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The digital mediums of information have reshaped the entire dynamics of the present-day B2B sales process. Empowered by the Internet of Things (IOT), new B2B buyers have now come into existence. These modern buyers are equipped with a plethora of digital tools and techniques to drive the best information available before they make any purchase. They are more susceptible to risks, and their buying decisions are dominated by extensive research, reason, and social impact.
This dramatic shift in their buying-psychological process has induced a certain complexity in B2B selling and buying process that even industry incumbents often fail to hit their sales goals.
So what should be the formula for influencing the behavior of these modern B2B buyers? Here are some advanced tips you need to know:
1. Offer value in information at every stage of the buyer’s journey
The easily accessible information available at a click has complicated the role of the sales representatives more than ever. Your B2B buyers do comprehensive research as they look for reason and proof before making any buying decisions.
Thus, offer them information that provides a solution to their specific pain-point. Their decisions are driven by the value you provide in your services. So, deliver informative content that can help them making marketing decisions and meeting their business goals.
Remember that the requirement and type of information changes with every new step of the buyer’s journey. Keeping the flow of relevant information at every stage will help you sustain the complicated selling-buying process successfully.
2. Leverage social-selling impact to build trust – meet them where they are
The recent data of LinkedIn asserts that 69% of millennial buyers are more likely to speak with a sales professional who has a professional social media presence.
This is the impact of social-selling. Today, B2B buyers rely more on the recommendations or reviews of their peers before dealing with a sales representative:
84% of B2B buyers start the purchasing process with a referral. (Influitive)
To entice these IOT enabled prospects, your sales team needs to leverage the social media presence of your brand. Establish your brand’s identity on the relevant social platforms and let it be a medium of not only conveying informative content but also of delivering interactive insights about your company that can build trust in the buyers.
3. Make them feel connected to your brand
50% of B2B buyers are more likely to buy from you if they feel an emotional connection with your brand, states the survey of Google and CEB’s Marketing Leadership Council.
That doesn’t mean you have to adopt the selling pitch and tone of a B2C marketer. The term ‘emotional connection’ refers to the personal and social value that you provide to your buyer:
- Personalize your marketing messages according to their user-behavior and purchase experience.
- Give them an undeniable reason – it could be a social cause or some promotional value.
- Keep the buying cycle easy to engage the B2B buyer for an extended period.
4. Avoid aggressive marketing
Many B2B marketers miss the fine line of closing leads and aggressively closing leads.
B2B clients are tough to please, and they can get frowned away with such pushy sales and marketing tactics. If you want to appeal to these tough prospects turning them as your long-termed customers, you should focus on building better customer engagement.
As B2B sales breathe on long-termed relationships with customers, try winning their trust by indulging them in an informative conversation with you.
5. Stay informed
“70% of buyers said the vendor they chose demonstrated a stronger knowledge of the solution area and business landscape.” (Demand Gen Report)
The decision-making process of the B2B buyers has experienced a massive change regarding what the buyers look for in the sales representatives. Your existing and potential clients are digitalized more than ever. They tend to make business deals with you once they accept that you possess knowledge that can suffice for their needs. Hence, be informed with all that is latest in your industry. Know more about the mindset and buying psychology of your buyers and learn all that can influence them. Using advanced tools and technologies will not only engage them but will also build in them a trust for your brand.
Traditional sales and marketing strategies go ineffective in today’s digital world of IOT empowered B2B customers. Being a B2B marketer, you have to dive deep into their buying behavior to understand this huge shift and to win them as your clients.
