BY Jessica Helinski
A new year is coming soon, and with it, new sales opportunities. A recent infographic revealed what B2B sellers need to focus on to make it big in 2019. RAIN Group Vice President Erica Stritch shares an infographic that showcases what buyers want and how they buy. “Seventy-five percent of purchases are strategic, meaning the buyer is making an investment and not required to buy,” she writes. “Yet only 14% of buyers discover these strategic opportunities from sellers.” Stritch shares five sales areas to focus on next year to better capture those major opportunities.
One is to implement a value-based selling philosophy. You need to show buyers value: Value in what you are selling, valuable communication from you, and valuable meetings. You can do this by giving sellers what they want from buyers, which is:
To connect
- with them personally
- the dots between needs and solutions
Convince them that
- the seller is the best choice
- the solution will yield maximum ROI
- there is minimum risk
Collaborate by
- working well together
- bringing new insights and ideas
Another important strategy is to focus on growing existing accounts. While most companies believe there is major opportunity to do so, few actually capitalize on this opportunity. In a study, RAIN Group found that the top differentiator between top salespeople and average sellers is the ability to maximize sales from existing clients. One way to boost your success in this area is to pick up the phone. Seventy-seven percent of top performers say making phone calls to existing customers is the most effective prospecting tactic.
Check out RAIN’s complete infographic for all of their suggestions. The new year is a perfect time to rethink your strategy and capture those opportunities you missed in the past.