Are You A Discerning B2B Seller?
By Perry Rearick, Chief Editor, Follow Your Buyer
Thought for the Week – Are you a discerning B2B seller?
A discerning B2B buyer is one who has a keen eye for detail, can differentiate sellers who on the surface seem the same, and apply their observations to draw intelligent differentiating conclusions.
But are you a discerning B2B seller?
As B2B sellers we strive to categorize our buyers. We link them to a stage of our sales process by labeling them as marketing or sales qualified leads.
We ask questions like, are they a good prospect? Do we have an objection? Have we trial closed them? These questions are all about satisfying needs that we have, but they aren’t serving the buyer. Instead, we should be asking ourselves where prospects are in their buyers’ journeys.
For example, if a prospect is in the early stages of the buyer’s journey, they are likely trying to learn more about an issue they have or a perceived opportunity in which they are interested. If we are focused on our sales process, these prospects often are ignored. We wait for them to become a “warmer lead”. However, we should be serving them content intended to help them learn more in their research efforts. But how do we know where they are in the journey and how to appropriately engage them.
Digital content marketing can deliver copious amounts of prospect engagement data. By managing, organizing, and analyzing it, we can discern where the buyer is in their journey, what their interests are, and deliver more content to help them.
When was the last time you assessed the quality of your data? Who in your organization manages, organizes, and analyzes your prospect engagement data? How do you use it to inform the actions of marketing and sales teams?
If you’re not sure, you’re not alone. Keep an eye out for our Wednesday newsletter. In it will be a feature article filled with helpful advice on creating a data management system that will bring precision and increased effectiveness to your B2B marketing and sales.
I hope you have a great week!