BY Tim Londergan
As Market Research Director for a leading network-affiliated television station, I tagged along with account executives on sales calls. This was an effective sales strategy, as the sellers would present me to their prospects as a useful resource. To win their ad dollars, I would share proprietary, local market research specific to the advertiser’s category of business.
Without obligation, we would formally invite select clients to participate in questionnaire design for our annual survey. Strategically, this inserted us into their data gathering process and established trust and credibility. By design, I became an integral part of the advertiser’s marketing team.
This innovative strategy assured that the station’s sellers were in-step with the advertiser’s buying process.
Alignment With Your Customer is an Effective Sales Strategy
B2B sales are complex. Consequently, the path of the seller and that of the buyer are rarely in alignment. As seller, your well-intentioned goals do not always sync with your buyer’s timing or strategy.
Therefore, it’s essential for you to question whether your sales process is aligned with your potential customer’s purchase decisions. According to Toyna Chin, writing for Forbes’ Communications Council, you should ask:
- Who are the players on the decision-making team and what are their priorities and concerns?
- What are the primary ROI and financial concerns?
- Where are the team members in their decision process?
- When will the various stages of decisions be completed?
- How can I insert myself most effectively?
Seeking Long-Term Relationships is an Effective Sales Strategy
It’s well known that it takes time to build trust and credibility. In high-stakes transactions clients are risk-averse. They demand their partners demonstrate reliability and a deep understanding of their company’s challenges.
The four-legged sales calls described above were all about engaging the customer and providing content. By extension, this effective sales strategy led to multiple points of contact with the client. As a result, proposals were well-reasoned, insightful and aligned with the client’s goals.
The advertiser’s campaigns showed measurable gains, and our relationships thrived and strengthened over time. This effective sales strategy assured alignment with the station’s goals and those of the buyer.
Alignment Will Shorten the Sales Cycle
Forbes contributor Chin notes that when the seller’s and buyer’s journeys are aligned actions are accelerated. Whether in the consideration stage or the decision stage, consensus of mutual purpose makes the process flow. Think about how you can facilitate the process:
- Deliver targeted content to address specific pain points
- Offer personalized demos or free trials
- Provide case studies and testimonials relevant to the buyer’s challenges
- Provide access to technical experts for in-depth discussion
- Suggest peer-to-peer connections with existing customers
Buyers Evolve, and So Must You
To ensure success, buyers are constantly evaluating their past purchases and searching for improvement. Consequently, in your customer’s mind, yesterday’s perceived value of your product may have diminished. But, how would you know?
Christine Crandell heads a customer alignment consulting firm and knows how to stay aligned with buyer behavior. The article details how buyers are researching and intensely evaluating products independent of your input. When they ultimately reach out to you, they may simply be seeking validation of their foregone conclusions.
Is this fair? – Hardly. Is it real? – Likely.
Syncing With the Buyer is Essential
Your competitors have the same challenge. And, just as in Olympic competition, winners edge out their opponents by the slimmest margins. How will you train for success?
So, look at your website, check your LinkedIn profile and be objective about your presentations. How do you stack up?
Syncing your selling process with your buyer’s purchase journey is crucial. Aligning your approach with the buyer’s journey is the most effective sales strategy for today’s competitive environment.
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