This document provides 12 tips to help B2B sales teams prepare for success: 1) Focus on getting to know prospects as individuals to build relationships; 2) Listen to prospects to understand their problems and needs in order to add value; 3) Explain how your product or service will help prospects do their jobs better and achieve their goals; 4) Clearly tie your product or service benefits to specific business goals of prospects.

1. to Prepare Your
B2B Sales Team
for Success

2. B2B sales aren’t just about having leads,
nor are they just about having contacts.
The best B2B sales
teams understand the
value of creating and
fostering relationships
in order to build a
valuable sales pipeline.

3. Here are
any sales team member can
use to improve their success
by combining data with a
commitment to helping prospects
solve problems and achieve his or
her businesses’ goals.

4. The people you contact
aren’t just prospects.
They’re people.
What college did they attend?
What are their positions?
What are their hobbies?
Knowing your prospects is the first
step to making them customers.
TIP 1: FOCUS ON THE PROSPECT

5. When prospects describe their
problems, you need to listen to
understand how you can add value
for their companies and highlight
the ways your product will help
them achieve their goals.
TIP 2: LISTEN TO BUILD TRUST

6. Your product or service is designed to
solve a problem.
When you know what prospects struggle
with, you’re in a better position to appeal
to them. Working with you should help
them get a promotion and positively
change bottom line goals.
Tell them exactly how you can do that.
TIP 3: MAKE PROSPECTS
BETTER AT THEIR JOBS

7. Helping people succeed is the
fastest way to a deal.
When you understand their goals,
you can highlight the ways your
products or services help them
achieve those goals.
TIP 4: TIE PRODUCT OR SERVICE
TO BUSINESS GOALS

8. Since you’ve tied your pitch to your
prospect’s goals, you need to develop
a plan, complete with timeframes
and objectives, which illustrates
precisely how working with you
will lead to success.
TIP 5: HAVE A CLEAR
SUCCESS PLAN

9. Your prospects are hearing from
your competitors.
After an initial pitch, a defined,
tested follow-up plan keeps the
prospect engaged and moving
toward conversion.
TIP 6: HAVE A FOLLOW-UP PLAN

10. Don’t assume because you had a good
conversation over lunch that you’re
going to close the deal.
Stay active and keep prospects
engaged to advance relationships.
TIP 7: RELATIONSHIPS DON’T
CLOSE DEALS

11. Prospects want to hear from
more than just an account
manager or salesperson.
Know when each team member
is needed at which stage of the
process of closing the sale.
TIP 8: USE A TEAM APPROACH

12. This isn’t just about knowing the prospect.
You need to know more about what you’re selling
– and it’s more than just product features.
You need to be ready to answer every question.
What’s the ramp-up time like?
What’s your approach to customer service?
Are there common issues with
integration or installation?
What are the available payment options?
You need to be ready for it all.
TIP 9: BE PREPARED

13. Sales teams need to be aggressive,
but the risk of trying too hard is there,
as well.
Don’t push too hard with any product
or service pitch without understanding
what is likely to appeal to them –
and what may push them away.
TIP 10: DON’T BE TOO AGGRESSIVE
WITH A PITCH

14. Being straight forward is never a
bad thing. After you spend some
time working for the sale, ask for it.
Prospects know you want their
business, so, once you earn their
trust, ask for the order, too.
TIP 11: ASK FOR THE ORDER

15. Why did a prospect choose your
competitor?
If you miss a deal, gaining as
much information as possible
about the reason will help you
avoid mistakes in the future. Ask
the prospect to give you direct
feedback so you can learn from it.
TIP 12: LEARN FROM
FAILED DEALS

16. Every sale is a little different.
No technique is going to work for every
prospect, nor is a certain product feature
going to stand out to them all.
These 12 tips, though, will help your sales
team learn how to prepare and succeed in
every circumstance.

17. We all want leads in our
pipeline, but achieving sales
goals and business objectives
takes something more.
Watch this webinar to learn
how to identify qualified leads
and move them through your
sales pipeline quickly.