In our previous blog post, we explained that the number one b2b selling mistake made today is selling too hard too soon. This blog outlines strategies for how not to make this mistake.
In order sell in the right way at the right time, you need to understand where your prospect is in their buying cycle. The first way to do this is simple: listen to what they say.
If your prospect tells you he or she is looking for a solution for X but probably won’t have budget until next year, do not try to sell now. Instead, offer him or her basic, educational marketing content (like blogs, white papers, YouTube videos, etc.) that is nonthreatening but will keep your company’s name top of mind until your prospect has budget. If on the other hand, your prospect says they are trying to make a decision by the end of the week, it is the right time to pitch—hard.
A lot of times, however, your prospect is not going to be this direct, and you will have to use alternative means of determining when and when not to sell. This is where content marketing programs and marketing automation software become extremely valuable.
By mapping out your buying cycle and developing different pieces of marketing content to match each stage, you can then use a marketing automation platform to track which prospects are engaging in which content. When a prospect engages in first stage content, you know they need to be nurtured more. If a prospect clicks on a pricing page, it is probably time to pick up the phone.
By listening to your prospects’ behaviors—both explicitly and implicitly—you can ensure you don’t annoy or anger your prospects into going somewhere else because you tried to sell to hard too fast. When your prospects feel that you are listening to them and truly understand their needs, they are more likely to come back to you when they are ready to be sold.
To learn more about how people’s buying habits have changed in recent years and what to do to adapt, read our recent blog article called, “The Shift to ‘Bought, then Sold’”. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
