When B2B Sales Decisions Are First Made

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In the days before the internet, sales people had an important role in educating clients on what type of solution they should make in their new products or services.  The sales people that were the subject matter experts stood out as the ones that were “in the know” and the most trustworthy.  The decisions company’s made came after learning from the various sales people they invited into their office.   

Those days are gone.

Now, businesses look online for insight in to how to solve the possible challenges facing their organizations.  They search Google, read reviews, ask their friends, read consumer reports, compare pricing and their many options on places like Amazon.  The sales person is the last person they would ask for advice.  

You can relate, can’t you?  When is the last time you bought a car?  Did you just walk onto every car lot and ask for their advice?  No way!  You did tons of research first.  I bet you even knew the estimated price and monthly payment of your options before meeting your first sales person.  

The fact is, that consumers and businesses alike have already made their decision before engaging a sales person.  

This was validated from the research book, The Challenger Sale, that came out in 2012.  The book explored how business to business sales had changed after the economy crashed in 2008.  One of the revelations was that organizations have gone through 57% of the sales process before engaging a sales person.  That’s pretty far along! 

You Have Two Choices To Survive In The B2B Selling Environment

Choice #1 Get Better At Selling Value

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Keep in mind this takes time and typically the top sales performers will dominate this space.  If you are relying on “leads” to change your world, you better be able to close them with the thought in mind that the customer has already made their decision, and you are a part of their “price” shopping game.  

The best sales people will be the ones who dive into why and how they came up with their decision and potentially change their beliefs on why these options are the right choice for them.    No matter what, it’s a difficult game to win with profit and more commissions in your pocket. 

Choice #2 Find These Clients Before They Realize They Have A Problem

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Your other option is to find these clients before they realize they have a challenge or roadblock getting in the way of them being successful. That comes from being a great prospector.  

If you can find these opportunities early, you will have time to go through that entire process with the client, building value along the way.  This is why cold calling is more important than ever. 

Summary of When B2B Decisions Are First Made

This is the world we are in, believe it or not.  You must never stop prospecting because you are one prospect away from a life changing sale.  

These tend to be the sales that you are involved with from the very beginning.  

Learn more techniques on how to find accounts effectively through the cold calling strategies inside of our Modern Sales Academy.

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