Successful lead management and selling in B2B

A number of aspects need to be taken into account for a successful sale.In the first, already published articles was about the structured organization of this article series and the so-called sales roadmap. In this article, I would like to take a closer look at the aspects behind such a structure. The statements in this series of articles can apply just as well to the B2C sector, but are geared towards the specific circumstances of lead management and sales in the B2B sector. For an interactive exchange, questions, tips or additions, the discussion can be continued on Twitter with the hashtag #leads.This series of articles is intended for readers/users for whom the following statements apply- I want to market better and more successfully - I am looking for growth opportunities for my business - I want an efficient sales process or to optimize itWhat do these statements have in common? It's always about sales. Successful sales certainly helps to win better and bigger customers - of course. But it should also help to be more selective in the way you work with customers. Which is just as important for more success in the B2B sector. To increase your own efficiency and provide ROI (return on investment) to customers, you can't avoid having a plan. So how do we go about selling better? If you are asking yourself this question now, then this series of articles will be helpful for your concerns in lead management and sales in the B2B sector, using the sales roadmap already presented as a basis for structuring and for more success in sales. This will not make the sales process easy, but it will definitely make it easier. Because selling is and remains hard work, but it has much more to do with constancy and consistency than with sales talent. In other words, anyone can learn to market and sell better. What is probably one of the biggest difficulties in sales are bad habits - you could also say manners - that become ingrained over the years and are really difficult to eradicate. Do you agree with this statement? In order to break such habits, it is essential to restructure yourself. A concrete method for doing this is:- Differentiate and focus- Help instead of pitching- Emphasize the inbound methodWhen it comes to new impulses and paths in business development, you should not miss the opportunity to become aware of your own potential "traps" and "potholes" for the first time. Those bad habits and manners that most of us are stuck in.Differentiation and focusIn order to sell more and better, it is essential that our products and services stand out from the crowd in our market and differentiate themselves. If you need ideas, you can take inspiration from other sectors (benchmarking). Take, for example, the simplicity on the one hand and ingenuity on the other in the catering industry. Many companies are very good and focused when it comes to projects and the delivery of products and services. Unfortunately, they are less so when it comes to business development. Focusing is about concentrating on the right leads and potential customers to whom our differentiated products and services appeal the most.You can find out how focused your own business development and sales are relatively easily by answering the self-assessment questions for yourself.Those who cannot find satisfactory answers for themselves should not be discouraged, they are in good company with many others.Helping instead of pitchingStop selling. Do you or your employees talk practically all the time during customer meetings, presentations or prospecting calls? This is a clear sign of a really bad habit in the sales process. Incidentally, this is very common and is called pitching. It's very natural to do this. We know our products and services well and are excited to talk about them. We all know this. Even if the customer asks you about it, stop! This is not a habit that helps us sell successfully in the end. The opposite of pitching is figuring out how we can help our customers with current problems. When a friend asks us for advice, we don't feel like we're selling them something, we feel like we're helping them. Why shouldn't it feel exactly the same in sales? First and foremost, we should find out whether the customer needs our help/product/services at all. How we can help and, above all, whether the customer is interested in our help. The fundamental basis for a successful business relationship. Helping is not just about giving, but rather about giving and taking in a fair relationship. Give and take. The original principle of the Internet, online marketing and dialog - even if dialog marketing is misused by many as direct marketing one-way.Focus on the inbound methodOne major danger is that many companies sell products and services rather than solutions. The consequences are price pressure, pressure on the clock and competitive pressure. These questions can help you become aware of whether you are offering products and services rather than solutions in the marketplace:- Are your conversations mainly about products and services or more about results?- Can you justify higher prices than your competitors by offering point solutions, stand-alone or in combination?- Can your prospects articulate the value of your solutions themselves after you have gone through your sales and marketing funnel (process)?Get external helpWell, what if you agree with all the points in this article and have even come up with them yourself but are still stuck? As good as the tips and structure in this series of articles may be, they are impulses and guides. However, putting them into practice in existing sales processes is practically impossible without outside help. It's no coincidence that it's not by chance that Schumacher wears the most worn-out shoes. In order to improve sales processes and raise your own business development to a much higher level, it is worth getting external help. Otherwise, it usually fails because you are far too close to the matter yourself and hardly have enough distance to abstract and find new solutions. In addition, it is not easy to put theory and methods into practice without the relevant experience. There are various ways to get external help:- exchange ideas with like-minded people and similar problems in blogs and forums- use twitter on this topic with the hashtag #leads- exchange ideas in your personal network and ask colleagues who have successfully modernized and restructured their sales process- ask inbound marketing specialists without obligationWhat you can expect from inbound marketing specialists:1. sales coaching2. Sales planning3. Development of successful sales processesStep-by-step instructions / next steps:1. review your habits (potholes and pitfalls), principles and self-assessment- identify some strengths and opportunities- share your sales problem with colleagues, professionals and/or providers2. Think about working with external professionals - what kind of support would be most helpful for your needs - what kind of collaboration is most comfortable for you - what requirements does an external provider need to fulfill to be able to help you - we've all been through tough times in sales. Uphill and downhill. But at the end of the day, marketing and selling should be fun, otherwise something is going wrong. In the next article, I will detail the important aspect of lead lists.