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OVERCOMING THE TOP 7 B2B SALES CHALLENGES FACED BY SALESPEOPLE IN 2021

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The outbreak of the coronavirus has changed the very fabric of the world. Social, economic, and industrial structures have been disrupted across the board.

According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the global economy could shrink by 1% this year, counteracting a previous prediction of a 2.5% growth.

B2B sales depend on interpersonal interactions, which have been hampered due to COVID-19. The pandemic’s wide-ranging ramifications have upset the balance of the entire B2B sector. Now that the recession is here, businesses are looking to cut spending to alleviate total losses, avoid layoffs, and remain open.

While there are many challenges to overcome in 2021, B2B buying will not stop completely. It is especially important now to strategize in order to overcome these sales obstacles in order to rise above the competition.

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Post-Pandemic Downturn in Global Economy

The current situation has left many questions about how regular sales practices and issues will adapt with the times. Salespeople usually have a long list of challenges to rise above, and it seems to be growing. Competition is widespread, and it is increasingly difficult to convey a compelling story that resonates with customers.

How to overcome:

Move from hard-selling to counseling.

In order to keep pace with evolving

consumer expectations, sales

representatives have to find ways to

connect with their customers on their

preferred channels, all while

maintaining an authentic and helpful

approach. Successful salespersons are

starting to move away from orthodox

hard-sell tactics and shifting into the

role of a ‘trusted advisor.’

CHALLENGE #1

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Generating High-Quality Leads

A consistent challenge for most businesses is finding qualified leads. We’ve all heard the phrase “quality over quantity,” and it applies when looking for leads that are going to accelerate business. As a salesperson, you want to ensure that you have highly qualified leads to avoid wasting anyone’s time, including your own!

CHALLENGE #2

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How to Overcome:1. Invest in content marketing.Your content is everything. This is where you can build authority and show your expertise in the industry. Content marketing can produce high quality leads when you push the right content at the right time throughout the sales cycle.

Examples of this include: sharing consumer-generated images to attract attention to your brand for the top of the funnel customer, writing and posting detailed blog posts for the middle of the funnel customers, and constructing detailed case studies for the bottom funnel.

2. Utilize Email Marketing. Email marketing allows you to easily gain the attention of potential buyers. It not only allows you to make a connection but also reminds them of your product and how it can be helpful to them. Most of all, it can also help you get more referrals from others which is the best lead of all.

Steps to help make this happen: ● Sign up with an email marketing

platform like Zoho to help with automated messages.

● Come up with an irresistible lead magnet that makes website visitors want to sign up.

● Send emails that keep the relationship alive by providing subscribers with value in every message.

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Low Connection Ratio with Decision Makers

Sure, obtaining high quality leads is a step in the right direction. However, it’s not going to get you anywhere if you can’t find the right decision maker in a potential client’s organization. You have to make sure you’re knocking on the right doors for more doors to open when converting a lead. This way the gatekeepers will open the door for you.

How to overcome:

1. Use company hierarchies. This is an easy way to get past the gatekeepers. Equip your reps with organizational mappings so that they know who needs to be targeted. This helps your team work their way up to get to those decision makers.

2. LinkedIn. Mutual connections go a long way on LinkedIn. This builds a sense of confidence in the clients mind about your product and it can speed up sales.

3. Build a rapport with gatekeepers. Rather than seeing them as only an obstacle in your way, train your team to treat the gatekeepers as an extension of the decision makers. If your team can build relationships with them in a sincere way, it makes things like obtaining appointments and additional information about the potential organization much easier to obtain. That newfound information can be the icing on the cake for making a powerful sales pitch.

CHALLENGE #3

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Not Enough Response from Prospects

According to the Online Marketing Institute, it takes 7 to 13, or even more, touches to get the first meeting with new prospects. Salespeople often give up after just a couple tries and fail to remember that people need soft nudges towards a sale at every interaction or you may never hear back. A single email or phone call is not always enough to grab the attention of potential customers.

