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I always like to reflect on the year gone by. Here are some of what I learned from the year just gone:
1) The status quo is the biggest sales killer imaginable. During the year, I was selling a solution to B2B problem where B2B owners readily admitted to me that X was a big problem for them. But, they still did not budge in terms of buying. If you're selling something make sure you have techniques to "un-budge" prospects out of the status quo mindset. ( See, the marketing gurus out there sell us the idea that you have to educate prospects about their problem. However, in real-life, a lot of prospects ALREADY know they have a problem)
2) Exploit current events in B2B marketing. It works just as well in B2B as it does with B2C. If there is a big news story in an industry you're targeting and you have a solution related to the problem, move quickly because prospects are now 10x more receptive to your offer.
3) In B2B sales, timing is everything. I let one 10K deal slip under waves because I scheduled a sales presentation 2 weeks after the call. 2 weeks in most industries is a LONG time. The prospect cancelled. Strike when the iron is hot.
4) Short emails with a good value proposition are powerful. Send them to at least 2 people in the same organisation for maximum effect. This won me a nice couple of deals.
5) I finally cracked LinkedIn. At first, I was hesitant to write about content, which practically everyone I know sees. What if the stuff I'm writing is sh!t? What if it gets no likes? However, I cast these teenage girl thoughts aside. My posts thankfully got loads of stupid "likes" and got over the hump in the road. Now, I have developed a 6th sense for posts that will work or not on LinkedIn. However, LinkedIn can be a massive time suck. So, I use it sparingly.
6) Sales discovery calls are an art form rather than a science. You have to strip away 2-3 layers before you get to the real problem as to why they called you. I did this for the first time in my life during sales discovery calls, and it was totally eye-opening. Please remember that the checklist approach to prospect questioning does NOT - you will scratch the surface but that's about it.
7) Drop the "professional business-person facade" during sales calls. Really, it does more harm than good. Because prospects won't open up to you. This whole thing about "being a professional" - take it with a large pinch of sale because it can backfire badly.
8) Done is better than perfect -This mindset is liberating. It allows you to move fast. The "perfection" mindset means projects can take twice as long, and your clients don't necessarily value perfection either. They, too, are trying to get a job done (that does not necessarily have to be perfect).
9) Experiment as much as you can—You will learn so much. If Experiment #4 does not work, the lessons from previous experiments will make Experiment #5 a winning tactic. You learn so much from failure.
10) Do Content Marketing right—Content marketing is so much more than writing, "Here is your problem, here is our solution." Do that way, and you'll probably fail. There is a formula that needs to be followed. And if you think "content marketing" is a waste of time, well, just consider the statistics that "50% of B2B buyers" have already researched you before they've called you. And on that note, happy 2025, and remember never stop learning.
BONUS TIP:
If you're doing sales in 2025, use an automated email follow-up sequence. Unless you have a staff, following up on sales conversations will take too long when there are other prospects out there. Using tracking technology, you can gauge interest and the prospect who has opened up your email 9-10 times is worth MANUALLY following up on!
1) The status quo is the biggest sales killer imaginable. During the year, I was selling a solution to B2B problem where B2B owners readily admitted to me that X was a big problem for them. But, they still did not budge in terms of buying. If you're selling something make sure you have techniques to "un-budge" prospects out of the status quo mindset. ( See, the marketing gurus out there sell us the idea that you have to educate prospects about their problem. However, in real-life, a lot of prospects ALREADY know they have a problem)
2) Exploit current events in B2B marketing. It works just as well in B2B as it does with B2C. If there is a big news story in an industry you're targeting and you have a solution related to the problem, move quickly because prospects are now 10x more receptive to your offer.
3) In B2B sales, timing is everything. I let one 10K deal slip under waves because I scheduled a sales presentation 2 weeks after the call. 2 weeks in most industries is a LONG time. The prospect cancelled. Strike when the iron is hot.
4) Short emails with a good value proposition are powerful. Send them to at least 2 people in the same organisation for maximum effect. This won me a nice couple of deals.
5) I finally cracked LinkedIn. At first, I was hesitant to write about content, which practically everyone I know sees. What if the stuff I'm writing is sh!t? What if it gets no likes? However, I cast these teenage girl thoughts aside. My posts thankfully got loads of stupid "likes" and got over the hump in the road. Now, I have developed a 6th sense for posts that will work or not on LinkedIn. However, LinkedIn can be a massive time suck. So, I use it sparingly.
6) Sales discovery calls are an art form rather than a science. You have to strip away 2-3 layers before you get to the real problem as to why they called you. I did this for the first time in my life during sales discovery calls, and it was totally eye-opening. Please remember that the checklist approach to prospect questioning does NOT - you will scratch the surface but that's about it.
7) Drop the "professional business-person facade" during sales calls. Really, it does more harm than good. Because prospects won't open up to you. This whole thing about "being a professional" - take it with a large pinch of sale because it can backfire badly.
8) Done is better than perfect -This mindset is liberating. It allows you to move fast. The "perfection" mindset means projects can take twice as long, and your clients don't necessarily value perfection either. They, too, are trying to get a job done (that does not necessarily have to be perfect).
9) Experiment as much as you can—You will learn so much. If Experiment #4 does not work, the lessons from previous experiments will make Experiment #5 a winning tactic. You learn so much from failure.
10) Do Content Marketing right—Content marketing is so much more than writing, "Here is your problem, here is our solution." Do that way, and you'll probably fail. There is a formula that needs to be followed. And if you think "content marketing" is a waste of time, well, just consider the statistics that "50% of B2B buyers" have already researched you before they've called you. And on that note, happy 2025, and remember never stop learning.
BONUS TIP:
If you're doing sales in 2025, use an automated email follow-up sequence. Unless you have a staff, following up on sales conversations will take too long when there are other prospects out there. Using tracking technology, you can gauge interest and the prospect who has opened up your email 9-10 times is worth MANUALLY following up on!
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