MARKET VIEW 19
Dan Goodwin
SALES DIRECTOR
B2B Customer Acquisition: The role of human engagement in a world of digital-first enterprise marketing
The best way to understand a customer's needs is to have a conversation with them. But this doesn't have to be a salesperson.
How has sales teams' understanding of a customer's needs changed in recent years?
Customer-centred design should be able to tell us what our customers' needs are and how to present the correct information to them at the right time, giving them the power to make a decision without needing to have a conversation with a sales representative. But the reality doesn't often play out that simply - the best way to understand a customer's needs is to have a conversation with them. But this doesn't have to be a salesperson.
When a prospect is ready to have a conversation, they want to know they're talking to a subject matter expert. Whilst enterprise sales teams are very knowledgeable and can steer a conversation, they often don't have the same subject expertise as their internal colleagues. This is where a salesperson's opportunity to be a facilitator arises, bringing the right people into the conversation at the right time. A subject matter expert with a high level of relevancy and deep understanding of the buyer's daily professional life will help guide the buyer in a way that salespeople can't. When businesses can find ways of bringing their subject matter experts into sales conversations early on, they can build credibility with the buyer earlier in the sales journey and improve their chances of winning the sale.
The key to a great sales experience is always listening to your customers and buyers, whether physical or virtual.
Should businesses prioritise virtual or physical sales meetings?
Businesses that can't or won't offer a hybrid of virtual and physical sales meetings will suffer. Buyers now expect to be able to choose between virtual and physical sales meetings based on their preferences and needs; being able to offer this choice builds empathy and, ultimately, trust. It's no secret that building rapport over a video call is more challenging than in a physical meeting, particularly as you often miss out on those small talk moments before the meeting, but it's not impossible.
The key to a great sales experience is always listening to your customers and buyers, whether physical or virtual. Take time to really understand their problems and what motivates them so that, as a salesperson, you can support them with relevant content and introduce them to the aforementioned subject experts at the right time.
Sales and marketing should comprehensively understand which channels their customers engage with online, who they're listening to, and their decision-making process.
DAN GOODWIN
Sales Director BLUEFRUIT
What can marketing teams do to better support their sales colleagues?
Marketing teams should spend more time understanding what sales are doing. This will help them to provide content and insights that are relevant & valuable to their prospects. Enterprise firms will often commission third-party agencies to research what their customers look like, but this isn't always necessary. Sales teams are talking with customers every single day, learning about their pain points and what motivates them as buyers. By spending more time together and learning from each other, sales and marketing teams can become much smarter with their work. A simple way to start this process is for sales teams to keep a record of questions frequently asked in sales meetings. This can then be reviewed with marketing to establish common pain points across buyers and, therefore, what content needs to be produced as a result.
Together, sales and marketing should comprehensively understand which channels their customers engage with online, who they're listening to, and their decision-making process. When done correctly, this insight allows marketing teams to create content, such as thought leadership pieces, that they know will resonate with their target audience, provide value and ultimately establish the authenticity & credibility that sales teams need to have meaningful conversations.
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