If you want to increase B2B sales, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve. That means adopting modern technological tools, becoming aware of the latest trends, and focusing on outcompeting your rivals whenever possible. This is a realm that evolves quickly and sometimes unexpectedly, so what steps can you take to make sure your B2B sales team is always up to date?
The Value of Staying Up-to-Date in B2B Sales
B2B sales trends are always evolving. The tactics that worked in the 1990s may share some similarities with today’s tactics, but they’re also fundamentally different in some key ways. Over the years, these businesses have adapted to new technologies and cultural changes that have rendered older strategies either obsolete or outclassed.
Ultimately, staying up to date in B2B sales is about:
- Reaching more people. With better technologies and strategies, you’ll be able to reach more people and reach them more effectively.
- Reducing costs. You may also be able to reduce costs, focusing your time and energy on the strategies that matter most while eliminating unnecessary waste. This is especially powerful when using technologies like automation.
- Connecting with greater relevance. New and improved B2B sales strategies often focus on connecting to prospects with greater relevance. When you engage with the right people in the right ways, it’s much easier to close the deal.
- Outcompeting rivals. Staying ahead of the B2B sales trend curve means you’ll have a key competitive advantage. If you’re more adaptable and more future-focused than your top rivals, you should have no trouble generating more revenue.
Key Areas to Observe
So, how do you hear about these new B2B sales trends? Or how do you figure them out on your own?
These are the key areas to observe:
- Technologies. One of the most obvious factors sparking change in the sales world is the development and distribution of new technologies. As a simple example, try to imagine a business that never heard of or adopted email; this is a difficult exercise, since email is so ubiquitous, but there are similarly powerful, disruptive technologies being neglected by B2B salespeople around the world. It’s prudent, and arguably essential to become aware of the latest and greatest B2B sales technology consistently.
- Demographic trends. You also need to focus your attention on key demographic trends. B2B salespeople typically focus on one or more demographic niches, and their results depend on their understanding of those niches. If there’s a fundamental change in the buying power, attitude, or values of your target demographics, you need to be aware of it.
- New messaging strategies.Messaging strategies from the 1950s are practically unrecognizable in the context of modern marketing. Modern messages are snappier, more concise, and arguably more creative due to competitive pressure. But messaging strategies are still evolving, and it’s on you to evolve with them.
- Competitor actions. You should also be aware of the actions undertaken by your competitors. If all your rivals in the industry have adopted a new, effective approach, you could lag behind if you don’t adopt it as well – or at least learn from it.
How to Stay Up-to-Date in the B2B Sales World
These strategies can help you stay up-to-date in the B2B sales world:
- Read/follow key influential parties. The easiest thing to do is to follow and regularly read or listen to key influential parties in B2B sales. Find bloggers, social media influencers, video content producers, and other authorities that you genuinely like and respect. Even if you only tune in once a week, you’ll probably learn something new.
- Attend conferences and seminars. Similarly, it’s a good idea to attend conferences and seminars on B2B sales. It’s a great place to learn new technologies and tactics, while simultaneously meeting like minded people and exchanging information.
- Observe competitors. Pay close attention to the marketing and sales tactics of your competitors. You shouldn’t necessarily copy them, but you can at least learn something from them.
- Conduct surveys. Conduct surveys with prospects and leads to gain a better understanding of how they’re receiving your materials. Can you attribute lost sales to an underdeveloped area of your current strategy?
- Utilize experiments. Structured experimentslike AB testing make it easy to evaluate the effectiveness of potential new strategies. If you experiment more consistently, and analyze the data, you should have no trouble formulating hypotheses about which tactics are best.
B2B sales can be tough, but it’s even tougher if you’re using antiquated strategies that most of your competitors abandoned long ago. If you want to stay ahead of the competitive curve and cater to your best prospects more effectively, it’s important for you to take measures to stay informed on the most recent developments.
