At Three Square Market, we understand how important B2B sales and relationships are. We are always working to improve our B2B skills and want to help you, too!
As you know, Business-To-Business sales are just as important, and very different from Business-To-Customer sales. Understanding the way B2B works can mean the difference between an average quarter and a record-breaking one! We found some really helpful tips from Prospect Cloud’s blog that we want to share with you!
- B2B sales are a lot more involved than B2C sales, and typically take much longer. The sales involve research, education and the identification of potential key partners who can execute and deliver the product or service.
- B2B buyers tend to welcome a more personal, long-term relationship with a single account manager. These relationships form through several conversations, initially to help the buyer fully understand the product or service and how it will be valuable to their organization.
- B2B buyers are less emotionally driven than B2C customers. They purchase based on the needs of their organization. It can take months or even years before a purchase is actually made. A lot of research and money must go into their purchases, so it only makes sense that they would want to take all the time they need in feeling completely confident in their decision.
- Pricing varies, for B2B products and services, depending on factors like quantity, contract length, custom packages and so on. These sales involve a period of negotiation, as well as time for calculating a final price after all of the details are worked out.
To read more in depth about the differences between B2B and B2C, CLICK HERE.
We also like these 10 Commandments of B2B Email Content posted by Prospect Cloud:
“Content is king. Despite the popularity of social platforms like Facebook and Twitter, email is by far the #1 digital channel for prospect nurturing and B2B sales. These 10 guidelines will help get your creative juices flowing to create a message that is both relevant and useful for business prospects.
- Make it Mobile Friendly. Pardot’s 2015 Email Marketing predictions reported that a third of marketers read business emails on their mobile device 50% of the time. Make sure your emails have a responsive design with plain backgrounds, larger fonts and clear call-to-action buttons.
- Talk it Out. Even with an audience of B2B decision makers, never assume they know everything about your company, product and service offerings, or industry jargon. Explain why you’re reaching out and exactly what you have to offer.
- Make Yourself Useful. The B2B selling landscape is changing dramatically – your prospects expect more than a sale, they want helpful and relevant information. Use your company’s content as a resource for prospects to help them do their job better. They’ll notice.
- Play Nice. Remember that people are at the heart of your business. Use a friendly, conversational tone to bring life to your service description and sales pitch. Include your photo or bio, or those of the key people within your company – that add the human factor and emotion to an email.
- Brief is always best. Research from the Radicati Group estimates that business professionals send and receive an estimated 122 emails per day – in addition to the messages they receive through social media, phone calls, and postal mail. When creating your prospect email, make sure to make your value proposition as clear and concise as possible.
- Draw Them In. Your subject line may be the only part of your email anyone ever reads, and it’s vital to catching the reader’s interest. Be clear and specific, but make it compelling, motivating, or thought-provoking.
- Embrace Your Differences. Even in B2B, don’t be afraid to think outside the box or to use a sense of humor. Add personality or a clever insight that relates to your recipients’ interests. At the same time, always keep it clean, appropriate, and professional.
- Give Them Your Info. Always include an email signature with contact information. This also reminds them that you’re a real person – with a phone number and email address – and it shows your role in the organization.
- Set the Stage. Clearly tell the reader what the next step is and encourage them to initiate it. Be specific with your calls to action and utilize A/B testing to pick the perfect phrasing, colors, and design.
- Proofread for Perfection. It’s vital to ALWAYS proofread your B2B emails – prospects will never take you seriously if there are spelling or grammar errors in your messages. Even a simple mistake can cause the recipient to put your message in the “unprofessional” category.
You don’t have to be a genius to write an interesting business email, but it does take time and effort. Following these 10 guidelines will help you get better responses from B2B prospects, easier lead nurturing, and a higher number of conversions.”
Three Square Market 