Five tips for effective business and marketing in B2B
Any company that targets corporate customers knows well that when it comes to sales and marketing, the B2B environment is very different from the retail (B2C) environment. How can you effectively find future clients in the B2B segment?
In this article, we discuss five things that have worked for us and our business partners.
1. Know your customers
It may sound like a worn-out cliché, but a key factor in sales and marketing in B2B is a clearly defined target group .
Do you know who you want to reach? If your answer is “all”, there is probably a mistake somewhere. (Unless, for example, you are an electricity producer with a nationwide scope.)
The set of your potential customers can be determined by the size of the given company (turnover, number of employees), its field or region, where it operates. Name it in as much detail as possible.
Be clear about who all enters the decision-making process , what is important to these people and what you can offer them.
2. Personalize
This point is closely related to the previous point. The managers of individual companies rightly expect that you will not just “cast your nets” in an unaddressed way, but that you will approach them with a precisely targeted offer that corresponds to their specific needs.
You probably won’t dazzle competent managers with decision-making powers with a one-time 10 percent discount or a 2 + 1 free promotion.
Companies are often looking for a reliable partner for long-term cooperation. They care about quality , reliability , customer support and often speed delivery. They do not make decisions emotionally, but rationally and strategically.
3. Build relationships
Business customers are generally more skeptical and cautious when making purchasing decisions than end consumers. A successful deal in a B2B environment is therefore often preceded by a process of building trust.
It is therefore worth investing in relationships – for example, by offering potential clients valuable content , non-binding consultations , part of your know-how .
The result of good relations can be not only long-term cooperation and repeated orders, but also the fact that a satisfied client will be happy to recommend you to his other business partners.
4. Offer solutions
“Don’t offer a product, but a solution.” You must have heard this lesson more than once. It is repeated because it works – especially in the B2B segment.
The products that companies buy are only a way to a solution for them of a particular problem or need. And if a product or service solves a given problem or need efficiently and effectively, they are often willing to pay a higher price for it.
Do you want to succeed? Show how your product responds to needs of the future customer. Show what concrete will bring him.
5. Outsource
The previous four tips may not have sounded complicated. But the truth is that the business process in the B2B segment is becoming more and more demanding.
And it’s not just competition. Business customers today have access to tremendous amount of information. Thanks to this, they often have a clear idea of what they want and under what conditions even before the meeting itself. This narrows the room for maneuver for traders.
Many companies therefore leave the search for business opportunities and sometimes the acquisition of future clients to reliable external partners. Thanks to outsourcing, they can focus on the core of their business.
Would you invest 15 minutes to grow your business?
With Intedat, you can reliably acquire new customers in the Czech Republic and around the world. During a non-binding meeting, we will be happy to explain how our solution works.
