"Too often, we are looking for silver-bullet systems or recipes for success, while ignoring the basics," says Bill Rice in a post at the Better Closer blog. "In my experience, 90 percent of big sales improvement comes from getting back to the basics."
What are the tried-and-true basics of B2B marketing—those tactics that pay off, time and again? Rice offers several tips for B2B marketers based on his "favorite fundamentals of sales." Among them:
Break through the fear of failure. "This is a critical concept for a [B2B] sales person to grasp early in their career," Rice insists. "[As] any professional athlete or best-selling author will testify, you will swing and miss, shoot and miss, write and miss far more often than not." Kill the fear of rejection, he advises. "You will hear `no` far more than `yes.` Embrace it. Know that it only means that you are that much closer to a sale."
Stop "cherry-picking" leads, and just grab one. Constantly trying to find the best lead doesn`t work, he says, and it wastes time. "[S]ales leads are often little more than a name, telephone number, and email," he notes, so how can you hope to differentiate the hot ones? "[J]ust grabbing a lead is about forward motion," he argues. "Creating momentum has a far greater impact than getting the `right` lead."
Make nurture part of your B2B nature. "Regardless of how effective your sales pitch and charm might be, most buyers don`t immediately pull the trigger," Rice notes. "That`s okay. Assuming you have a good lead-nurturing program." Why is lead nurturing such a critical part of the basic B2B sales process? "You can build a strong feeling of reciprocity with lead nurturing," he explains. "If you have a good system of touch points and you are giving away valuable content, you are building buying pressure on that prospect."
The Po!nt: They`re called "basics" for a reason. As B2B markets rise and fall, taking a fresh look at sales fundamentals may help bolster your outreach and boost results.
Source:
http://www.marketingprofs.com/short-articles/1491/tip-your-hat-to-the-tried-and-
What are the tried-and-true basics of B2B marketing—those tactics that pay off, time and again? Rice offers several tips for B2B marketers based on his "favorite fundamentals of sales." Among them:
Break through the fear of failure. "This is a critical concept for a [B2B] sales person to grasp early in their career," Rice insists. "[As] any professional athlete or best-selling author will testify, you will swing and miss, shoot and miss, write and miss far more often than not." Kill the fear of rejection, he advises. "You will hear `no` far more than `yes.` Embrace it. Know that it only means that you are that much closer to a sale."
Stop "cherry-picking" leads, and just grab one. Constantly trying to find the best lead doesn`t work, he says, and it wastes time. "[S]ales leads are often little more than a name, telephone number, and email," he notes, so how can you hope to differentiate the hot ones? "[J]ust grabbing a lead is about forward motion," he argues. "Creating momentum has a far greater impact than getting the `right` lead."
Make nurture part of your B2B nature. "Regardless of how effective your sales pitch and charm might be, most buyers don`t immediately pull the trigger," Rice notes. "That`s okay. Assuming you have a good lead-nurturing program." Why is lead nurturing such a critical part of the basic B2B sales process? "You can build a strong feeling of reciprocity with lead nurturing," he explains. "If you have a good system of touch points and you are giving away valuable content, you are building buying pressure on that prospect."
The Po!nt: They`re called "basics" for a reason. As B2B markets rise and fall, taking a fresh look at sales fundamentals may help bolster your outreach and boost results.
Source:
http://www.marketingprofs.com/short-articles/1491/tip-your-hat-to-the-tried-and-