DriveYourSucce$$

When Should You Give up on a B2B Customer?

So, when does it make sense to give up on a B2B customer? At what point do you stop trying to win their business?

For most companies, this decision is made haphazardly. Other companies rely on a more systematic way to determine if a B2B customer is no longer a viable target.

These companies measure a B2B customer's value according to a set of predetermined criteria.

Stop Price Shopping From B2B Customers by Defending Your Offer

In consumer markets, it’s expected that customers will comparison shop. After all, prices, offers, and discounts abound. Heck, you can comparison shop on smartphones. Not so with business markets. Why?

Sales cycles are longer in business-to-business (B2B) markets, and the process of nurturing prospects and closing sales is far more elaborate.

It’s that investment in time that your salespeople must protect by not allowing themselves to be used to lower your competitor’s offer.

B2B Salespeople are Risk-Takers: Why You Need to Give Them a Long Leash

Over the years, I’ve had many conversations with consulting customers about how the best sales and business development professionals are, first and foremost, risk-takers.

However, is this an inherent trait only found in a select few salespeople, or is it a byproduct of working for a forward-looking enterprise, one that encourages its salespeople to take risks?

I believe that most salespeople would take more risks if given the chance, and it’s this ability, freedom, and empowerment to take more risks that end up helping companies achieve their goals.

B2B Sales & Marketing Basics: Starting the New Year Right

I’ve written about how B2B companies rely too much on digital marketing to identify, qualify, and close opportunities. 

In business-to-business (B2B) markets, an inbound strategy is a lead generator and a brand builder. It generates leads but is not merely a question of putting things on autopilot.

Invariably, your sales team must maximize its customer face-time to close sales. So, to help you hit the ground running in the New Year, here are some strategies to get your marketing and sales back to basics.

Three Reasons Your B2B Customer Puts on the Brakes and Doesn’t Buy

Everything is going great. Your customer is engaged in the process and seems convinced by your value assertion. They're close to making that all-important first purchase until suddenly, quite unexpectedly, they put on the brakes.

Now, how often has this happened to you? If you've been in sales long enough, then it's fair to assume you've encountered this situation several times. It happens to even the best of salespeople.

However, the question then becomes: Why do B2B customers suddenly put on the brakes?

Why B2B Customers Use Objections, Stall Tactics and Roadblocks

Several salespeople are simply unable to handle customer objections. They immediately recoil once a customer puts up a roadblock. They back away, give ground, and become reactive, instead of proactive.  

Eventually, the customer assumes control and the result is a lost sale. However, this can change when you stop and understand why customers use stall tactics.

Decluttering Production Shop Floors with Spaghetti Diagrams: Simplifying Work Flow

Sometimes increasing production throughput can be as simple as rearranging your production shop floor. When it comes to lowering production cycle times, few approaches are as powerful as using spaghetti diagrams.

You'll need your production employees to work alongside you for this project as their input is essential to success. 

Making those employees part of the solution will ensure they buy into the process.

Choosing the Right Social Media Strategy for Your Market and Customers

Not all social media is the same just as no two markets are the same. Unfortunately, this all-important term has been hijacked, or at the very least, misrepresented.

Ultimately, any digital media platform that simplifies sharing can be called social media. Understanding this will make it easier to match your social media strategy to your market, your customers, and your industry.

Overly Optimistic Salespeople: Five Consequences of Being Too Enthusiastic

There is this prevailing view in sales management that a salesperson has to be enthusiastic about their product, enthralled about the opportunities around them, and highly motivated to continually push past “no” until the customer finally relents and makes a purchase.

Persistence is an adjective all salespeople like to use, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, there are direct consequences to salespeople being overly optimistic and they’re ones most companies don’t see until it’s too late.

By the time the company has realized that its salesperson isn't actually listening to what customers actually want, they've already lost out on a number of opportunities. 

Click Cannibalization Excel Sheet: Paid Search vs Organic Search

I've created a sample Excel sheet for those concerned with click cannibalization between organic and paid search. This is an ideal tool if you already have a high PageRank for a keyword and still want to drive more traffic to your website but are concerned with your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns stealing clicks from your high organic ranking. 

While some say you should never run a PPC campaign when already ranking high, others say driving more traffic to your site is always the best strategy. This Excel sheet will help you put this argument to rest.