How to Humanize B2B Marketing and Sales Conversations

Conversations Every Business Owner has with Their Marketing and Sales Team Series

Today’s question is, “What guidance do you give your marketing and sales team on how to humanize what you sell, especially in a B2B environment?”

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What you sell is stuff – it’s tangible and intangible products and services providing functionality, knowhow, speed, convenience, labor, compliance, feel good and confidence.  What they buy is you and your company’s promise to deliver on-time, to spec, on budget and wow – every time. 

The overarching premise is that you are having a conversation with a person in a company.  Yes, prioritize the person in the B2B environment.  The key to humanizing the discussion is to go beyond logic that gets them thinking and rationalizing and to personal emotion that gets them acting. 

Here are 7 tips get your marketing and sales team focused on humanizing your offering…

1.  Be Human:  Engage authentically, be genuine, show competence, as well as, vulnerability and character

2.  Tell a Story:  People listen to stories especially ones where they can see themselves participating.  Give them a beginning, middle and end with the point on how they benefit

3.  Site Relevant Statistics/Facts:  Research the evidence that describes their problems, the implications and how it doesn’t need to be that way.  You have a solution

4.  Ask your audience what’s important via conversations, interviews and surveys.  Ask what’s their #1 obstacle interfering with their productivity and profitability is it Time, Team, Money and/or Systems?  Why that one?  What would they do to overcome this obstacle?  Dig deep and don’t assume the answer.  They must acknowledge and express the discomfort and only then, can they decide to change 

5.  Show Social Proof:   Capture and document your customer Advocates and Raving Fans doing your selling for you.  “If I got these benefits so can you.”  If you say it, it may be true or not.  If they hear if from other’s it more credible

6.  Be news worthy:  Create events where the media wants to publicize it    

7.  Assure them they are not alone and you’re not going to judge them.  Demonstrate you hear, understand and appreciate their situation

To accelerate implementing how to humanize what you sell in a B2B environment, let’s talk.  I offer a complementary marketing and sales assessment.  And you’ll learn how to sell more by humanizing your marketing and sales conversations vs. competing on price and features.    Let’s get started…

Call 972 709 6776 or Email:  StephenMarino@ActionCOACH.com 

Entrepreneurs Find Happiness When Can They Take the Initiative

Business owners how much of your time is spent reacting, responding and/or initiating revenue generating activities?  

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If the answer was too much reacting, some responding and very little initiating then I can probably surmise productivity and profitability are negatively impacted.  

When you’re reacting too much...you’re consumed with the day-to-day events attempting to make the sale, make the product and make the delivery to develop a solid business base.  You work hard because the systems and people are not capable without you.  Thus, you’re the limiting factor to your growth.  

Assuming you’re able of responding because you’ve gained experience and productivity to deliver, your time is consumed because it’s labor intensive.  Again, you're limiting growth.

It’s only after you have customers, systems and team delivering can you initiate actions to grow predictably.  At this point, you have choices because you’re earning money and you have control of your time.  In essence, it's only when you can take the initiative are you feeling happy.    

Happiness = Initiative

If you’re feeling too much of your time is spent reacting and responding resulting in stagnated growth then let’s have a conversation on how to gain back the initiative. You deserve it. Let's get started...

Call me at ph: 972 709 6776 or eM: StephenMarino@ActionCOACH.com

How to Reduce Sales Cycle 25%...

How familiar is this sales scenario?  After numerous attempts you’ve finally scheduled an appointment with a new prospective customer.  You arrive and after the small talk you’re asked to tell them what you do for them.  Which you eagerly commence your spiel, they look attentive and after 15 minutes they interrupt, indicating they have another meeting to attend.  "Please leave your product brochures," they say and "I’ll get back to you."  

So where do you stand?  Your initial good feeling vanished and left uncertain about follow-up.   Basically, you could have sent a brochure to accomplish the same outcome.  If you’ve experienced this scenario too many times here’s a way to change that.

The salesmans primary objective is to have a prospective customer commit to the next step in the sales process.  Yes, you have objectives to qualify the customer.  But what’s the commitment objective from the customer?  You want them to have that eager want and commitment to have a needs analysis, participation of decision makers and receptivity of a proposal.  Thus your sales process needs specific customer commitments made all along the way.  The benefit is sales productivity.  

