No matter who you are, you know that selling to a brand new B2B buyer isn’t the most fun activity in the world. It’s only growing worse, with so many purchases, longer cycles of sales, and growing competition. If you want to know how to sell to today’s B2B buyer, here are a few secrets.

Problem: The Group is Harder Than the Individual

When you’re selling to a business as a group, it’s more challenging than if you were selling to one person. Nowadays, there are more groups that will look at a purchase and make sure it’s what they want. It can be frustrating to get all heads on the same page. Here are some ways to sell to a group.

Solution: Remember That Not Everyone is Equal

With a group, it’s rarely a situation where everyone is treated equal, like heads belonging to the same body. Usually, there’s one or two people whose opinions are held at a higher regard. That’s just how it works for most cases. How can you find which person’s opinion matters the most? You can do some research about your potential buyers by looking them up on social media and seeing who their connections are. You can find their positions, experience level, and other factors that can make it easier to find the person on top.

Problem: It Takes Longer to Sell

If you’re a seller, you know how hard it is to seal the day. Over 60 percent of sellers have complained about how long it’s taken. This is because more and more people are doing their research, looking into the product and making more determinations on whether it will land a positive ROI.  Being informed on what you purchase can make sellers more accountable for what they’re selling, but when you’re the one who’s selling, you want to speed up the process.

Solution: Make Content for Each Stage And Find Ways to Go Faster

Create content that’s centered around types and phases of the buying cycle. Look at who is buying. The CIO is more technologically focused, while the CFO is more concerned with costs. Create content for them, as well as other demographics. Have paper-based content for an older crowd, and video content for millennials.

In addition, you have to realize that you shouldn’t be slow just because your buyers are. Most buyers take three months to use up their research, and these companies may speed up the purchasing process if priorities change. Changing priorities can also mean that business may be on hold, too. You still need to be vigilant and make sure you answer any questions your potential buyers may have.

The Problem: Social Media Competition

Companies looking to purchase B2B tend to look around on social media and other influential websites. One of the biggest social media sites for this is LinkedIn, which is still one of the most influential out there. One reason why so many people use social media is to read about recommendations and issues, and to se what other people are buying. Another reason is to look at who the influencers recommend.

 Solution: Be Helpful

When you’re on social media, it’s important to help people, answer any questions they have, and talk about your own ideas. Don’t try to shill your product outright; people will realize this and will quickly ignore you. Instead, make helpful content and mix it in with promotional content that consists of testimonials, reviews, and other successes.

The Problem: You Don’t Know What People Want

When a B2B buyer goes to you, there’s a 2/3rds chance that they want someone who will know about their company and be insightful into solutions. Nowadays, everyone wants the knowledgeable salesperson.

Solution: Do Your Research and Give Buyers What they Want

It’s quite easy to do research on who is buying your product and what you can do to help them. Show your potential buyers helpful content and a website that they can navigate.

Spruce Up Your Website

If you have a website, you need to make it as helpful to the consumer base as possible. Here are some ways you can do so.

• Don’t hide the pricing. Have the pricing on the website and show people the competition as well.
• Have the website talk to the consumer’s needs and show how your services can help.
• Cut the clutter on registration forms. Make it as easy as possible.
• Fill your website with content relevant to vendors. Case studies, data sheets about products, the list goes on.
• Finally, be there when a buyer is interested. Help them figure out what they need, and how they can solve their problem. Show them testimonials and studies that can help one make a more informed decision.

Follow Up

One of the most important promises you can make to a buyer is the promise to follow up. From providing customer support to solving any issues that may pop up, your business should think about everything that may happen afterwards. Give your customers a plan, and then make sure to follow through on that.

These secrets can help you improve your business immensely. Do you know any other secrets? Let us know.