1. set clear goals for sales
Whether technology, food or clothing: Almost all products are sold online today. In the meantime, digital sales have also arrived in the B2B sector, which presents most companies with a new challenge.
Digitalization is changing the B2B business at a rapid pace. Traditional physical production processes are being combined with new, often virtual, technologies to create what we now understand as "Industry 4.0". The automotive industry in particular, but also machine and plant engineering and the service industry are turning to the industrial software solutions of the cyber world. Entire value chains are being digitalized in this way.
However, the digitalization of the interface to the customer is still nowhere near as far along as the development of production processes. This is because the right marketing and sales methods are often lacking to bring the digitized production innovations to the customer so that they do justice to the progress behind them.
Companies therefore need individual solutions for marketing and selling their products. To do this, they must first define clear goals:
- Leads generieren
- Abschlüsse erzielen
- Increase conversions
- Increase sales
Every company must define for itself what it wants to achieve with its marketing and sales approach. Once these key figures have been defined, the company can develop the right customer approach in line with this strategy. This is a process consisting of many complex steps and measures that need to be constantly scrutinized and reviewed: Usability and user experience (UX), multi-variate testing and the repeated analysis of the entire customer journey.
In particular, when it comes to increasing sales, customer communication must be automated and, above all, seamless. This in turn requires technical system integration in the form of flexible CRM systems that are regularly updated and adapted to the customer's needs. And even that will not be enough in the long term. If a company wants to increase the number of inbound leads, it must enter into a direct exchange with the customer. The best way to do this is through relevant content, i.e. account-based marketing, target group-oriented campaigns and hyper-personalization of the customer approach.
2. Invest in improving customer communication.
But what is the right communication approach when it is no longer the company that drives sales, but rather the customer who sets the business process in motion with just one click? What to do when the customer decides how and where sales take place?
This requires flawless, structured and completely transparent customer communication, ideally with a reliable and technically mature CRM system that meets the customer where they are. After all, it can be assumed that around 60 percent of the buying process has already "run its course" before the sales representative even gets involved.
If a B2B company does not show enough presence and credibility during the primary "trial phase", it is unlikely that a sale will be made. And - let's be honest - it's your own fault if you don't take advantage of the many opportunities offered by the internet: in addition to the website, there are a variety of online channels, such as social networks, advertising, mailings and newsletters.
These channels need to be used professionally and above all regularly and maintained. If you want to retain your customers, you need to provide information that is relevant to them not only during the "initiation phase", but also throughout the entire customer journey. Content is crucial.
But even here companies should not shoot blind. The latest tracking tools and algorithms help to communicate in a customer-oriented way and also to regularly check whether the desired response is occurring and remains so. It is not only relevant that customers visit your website, but above all how they became aware of the site, whether they accessed it directly or found it via a Google search, via which device (PC, tablet, smartphone), which subpages they visited most frequently, which products they viewed and which options they ultimately used to make contact.
3. Integrate data across channels.
How important is flawless, digitized communication of the company to the outside world? The digital competence of a company is primarily reflected externally through the functionality, design and user-friendliness of the website and associated channels.
Both the content and structure of the information presented virtually should ideally be geared towards the customer journey:
- What is the best way to find my website?
- Is my website designed responsively so that it works on all devices?
- How do I communicate with the customer in the virtual first contact?
- How do I convert non-binding online inquiries into real leads ("lead generation")?
- How do you succeed in retaining customers?
Local B2B providers with low to medium sales volumes often use shopping platforms, such as Amazon, for their sales because potential customers find their products more easily this way. The sales systems of many larger B2B providers are often organized independently of each other. This is reflected in inconsistent service packages, which is of course highly unpleasant for the customer.
In order to remain credible and transparent, customer communication should take the form of a unified omni-channel: All customer touchpoints should be networked with each other. Cross-channel communication not only improves the customer experience, but also makes it easier for the company to track customer behavior. The omni-channel approach makes the regular and, above all, synchronous updating of customer data, as well as the company's own information, indispensable. Redundancies should be kept to a minimum, errors should be rectified as quickly as possible and customer requirements should be taken seriously and implemented where necessary.
It is therefore not enough to simply build up a customer base without regularly analyzing and managing the communication and sales channels in interaction with the customer. This also implies driving digitalization to such an extent that offline and online processes are integrated and connected.
4. Restructure sales.
The management of a sales system can also be compared to leading a soccer team in the B2B sector. Every player must function perfectly, and the transfer (of the soccer) from one player to another must be seamless and goal-oriented.
Customers today expect to be able to access information about products and services at any time - on all channels. They also want to be able to communicate flexibly with competent contact persons and employees in order to purchase, exchange or, if necessary, cancel products. Switching between different channels should also take place smoothly and without delay.
To achieve this, a company should be clear about which digital-analog mix makes sense and which barriers need to be avoided at the interfaces. If the channels interlock seamlessly, the customer's transition from one channel to the other works smoothly and the customer ultimately gets what they really need, this sets an automatism in motion that in turn frees up important resources in the company.
The automation of purchasing processes can pay off, especially in international sales processes, which are generally even more complex. To ensure this functionality, customer data must be analyzed. This requires drawing the right conclusions from significant findings at the right time. This in turn implies that sales employees focus more on relevant customer data and develop appropriate responses and solutions.
With the customer journey as the "measure of all things", the areas of responsibility in sales must therefore be constantly adapted and updated. In addition to a functional CRM and marketing automation, the digitalization of B2B business processes requires above all strong IT that not only maintains, but also innovates.
This is the only way inbound sales can declare war on cold calling!
5. Maintain personal contact.
Personal contact is still irreplaceable in B2B sales. The online presence may be able to highlight key unique selling points. But sometimes it is a certain degree of sympathy that helps determine a customer's decision to buy. This will remain the case in the future.
If the customer has the opportunity to have a direct exchange with a professional contact person in addition to automated communication, they are more likely to feel that they are entering into a "relationship" with the provider. The following does not only apply to B2B sales: a chatbot can replace a real employee when it comes to general FAQs. However, real differentiation from other providers often only occurs on a personal level.
A good start could be to meet the customer not in the office or even at the counter, but in a café or in the park. The resulting atmosphere can turn the "human factor" into a convincing add-on. Possibly also as an official part of the service package - whether through an extended telephone service or personal advice on site.
But be careful! Customers are not stupid and will not be fooled into believing a relationship that does not exist. Providers should therefore focus on an authentic exchange and sensitize themselves to the true needs of the customer. It is actually advisable to go on the customer journey yourself, which you expect your customer to do. This attempt forces the provider to put themselves completely in the perspective of their customer and, if necessary, to consider a different implementation of the strategy.
Even if the changing times are almost forcing us into the digital transformation of sales, the human need for social resonance should never be ignored. After all, digital sales can only ever supplement personal interaction, but never replace it - especially if the aim is to build a long-term customer relationship.
