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The route to a B2B sell can be long, complex and, at times, a little chaotic. Whilst there’s no rule that fits all, at durhamlane we use ten mantras as a shared guide to success.
This mantra flips the prospecting script. Instead of positioning ourselves as salespeople, it’s all about the customer – understanding their needs, challenges and where you can add value by solving a genuine problem.
Business Fit
Understanding the ‘why’ should be at the top of your list. What problems are you solving for your customer, and how high of a priority are those problems right now? By reading case studies from customers in the same industry, you can really put yourself in their shoes.
Business Value
Can you prove that the customer will gain more than they spend, and accurately predict how long that will take? ROI is one of, if not the biggest factor in decision-making – so proving your value is key.
Long Term Relationships
The odds of selling to new prospects are 5-20% vs. 60-70% for existing customers. By doing your research and thinking in the long term with genuine cross-selling opportunities you’ll enhance the likelihood of expanding your customer’s lifetime value.
These words reflect how your customers should perceive you. We all know how vital those first impressions are – but proving you can maintain these traits is just as important, if not more.
Professional, Humble, Courteous
There’s a stigma attached to salespeople. Pushy and talkative top the list. But for us, these words couldn’t be further from the truth. By being at the centre of your world, customers will gain a true ally who will shoulder their problems, and develop creative, tried and true solutions.
Proactive, Hungry, Ambitious
On this side of the scale, there’s a focus on drive. What more could you be doing to support customers, and how can you prove value? Whilst pushy is unwanted, so is a lack of direction, so finding a careful balance between the two halves of this mantra pays off.
It’s one of life’s universal truths – the more interested you are in others, the more interesting you become to them. That’s why active listening is an essential skill to master if you’re to succeed in your revenue-generating efforts.
It all starts with research. Before you pick up the phone or draft your first email, do as much as you can to find out more about the person you’re speaking to, and not just the company they work for. A snoop on LinkedIn will never go amiss.
On average, it takes 15-20 cold call attempts to connect with a buyer. Yet many salespeople stop after just 3-4. There are several reasons why, but timing, relevance, and medium all play leading roles.
Reaching out with purpose and consideration to your buyer will reap much higher rewards, so vary your communication styles to fit your buyers’ needs using LinkedIn or email, for example.
Research also shows that the best time to call a prospect is between 4 and 5pm, therefore consistency with end-of-day calls will maximise your chances. This all depends on your industry, of course, and you must meet people where they are at. For example, working with Omron Healthcare showed that, where calls fell short, email outreach succeeded – so we adjusted our approach according to this insight gathered along the way.
Quality
We hope this goes without saying, but high-quality work is key to long-term success. Anyone can promise the world, but to deliver on it too tells a completely different story. That’s why taking pride in your work matters, so with every customer contact you should think: Would this interaction give me confidence in the product? Would it inspire me to purchase? If the answer is no, it’s time to refresh your approach.
Quantity
Your talent must be able to scale. A sales role can often be a scattered, so handling multiple, ongoing and complex cadences with the same, high-quality approach is key.
Consistency
This part of the equation is especially important if you’re looking for relationships that will go the distance. Proving your commitment with consistent action will make your next conversation about contract renewal so much simpler.
Why the multiplication, I hear you ask? These three indicators are of equal importance, and act as a lever for one another. For example, if your work is high quality, and you can perform consistently… but there’s little of it – results will take too long to show. Uncovering where your strengths and weaknesses lie in each part of this equation will provide a great foundation for meaningful growth.
Success without failure becomes pointless, so every up and down needs to be celebrated (and learned from). But not too much. It’s all about moderation and being comfortable with the notion that while wins will propel your momentum, losses won’t put you to a screeching halt.
If you follow this mantra, you’ll be starting each day with a clean slate.
Capability
Capability goes beyond a trait and into a mindset. You need customers to feel like you’re capable of solving their problems, and like you’ve done it all before. Being confident in your approach and asking the right questions will put the customer firmly on your side.
Credibility
Your confidence depends on having great credibility, which can’t just come from you. This is why getting client testimonials is so important. No matter how good you say a product or solution is, there will be nothing that beats your customer hearing it from somewhere else, especially if they’re operating in the same industry. At durhamlane, we often connect prospects to similar clients to share their experiences, which can drastically speed up the route to onboarding.
Opportunity
… one opportunity is all it takes. Putting your goals beyond that, you’ll get lost along the way. Get your foot in the door by leveraging credibility and confidence, then the opportunity (and more) will follow.
Estimating is the linchpin of understanding, and where ideas begin. But it’s only after we validate these thoughts that we can put actions in place. Every interaction should be used as an opportunity to conduct this validation, by asking thought-provoking questions that lead to a two-way dialogue. This questioning always falls into one of three levels:
Beware of the biggest killer in sales – assumption. You should not be speaking on behalf of your customer until you truly understand them. And there’s always more to learn.
Good questions don’t have quick answers, and waiting for an answer may just be the key to opening up your clients. While salespeople love to talk, and you may have good reason to if you’re excited, nervous or passionate, silence is often golden.
In your next customer interaction, consider being the custodian of silence and see if it reaps more in-depth, or thought-provoking responses.
So far, our mantras have been all about the customer – but instead #10 is all about you. By now, you should have a solid understanding of the best practices we operate by to offer genuine value to our clients. But it’s up to you to take these mantras and put them into play. This is one of the few industries where you can reap rewards very quickly, so experiment, enjoy and relish in every opportunity.
There we have it; our 10 sales and marketing mantras, designed to guide SDRs and marketers along the path to success.
Interested in how to drive sales and accelerate revenue for your business?