I put together this post to review the ones that have helped me the most. First, I'm going to give you an introduction to B2B sales to get some context…
Companies are a collection of people
Every time I start the sales process with a new company, the first thing I try to do is think about who my interlocutors are going to be. Because even if we sell to companies, on the other side there are only people
In this sense, it is key for me to always remember that I am dealing with individuals and that therefore my communication must be personalized and one-to-one.
On the other hand, B2B sales are complex. I have to interact with many people from different positions, with different interests and information needs. Something I must not forget to do a good job!
The sale is the result of a process
I still remember the day I was reading a book that blew my mind, and among other things made me realize something elementary and basic, but that I had never thought about: “Sales is a process.” (The book is called “Work the System” by Sam Carpenter).
The truth is that it is a complex process. You have to interact with many people from different positions, with different interests and needs.
Like any process, sales have stages that we must go through. There are no secret passages, no shortcuts. We must go through each stage and do so with care and affection.
Stages of the sales process
Prospecting:
The B2B sales process usually begins with prospecting work. The concept comes from the Latin “Prospectus” which means “to look at, to examine”. It is originally a concept used in the oil industry to refer to the study of a terrain to know its characteristics and analyze the possible presence of underground resources, such as oil, minerals or others.
In sales, prospecting means studying the sales field to identify potential customers.
How can we detect if we are dealing with a potential client?
Basically we can do this by answering 3 key questions:
Does the company or our buyer have a specific need that our solution can help solve?
Does the company have the budget to cover the cost of our solution?
Does our contact have the authority to make or significantly influence the purchasing decision?
Value Proposition:
Once we have identified a prospect and their need, we are in a position to offer our value proposition. In simple terms, our POS is a presentation that shows how we can solve the need we have identified.
There are some key aspects that our prospect is interested in knowing at this stage:
What is the need that we detect? (problem)
How are we going to solve it? (solution)
Where have we done it before? (credentials)
How much does it cost? (order of magnitude, price reference)
Economic proposal:
A common mistake we make in sales is spending a lot of time developing proposals where there are no mature or well-studied opportunities.
In general, a lot of time is wasted preparing proposals, trying to thailand viral telegram meet a quota or pipeline. The reality is that most of the proposals presented end up in nothing.
Reaching an economic proposal, in my opinion, should simply be the formalization of an intention to do business.
Negotiation and Closing:
When the economic proposal was presented at the right time, it is then directly followed by a negotiation stage.
Negotiation can take place directly with the project manager or with the purchasing department. In any case, it is common that the budget must be adjusted, depending on the case.
Tools for every stage of the sales process
Here I share some tools that have been of great help to me in the sales processes I have undertaken:
The art of selling to companies consists of knowing how to ask, remember, analyze and propose solutions.
Selling is a process, and as such there are stages that we should not skip. Going through the process intelligently can be the difference between winning and losing. And tools provide us with agility and service in this process.
On the other hand, beyond the tools, a method is necessary, and it must be customized as much as possible so that it really helps us achieve our objectives. Leave us your comments at the end of this post.