“Working in sales” is such a broad answer when asked what you do for a living. You may as well say “I do medical work” or “I’m a manager”. What’s interesting about sales is not only the variation in what you could be selling but also the variation in who those customers might be. Enter, B2B sales.
What are B2B Sales?
B2B sales stand for business-to-business sales, meaning it is a business selling a good or service to another business, rather than to or from an individual. Because you represent an entire corporation, often some specific sales strategies and protocols need to be followed in the name of the company. But at the end of the day, the same principles of the sales funnel, from acquisition to sales won (insert the link to one of the sales won articles here), are to be followed.
What Do B2B Salespeople Do?
Due to sales covering such a wide range of industries, the specifics of each sales position will vary from job to job. What matters is that you are working in the field as a B2B salesperson, which actually has a handful of different titles under the same job umbrella. “Sales Representative”, “Sales executive”, “Sales Advisor”, and “Sales professional” are all positions you could start out in, or even a “B2B Sales Manager” if you come from previous experience already. All of these jobs will have their specific niches for their specific roles but for the most part, B2B salespeople are responsible for:
- Research how to find business decision-makers to pitch to (with a tool like Closely, for example) and contact these people via phone, LinkedIn or email pitches. Or using automation tools like Closely to send messages to potential customers on autopilot.
- Set up and meet with these potential clients to bring them up to speed on your products or services.
- Follow up on former or warm leads to make sure you aren’t leaving any sales on the table.
- Work with different departments in your business to create new pitches and sales with up-to-date information on your product.
- Stay with your leads through each step of the process so you receive top-notch customer satisfaction to go with the top-notch services you are providing.
Qualities of a Good Salesperson
What makes a B2B salesperson special is their knowledge of not only what they are trying to sell, but their knowledge of the business they also represent. If you don’t know the company behind your product, you run the risk of looking unprepared and unprofessional. Beyond this, there are a few qualities that will make you shine as a B2B salesperson:
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
You’re going to be in contact with your clients over the phone, via email, and in person. Your ability to speak to them effectively will make or break your sales success.
- Strong, active listening
If you ask someone a question and the next thing out of that person’s mouth has nothing to do with what you just asked, you’re probably not going to feel very heard during that conversation. Make sure your clients feel heard.
- Be approachable
Intimidation factors work for a wide range of professions. Sales is not one of them. Leave your terminator impressions for after hours.
- Strong customer service skills
When there is a problem, the person having the issue is in crisis mode. This crisis is now your priority. Learning how to prioritize different tasks will take some time but if your customer is happy, you are happy.
- Patience
Overnight successes are few and far between. Real success takes time, energy, more time, failures, readjusting, trial and error, and even more time. Don’t get discouraged from the process, practically everyone else had to go through it as well.
- Results-oriented thinking
At the end of the day, your paycheque relies on how good at selling you are. Learning the ropes is important, but it’s important because it gets you closer to selling more. Everything should hinge on your ability to sell effectively to your clients.
- Objectivity
There are going to be times when you disagree with a customer, a potential client, or even your coworkers and higher-ups. Sometimes when this happens, feedback is given and it isn’t necessarily feedback that will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Keeping an objective lens while being open to this feedback is a cornerstone of successful businesspeople. We cannot grow without change and we cannot change without being wrong from time to time.
- Good negotiation skills
This one is a sales staple. You have a great product, it’s a good deal, and the fit is correct, but the client wants another $200 off the top to get the job done. “Ok, sure, we can take some more off the top, but it’s going to be $70 and that’s the best we can do”. Knowing how to accommodate a client without completely rolling over on them is a sign of a well-versed salesperson.
- Thorough researching skills
Not everything you read will be true, and not everything people say online is accurate. You need to be able to weed out the truth and stay on top of what is correct. For example, if you sell a product or service that’s connected with any government laws or has certain protections, it’s very important you stay up to date and in the know about what is happening next and how that may affect your business.
Finding B2B Jobs
Like most jobs nowadays, you’re going to need to apply to get noticed by potential employers. Having a strong, tailor-made CV for each role you are applying for will make a great first impression on whoever is reading your file. Make sure you’ve read the ad thoroughly and have matching keywords from their description in your CV so they know you have done your homework.
Alternatively, you can:
Network
The old school bread-and-butter of making connections. These are your social events, conventions, and online meet and greets. Networking has even extended into social media now with LinkedIn and Instagram suggesting new people to follow and connect with. Just be mindful of what your goal is in each interaction and how you might go about having a conversation with this new person. You might not want to request to follow a potential executive on Instagram if you’re posting on your story about the raging party you went to last night. Additionally, find some common ground and have a real conversation with this person before saying you want something. There is a fine line between respectful small talk and wasting someone’s time, and a good salesperson will know how to walk it.
Research
Staying up to date on the industry or even the specific companies you want to work for can pay dividends for your career. For example, if a new company is opening up a new product line or is moving into new locations, they might need a few new hands on deck to make sure it all runs smoothly. Enter, you. This inside knowledge will not only help your application but will also show you have a vested interest in the company, rather than just joining the team to make a buck.
Get Qualified
If you’re a brand new salesperson, it can be difficult to be seen as a potential coworker or even feel like you have the right to sell with other tried and true salespeople. There are countless courses online, with focuses on B2B sales, that can teach you everything you need to know before getting your hands dirty with the real thing. A few places you can start with are OpenMIT, Coursera, and OpenSAP. Remember, these are great tools to learn the principles of sales, but there is no actionable substitute for going out and doing the job itself. Use these sources to get yourself in the door, and then become the great B2B salesperson you were meant to be.
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