Here’s how to focus your sales process by having specific commitments from the customer:

If you're seeking to reduce your sales cycle significantly then let's have the discussion that will make you more productive.  This is one of the things ActionCOACH's do...improve sales and productivity.  

Call me, I'll help you.  Ph:  972 709 6776 or eM:  StephenMarino@ActionCOACH.com

3 Questions That Reveal What's Important & Urgent to the Business Owners You Serve...

Here's the situation...you're talking to a business owner and have this conversation.  "Well, how's business?"  Answer - "Fine."  It's tough to go far with that answer.  Or do you ask the often repeated, very obnoxious, personally intrusive and never honestly answered, "What keeps you up at night?"  And receive the look stating, "It's none of your business what keeps me up at night."  Not much progress there either.

Here are three questions that spark a meaningful conversation and determine how you can help them best.  The questions are open ended and allow the business owner to share insights on what's affecting them. 

1.  What's the #1 job that needs being done in your business - is it in marketing, sales, operations or team development?

2.  What's your next big project - in operations, marketing, sales or team?

3.  What's you #1 priority in the coming quarter - is it in operations, marketing, sales or team development?

The questions are short and end with specific but broad areas to focus their thinking.  Phrase the question so that their answer is in your area of interest.  So if you're an accountant - you may suggest areas about tax, bookkeeping or management information.  A manufacturing representative mentions inventory, quality, speed, price, efficiency, effectiveness, etc.  You're seeking to understand and appreciate their answers with follow-up questions like these.

I.  Why that one?

2.  Is that important to you?  Why?

3.  What are the consequences of not having it?

4.  Does this concern you?  Why?

To the degree you show genuine interest by allowing them to talk vs. you selling, they'll reveal what's urgent and important and you'll earn the right to ask if they are open to solutions.

To learn more, let's have a conversation - at ph:  972 709 6776.

The Conversation Every Successful Business Owner has with Their Marketing & Sales Team

As a business owner or professional you’re competent and skilled in effectively and efficiently identifying the challenge and implementing solutions in your area of expertise.  But when it comes to the business-of-business especially around attracting and retaining customers/clients/patients we are often incapable of expressing more than, “We need more sales.”  

Ask your team to complete this matrix and have a discussion about it’s implications.  You're guaranteed to gain insights on faster growth.

Marketing & Sales Topics	Topic is Being Used   Yes/No	Rate Effectiveness on Scale of 1 to 5 high	Topic Should be Applied and is Not  Yes/No
Marketing Strategy
Social Networking / Social Media
Go-to-Market Strategy
Differentiation
In-Person Networking
Marketing Partnerships
Marketing Planning
Pricing
Lead Generation
Seminars & Workshops (Running and Promoting)
Lead Generation Process
Generating Referrals
Direct Mail
Tradeshows
Webinars (Running and Promoting)
Cold Calling
Lead Nurturing
Marketing Tactics
Online PR / Publicity
Email Marketing
Podcasting
Website Technology
Search Engine Marketing
Marketing Automation Technology
Client Relationship Management (i.e., client retention)
Targeting & Segmentation
Email Technology
CRM Technology
Website & Landing Page Development
Traditional PR / Publicity
Content Marketing
Blogging
Mobile Marketing
Brand Development
Brand Research
Advertising
Brand Implementation
Selling & Sales Process topics?
Value Proposition & Messaging
Sales Conversations
Overcoming Objections
Cross-Selling / Up-Selling
Warm Calling
Uncovering Needs
Sales Presentations
Sales Negotiation
Value-Based Selling
Sales Process / Pipeline Management
Proposal Writing
Client Relationship Management (CRM)
Client Retention and Loyalty
Client Satisfaction Measurement
Client Selection
Client Feedback
Referral Generation
Strategic Account Management
Thought Leadership
Creating Videos
Writing Articles
Book Publishing
Creating Newsletters
Writing a Blog
Speaking Engagements
Writing & Promoting White Papers

If after your discussion with your marketing and sales team, you are still seeking answers then let’s have a conversation so you can grow your company as fast and effectively as possible.  That’s what we do at ActionCOACH - Business Coaching...ph:  972 709 6776.  This is a complementary session.