The B2B Sales Dilemma!

Why can’t my sales people sell?

This is a refrain we hear all the time from B2B business owners.

There are many reasons for this. But the biggest reason is that very few B2B companies train their sales and marketing people anymore, and even fewer have ongoing coaching.

And yet selling in the B2B marketplace is more difficult than it has ever been.

With buyers being bombarded with information from so many channels, B2B sales professionals have many obstacles to overcome.

B2B SALES ISSUES

Some recent research, from bmponline, discovered the following top five issues B2B sales people and marketers face today;

1. Finding quality leads (63% said this),
2. Length of the sales cycle (53%),
3. Getting in touch with decision makers (49%)
4. Sales productivity (45%) and
5. Time spent away from sales activities (39%) follows next.

So why is this happening?

There are a countless problems B2B vendor companies face in today’s ultra-competitive marketplace.

These issues include the five listed above plus;

• B2B sales is tougher than it’s ever been, because there are a multitude of vendors selling something similar to what you sell. And many are not even your direct competitors.
• The days of buying technology, just for the sake of it, are over, even though companies need more technology to keep a competitive position.
• There is too much/too little reliance on technology to solve sales problems.
• Many companies don’t understand their own real differentiation, or the ROI they bring to their customers, and therefore cannot explain it to their prospects.
• , etc., etc.

VERY FEW B2B COMPANIES TRAIN THEIR SALES PEOPLE ANY MORE

The not so funny thing is that training is needed more today than ever, especially about how to get leads and how to talk to executives.

And yet, I don’t know of any company, including IBM, that even comes close to the type of training IBM did in the 1980’s and 90’s. Xerox also trained their sales people back then, but not nearly as intensely and as thoroughly as IBM, and Xerox does very little sales training now either.

This IBM training usually was 9-12 months long, and included three major topics.

1. B2B sales and marketing,
2. Business principles,
3. How computers worked.

And the vast majority of the time (about 75%) was spent on B2B sales and marketing, especially doing role plays, or as I like to call them – practice sales calls.

That is why IBM and Xerox dominated their marketplaces back then.

In fact, most B2B companies give no sales and marketing training at all anymore.

Yet, they all expect their sales and marketing people to be fully aware of how to sell in the B2B marketplace right away.

B2B companies will give product training, but that is insufficient to learn how to sell.

Actually, I believe that if B2B sales people learn how to sell and market properly, knowing their products and services is at the bottom of the list of how to sell.

We actually train our sales people!

We use a combination of best practices learned from well over 10 million calls, and we also use Sandler Sales Training.

WHAT B2B SALES PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW

What your B2B sales people need to do is get a more accurate picture of your prospects;

• Goals,
• Concerns,
• Initiatives,
• Priorities,
• Plans,
• Timelines,
• Budgets
• Etc.,

So, if any members of your B2B sales team are struggling making their quotas, then you need to look at your training and coaching to ensure it is what your team needs.

And, if your sales and marketers are especially having trouble with these 2 important issues;

1. Finding quality leads, and/or
2. Getting appointments with decision makers.

Then we can help.

Get more qualified appointments, faster.

Most B2B sales people hate cold, or even warm calling, mostly because they haven’t been trained properly in how to do either one successfully.

As a Business-to-Business call center, we can help you find quality leads, and set up appointments with decision makers.

We have been in business for 20 years doing this for B2B clients all over the world, with great success.

Perhaps your current sales force is too busy managing their current clients, and doesn’t have the time for prospecting, then a B2B appointment setting service could be your answer.

We even help companies with renewals for their products/services, as well as help them reactivate old clients, along with other services.

Give us a call, send us an email, or send in the contact form, and we will get back to you ASAP to discuss your needs.

There is no charge for this, and most companies learn a lot, just by talking to us.

Thanks. We look forward to serving you.