We often focus on B2C, but what about B2B? In a world where new businesses are constantly emerging, it’s important to know how to target these businesses to convert leads to sales and loyal customers.
To start landing more B2B clients you will need to find engaged leads that want to work with your company, a great way to start is by working with a B2B Podcast Partner that can handle the entire process for you, from finding your ideal client to network with as a podcast guest on your show, to building an audience of your ideal customer niche. They can help you host, manage, and create written SEO, audio, and video content from each episode to help grow your B2B business.
The decision-making process for purchasing a product differs significantly between individuals and businesses. B2C customers may act on impulse, influenced by friends, trends, and more. On the other hand, B2B customers involve various employees within a business, collaborating to make a decision based on a specific need and criteria. It's essential to distinguish between the two and apply the appropriate strategies to land clients.
Below we will cover 11 tips to help land B2B clients:
1) Existing Clientele
While cold calling and finding new prospects is a crucial part of B2B sales, focusing on your existing clientele is equally important. Your existing clients already have a relationship with you and prefer to leverage that connection rather than finding a new vendor. That is why nurturing these relationships is so important.
Make sure to keep in touch, check in with them, and see how you can continue to help them. You may have a new feature for existing products or entirely new offerings that could benefit them. By looking at existing customers, you eliminate the cost of acquiring new customers and can directly drive additional sales.
2) Conduct Research
The process for a B2B buyer is much more complex as purchasing decisions go through multiple individuals. This makes it crucial to research and understand your potential client thoroughly. It's not just about knowing who they are but also understanding what they're looking for.
A business will come to you because they have a problem to solve or a need to be filled. Delve deeper into their concerns, goals, and how you can assist them. By truly understanding the business and industry, you are better equipped to answer their questions and meet their needs, given that B2B clients are far more complex than B2C clients.
3) Build Long Lasting Relationships
People say that business isn’t personal, but in many ways, it is. Business relationships tend to be long lasting and are very important as companies prefer to work with trusted partners they know well. A business does not want to constantly change its supplier/business partner as it’ll disrupt the efficiency and flow of its operations. That is why cultivating genuine relationships is important, as it allows both parties to benefit mutually. Strong business connections can give you a competitive edge and help to secure loyal customers.
4) Be a Listener
Do not push the hard sell. This applies in many situations beyond B2B sales. Pushing too hard can make it seem like you’re willing to say anything to close the deal, even if it’s not entirely true. Rather, you should focus on building that relationship and having the right conversations.
You want to ask them thoughtful questions, listen to their answers, and incorporate personal touches in your conversation. This shows the customer that you have done your research, understand their business, and know exactly how your product can be integrated into their business to benefit them. By taking the time to listen rather than sell, you will gain even deeper insights into what they want and who they are. This information can be leveraged later to deepen that business relationship and serve as a basis for more effective future sales efforts.
5) Be Patient
B2B customers are not impulsive. They don’t just decide to buy something without going through the checklists and consulting numerous individuals. That is why you need to exercise patience and avoid pressuring a sale. Be understanding of the time the business needs to close the deal.
As we have said, B2B relationships tend to be long-lasting, so both parties will want to take the time before entering the relationship. If you push too hard for the business to make a decision, this will likely push them in the wrong direction. Instead, take the time to listen to them and answer any of their concerns to help them through the process.
6) Timely Responses
In B2B interactions, maintaining professionalism is crucial. Business clients usually have a problem that they need a solution to. They are diligent with their research, identifying possible companies that can help them.
Delays in your responses, whether for initial inquiries or follow-up communications, can discourage them from considering your business. Such delays can suggest a lack of professionalism and respect for their time, potentially leading them to choose a competitor who responds more promptly. Ensuring you quickly respond to potential customers shows you are serious, increasing the likelihood that they will work with you over those who have not responded.
7) Multiple Communication Channels
Finding B2B clients requires a well-diversified strategy. Relying solely on cold calling is unlikely to generate sufficient clients, as not all prospects will engage using these methods. Some may prefer email, call, social media, or other channels. By using multiple channels, you increase your exposure and potential to land a client.
Once you secure a client, it’s also beneficial to maintain multiple communication channels with them. It allows them to reach you in different ways they see fit. It also allows your outreach strategy to be seen in different outlets establishing a constant presence from your business.
8) Follow Up
Cold calling is a key component of B2B sales, used to reach new prospects you don’t already know. While there are various techniques for cold calling, it’s common to encounter a lack of response or interest initially. The key is to follow up.
Your email or call might have been missed, or the prospect might not have been interested at the time. Sometimes, it takes a little bit of persistence to establish yourself in that person’s mind and push them in the right direction. They might come to a point where they need your service, and if you follow up, they might just respond to you this time.
However, there is a fine balance between persistence and being overly pushy. Email is a great tool to follow up as the person doesn’t have to respond right away and can revisit your message. When following up, be sure to change up your message and add personalized touches. Generic, repeated messages tend to be impersonal and deter prospects away.
9) Sell Benefits, Not Features
As we’ve discussed, B2B customers seek solutions to their specific problems, which is why they turn to you. So, when selling your product, it makes sense to emphasize how your product will meet those needs. In other words, how would they benefit from your product or service?
Although this sounds simple, people tend to forget this and only highlight what the product does. For instance, instead of just mentioning a laptop’s dimensions, highlight how its sleek, compact design makes it easy to transport. Sometimes reviews or allowing the customer to demo the product is very helpful. It’s hard to deny the benefits once they see how the product works.
10) Leverage Competitors
B2B customers are all operating with different needs but they share a common goal: they want to be ahead of their competitors. Leverage this in your sales tactic. When chasing a prospect, do your research on their industry. Understand who their competitors are and make note of any that are your clients. By showing that their competitors are using your services, they will be more enticed as they don’t want to fall behind.
11) Track Performance
Just like with any other activity, you need to track performance. Looking at data and deriving insights can tell you what you are doing wrong. You might notice that one month you happened to drive many leads into sales whereas another month you did not.
By looking deeper into those months and the tactics used, you can identify what needs improvement, and what strategy to maintain. Without tracking data and performance, you will be wasting time and resources on strategies that are not yielding results.
Conclusion
With so many businesses on the market, it can be hard to stand out. Building those business relationships will give you a head start over those simply focused on numbers and outcomes. Get ready, build your strategy, and go win those clients.
Written by Kaitlin Duong
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Jony Studios is a content marketing agency specializing in B2B podcasting and audiobook services. They have worked with many clients, from startups to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio, and many others.
