to their behavior.
- Programación de tareas de seguimiento.
- Issuance of data analysis reports.
Thanks to this, they are extremely useful for designing marketing and sales strategies that generate powerful conversion opportunities .
When it comes to B2B the sales process can be long. However, these types of tools allow this process to be covered in a more organized and agile way.
Other valuable recommendations
Successfully digitizing B2B sales in the current pandemic scenario requires certain considerations. Here are three that will help you achieve this goal and increase the level of your sales:
Start with what you have
You should know the immense value of your current contact list . You can integrate one by selecting people from:
- Your email
- Social networks
- The online groups to which you belong.
Before venturing into the search for new leads and prospects, intensify communications with your acquaintances and associates. You can do this through emails, posting on social media, creating a blog, etc.
Come up with strategies that allow you to keep your company or brand in the public mind. Also, don’t forget to add value for free. This is the most effective way to get people’s attention.
Adding value, even though it may not seem like it, is a two-way street . In the first place, it allows to know and attend to the needs and pains of the target audience. Second, and at the same time, it enables the identification of new lines of business.
If you haven’t digitized your B2B sales channels yet, get started right away with everything you have on hand to get going.
Change along with the environment
A change, in the environment generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, is not in sight in the short term. Therefore, the face-to-face deal is not something that will be restored anytime soon.
Based on this, you need to think about virtual substitutes for conventional sales practices. If you met most of your prospects at trade shows, then organize or participate in a virtual trade show.
If you were attending events such as seminars and conferences, do it now via the Internet , through platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. In this way, you can continue to establish connections to find suppliers and strategic partners.
Also, create useful content for your clients through webinars or podcasts. Do them on a regular basis, to stay in continuous contact with your target audience. Invite a strategic partner to participate in it to enhance the impact.
Finally, stay active and accessible through social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.
Maintain favorable cash flow
It is important to understand the economic impact of the pandemic. Therefore, a change in the way of marketing products and services is essential.
In this way, you can ensure customer acquisition and sales tickets , regardless of their size.
Small changes can have great repercussions such as making payment terms somewhat more flexible or segmenting products and / or services. These are measures that can help increase sales closing rates.
Factors like those mentioned above may seem subtle. However, they may make a difference in making purchasing decisions for customers.
Following these recommendations could increase the possibility of generating continuous cash flow . In addition, it will be in a better position to overcome times of pandemic.
Having a favorable cash flow is essential to stay operational. Analyze what small changes you can implement in your company to attract new customers.
Ideas Summary
The new normal maintains the validity of a world that is increasingly digitized and supported by virtual relationships. Consequently, the dynamics of B2B sales must adapt to this reality and must do so with haste.
However, almost a year after the Covid-19 pandemic was declared, some companies still do not know how to take this step. If this is your case, we hope that the recommendations that we have given you in this article will be useful to you.
As an entrepreneur you must maintain a flexible and adaptable mindset. Likewise, it is necessary that you take proper advantage of the technology available. In this way, success towards digitizing your B2B sales will be within your reach .
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