Adapt if you want to survive.
In today’s ever-changing world, this is the creed we must apply to every facet of our businesses, including B2B sales. Because the technological landscape changes so dramatically and quickly, it is no longer enough to rely solely on a field sales team to get your product or service in front of buyers and win sales. The fact is, most of your initial contact with prospects these days will likely be virtual - and COVID-19 has made this the norm.
“For sales leaders contemplating how to react, taking care of their people and customers must be a top priority.” - McKinsey & Company
Economic changes are a global phenomenon and their full ripple effects are largely unknown until the've passed. In order to navigate economic changes successfully, we must change our approach to sales in 3 ways:
Be compassionate.
Think of people as humans with real problems, instead of simply as ”leads.” Begin relationships with empathy by solving problems for them, instead of selling to them. The key to meaningful sales relationships is still, and always will be a personal connection. The mediums for personal connection may change, but the concept stays the same.
Roll with the ebb and flow of company spending.
In the face of such uncertainty, corporations and individuals are naturally tightening their budgets. The sales teams that will continue to see success are the ones that are the most flexible, able to adapt to evolving sales cycles and budgets.
Adopt a more digitally-driven approach.
Social distancing and workplace adaptations are making it necessary to find creative ways around “traditional” sales approaches. Success now and in the future hinges on your business plan to reach, engage, and nurture prospects online. Gartner refers to this as sales enablement.
“Many sales leaders are already exploring ways to equip and engage sales teams by investing in new tools for virtual success.” - Doug Bushée, Gartner
Read next: Build a Sales Enablement Powerhouse
Your website is the backbone of your marketing, the face of your brand, and quite often, the first impression for prospective buyers.
An effective and compelling website makes your sales team’s job easier.
At Knowmad, we help our B2B clients build powerful online presences that help them begin more engaging conversations with their customers. We offer custom website design to ensure superior lead generation and customer conversion in two ways:
Custom Web Design & Development
Whether starting from scratch or looking to upgrade from your current site, our talented team will build a site for your brand that engages your audience, increases conversion rates, analyzes your competition, and stands out from your competitors.
Website Conversion Optimization
Already have a great website? We can help you turn it into a revenue machine. We will take the time to learn about what makes your company great, so we can build relevant and engaging content and improve your site’s SEO performance, leading more of the right people to take action with your company.
Instead of shrugging off digital marketing as a separate entity, your sales team should consider it an ally.
Or better yet, consider SEO as part of your sales team.
If your website can do the dirty work of drumming up leads, your sales team can focus more of its energy on managing customer relationships. Search engine optimization, or SEO, leads prospects to your website, potentially saving you hours of prospecting visits and phone calls. With the right SEO services and a sales funnel, your website will attract interested prospects, and turn them into warm leads ready to buy and begin a relationship with you.
While it is possible for your in-house team to manage the basics of SEO, it’s best to find a marketing partner who will take the time to really dig in and learn what your company needs. If you aren’t sure if your website is performing well, Request a free analysis from a Knowmad digital marketing expert.
Like SEO, PPC Advertising is another way to put your website to work generating leads in the trenches, allowing you to focus energy elsewhere. There are several types of PPC advertising, including Google Search ads, Social Media ads, Retargeting ads, and display advertising.
These days, everyone is on Google or social media, so just about every company will benefit from PPC advertising in some way. There are definitely characteristics that lead to more success for some businesses over others, though.
The marketing team you choose to work with should help you determine if PPC advertising is an avenue you should pursue. At Knowmad, we will conduct a thorough diagnosis of your needs before launching your ad campaign, so that we are sure that we are getting you the best bang for your buck. We'll also use the PPC data to learn about your audience, leads, and customers, and use the information to improve your overall inbound marketing strategy.
Despite the advancements in technology and the shift toward online business, humans relate best with other humans. One-on-one meetings will always be the most effective sales approach.
With virtual meeting platforms, live chats, and chatbots, we now have the ability for one-on-one conversations in several different ways.
This building of “conversation” into your website is what we call Conversational Marketing. Put simply, Conversational Marketing is a way to initiate conversations with interested site browsers - on the spot.
Conversational Marketing should not replace one-on-one meetings but should supplement traditional meetings. Live chats and chatbots should be used to begin relationships, gather information, and answer questions. In the process, you will build trust with the prospect and understand the problems you might help them solve, meaning you can jump into one-on-one meetings with a head start!
Meaningful connections and gaining the trust of your prospects are still the most vital components of the seller/buyer relationship, and that’s precisely why we believe it’s critical for your relationship with prospects to begin with an all-around stellar online experience.
If reaching more prospects online seems complicated and overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be.
With the right partnership, online marketing can be a massive asset to your virtual sales process, while eliminating guesswork and saving you time. The team at Knowmad is ready to help you build a compelling online presence, attract new prospects, and engage prospects and leads in problem-solving ways. Reach out to us today, and find out how Knowmad can help you build an engaging online presence that wins you more leads.