Let’s face it – the days of traditional B2B selling are long gone. With a wealth of information available at your buyer’s fingertips, clients are much more informed now than ever before. However, while data can be accessed on demand, expert context and advice are harder to come by. As a result, sales representatives must employ a consultative approach if they hope to build trust, create value and improve buyer engagement in competitive B2B markets. Here are four ways your company can help improve the B2B buyer experience.
1. Build Trust
If you’ve been in the B2B market for any stretch of time, you know there’s a certain stigma attached to the selling process. Oftentimes, customers think that a sales representative will be pushy, waste their time or trick them into buying something they don’t need. That’s why it’s important to build trust immediately through credibility, industry knowledge and teaching capability. Research reinforces this crucial point, revealing that 70% of the customer’s reported buying experience is based on how they feel they’re being treated. Making sure to focus on your buyers’ needs – not your company’s solution – establishes trust in prospects, which is critical for sales success.
2. Respond Promptly
Besides building trust, timely communication helps B2B buyers obtain the information they need to make a purchasing decision, and as a result, it helps your sales reps close deals. So what if your B2B sales representatives are working in the field and are unable to respond quickly with your current selling tools? Modern Industrial Marketing’s Hans Fuller notes that “Today’s sales reps have fewer opportunities to engage directly with their customers. Fast response is key to maintaining engagement.” Fortunately, there are sales enablement platforms available that provide easy access, real-time data, push updates and in-app and email messaging systems to streamline communication.
3. Create Value
Step away from transactional approaches, and focus on selling outcomes. It’s important to show how buyers will benefit from a purchase. Will it improve their business efficiency or help them contend with the competition? Centering the selling process on benefits rather than features boosts engagement and advances the sale by showing prospective buyers how your product can solve the problem at hand. Fuller observes “Buyers do research on their own, so face-to-face meetings need to be consultative otherwise customers see it as a waste of time.”
4. Use A Sales Enablement Tool
Online field sales tools are emerging in the B2B marketplace, because they allow sales reps to personalize sales conversations for a better buyer experience. In fact, companies that provide a simple, informative or otherwise special customer experience see a 4-8% growth in revenue over their less-prepared competitors. By utilizing a well-designed sales enablement platform, customers can easily see where you add value, illustrating complex, multidimensional solutions. In addition, these professional mobile selling systems help establish and develop your business’s credibility.
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