CHALLENGE #4

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How to Overcome:1. Personalize your emails. This shows how much

the prospect’s attention means to you and therefore will improve your click rate. Personalized emails also improve customer experience by sending the right connection to the right people at the right time.

2. Delivering that content at the right time. This is so important as it helps prospects feel confident about your product. Providing your prospects with valuable information at the right stage in their buyer’s journey will shorten the sales cycle and increase closing rates.

3. Identify a “hinge”. This is a particular issue specific to the prospect’s company that can help initiate conversation. After identifying the hinge, reps can suggest a course of action that is aligned with the solution’s capabilities. This approach should result in the customer reaching the conclusion that your solution is right for them, and requesting an appointment.

4. Use appointment-scheduling tools. Top salespeople make it easy for the prospect to schedule a meeting that fits their calendar. Luckily, in the digital age, we have lots of options for inserting calendar links in emails or on websites that let a prospect book an appointment slot after seeing what is available. This gives the client the ability to book their own time while decreasing the amount of back-and-forth that usually comes with scheduling an appointment.

5. Follow up with prospects. Once the appointment is booked, this does not mean you get to slack off. Following up means your prospect can’t forget when the appointment is coming. Always try to follow up with new information and exciting developments. You want to be a resource to them, not just a vendor.

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Objection Handling

Part of sales is facing rejection on a regular basis. No matter how much you prepare for it, hearing “no” can certainly take its toll.

How to overcome:

1. Listen and acknowledge customer issues. You must always listen to the prospect and make sure they know you are listening as well. Repeat their concerns back to them so they know you understand. Also, be empathetic. This will win their trust and give you the chance to find a solution quickly.

2. Explore causes. After acknowledging the issues, try to explore the reasons for the difficulties and come up with a plan to solve them. Insert previously used cases of the solution that worked for clients facing similar issues.

3. Prepare informed responses. Make sure your responses have practical use to the prospect. Be honest and let them know ways your product can help. Always use facts and share any reviews or past client testimonials to add to your resolutions.

CHALLENGE #5

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Low Sales Efficiency

Improving performance and sales productivity has always been a major challenge. On average, a salesperson spends only 33% of their time doing active selling. Thus, the challenge of optimizing productivity can be a tall order considering the number of distractions and other tasks that take away from actual selling.

How to overcome:

1. Embrace sales tools. Sales tools like Zoho CRM can help businesses improve sales productivity by leaving repetitive tasks to the technology. This will reduce time that is spent on redundancies and free up the reps to focus on what they do best.

2. Create an effective onboarding and training plan. Even the best onboarding program won't produce if you don't have an effective ongoing plan. Effective plans bring tons of benefits like reducing ramp up time by a third while on the other hand, can give rise to an increase in net sales per person by 50%.

CHALLENGE #6

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Differentiating from CompetitorsWith more and more options at our fingertips, an organization's success depends a lot on how they differ from competitors. An easy way to set your company apart is by building concrete relationships. You have to ensure that you are interacting with stakeholders through either social media, inbound marketing or direct contact. Always position yourself as an expert who is ready to help.

How to overcome:

1. Track each touchpoint as a potential differentiator. Building meaningful relationships doesn’t happen overnight. You must ensure that there is steady communication with customers on all touchpoints.

2. Provide a personalized sales experience. Treat them like more than a customer. The more you are willing to advise them rather than just sell them, the more convincing you are. This makes it easier for you to gain their trust which leads to a much easier close at the end of the sale.

3. Match content with B2B buyer journey. With more and more competition as there is an abundance of options, the more time it takes to evaluate trade-off. This can slow the purchasing process. Therefore, map out your buyer’s journey and identify the needs at each stage to supplement with the right information at each touchpoint.

CHALLENGE #7

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Every year brings new challenges. 2021 will surely have its own as we continue to combat the pandemic by finding new ways to ensure our existing relationships stay intact as well as create new ones that can guide us to future sales.

The one thing that matters most is that regardless of the current situation, sales will not stop all together.

There is still a market full of potential buyers and following this list can lead to a much better chance at closing those deals and hitting your new year’s goals.

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