Although we have many industrial clients, the adoption of value-based selling still lags far behind other industries such as software, supply chain, telecommunications, and computer and networking hardware. I recently pondered why this might be the case.
My guest appearance on The Sales Conversation Podcast explored How to Lead in the Buyer Journey with Next Steps. I was joined by my business partner, Darrin Fleming, and the host, Bruce Scheer, founder of Sales Conversation. Together, we discussed how sellers can lead and support buyers through the buying process by having defined “next steps.”
I had a fascinating conversation with Alex Berg about increasing revenue by building a more curious sales organization. As founder and Chief Curiosity Officer at CQ Selling, Alex shared his insights about harnessing the power of curiosity to strengthen rapport and propose solutions that deliver the most value.
During initial conversations, prospective customers often tell me they’re looking for a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) calculator or tool. My typical response is to ask what they’re trying to accomplish so we can explore which tool (or tools) will best serve their needs. More often than not, a TCO tool can be helpful, but it may not the best solution.
The most important path to effective product management and marketing is a deep understanding of your customers’ needs and alternatives. A successful growth strategy differentiates your product from the competition's and delivers a persuasive value proposition.
Have you had a chance to read the new ebook written by Gerhard Gschwandtner, founder and CEO of Selling Power -- 5 Trends That Will Impact Your Sales Team in 2019? It does a great job of highlighting how B2B sales and marketing leaders can develop strategies that align with these trends.
Potential customers are more self-reliant and in control of the selling process -- thanks to the digitization of the buyer’s journey. With widespread access to vendor websites, industry publications, research analyst reports and online forums, buyers have increasingly less need to communicate with vendors at the beginning of their journey.
Why is it so difficult to accurately identify the average B2B lead conversion rate? One significant reason is that what constitutes a “lead” is subjective and variable. For example, is a lead the contact details from someone who downloaded a white paper? Or is it those contact details plus criteria like company size or job title that provide access to a higher value asset?
For years I've been telling people that value calculators are used for marketing and lead generation and ROI tools are used by sales to close deals.
Until now, that is.
As 2018 comes to a close, it’s natural to reflect on the content and themes that have shaped this blog over the past twelve months. Subscribers were joined by new readers to expand our active community of sales and marketing leaders, as we continue to explore the ever-changing contours of the B2B landscape.
