A career in B2B sales, also known as business-to-business sales, can be an exciting and rewarding path, but may as well turn out to be a tough field to succeed in.
While there are skills that you can learn to improve your B2B sales pitch, there’s more to it than that. In this article, we’ll share some must-know tips from our sales team that you can use to build a successful career in B2B sales!
Tip #1: Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
“For me, the biggest key to becoming successful in sales is consistency.”
– Katariina, Sales Manager, Finland
It’s no secret that the path towards a successful career in any field will require consistency. But what does that mean in sales?
Basically, you need to focus on the things that you’re good at and keep doing that!
A big mistake that you can make in B2B sales is to overcomplicate your process or obsess with perfecting each step of the sales, which often leads to a lacklustre sales performance.
By focusing on the things that you’re good at, that will help you get the results that you want and be better at B2B sales.
Tip #2: Being Personable Is Important
Personality goes a long way in B2B sales. Even if charisma is not the most essential ingredient in closing sales, it definitely helps get customers in the door.
When you aproach a potential client, let them see you as a friend and as an expert who’s giving real strategic advice to them, instead of forcing your solutions/products to them.
“To seal the deal, the client must first like YOU, then your organization, and finally your product/solution. Use your personality, people buy from people, not from organizations.”
– Nick, Sales Manager, Amsterdam
Remember, companies will be more interested in investing in you when you appear genuinely interested in helping them. So, don’t forget to practice that smile!
Tip #3: Closing Is All About Mindset
“My advice is that you should always carry a can-do attitude, take it as your passion and possess an ability to ask the right questions at the right time!”
– Talal, Head of Business, Kuala Lumpur
When you’re in a face-to-face sales pitch, your mindset will have an effect on the outcome. If you’re confident (or at least pretend to be) and believe that your interaction creates value, it will reflect on your results.
As such, having a “winner’s mindset” can be a powerful tool in a salesperson’s arsenal. Before you even talk or step into a meeting with a potential client, make sure you’re in the right mindset to secure that sales deal!
“Closing isn’t just one separate part at the end of the meeting. You have to start creating the right mind-set for the client already before the meeting.”
– Jenni, Sales Manager & Head Trainer, European Sales Onboarding
Tip #4: “No” Is Not The End
The word that every salesperson dread: NO.
Rejections can be a tough pill to swallow, but here’s the thing, just because they gave you a “No”, it doesn’t mean that’s the end of your journey. You still have some work to do!
“Don’t be afraid of a ‘no’! Pick up the phone and talk to your customers, they’re just humans.”
– Andreas, Sales Manager, Munich
When dealing with rejection, the first thing you need to accept is that “No” is normal and in most industries, only 25% of leads become sales. Instead of giving up, try the following steps to overcome the objection:
- Listen to the objection
- Understand the objection
- Respond to the best of your ability
- Make sure you’ve satisfied the objection
“Of course, it is also amazing to hear success stories from all our partners, it always makes me smile when we send the champagne bottle to congratulate them on making the deal.”
– Katariina, Sales Manager, Finland
Changing that “No” into a “Yes” is a rewarding part of B2B sales and a common tradition within our teams is to congratulate our partners when through our events they close new clients.
Tip #5: Surround Yourself With Winners
If you grew up playing any team sport, you know that a good team is important. The same applies when it comes to a sales team and company.
“There are many rewarding parts in my job, and most rewarding for me is to work with my colleagues – many of them have become my best friends.”
– Jenni, Sales Manager & Head Trainer, European Sales Onboarding
A good sales team will push you to be better and achieve results, and they also provide you all the necessary tools you need to succeed in your B2B sales careers such as positive attitude, mutual support, comprehensive training, and internal mentorship.
Remember, a career in B2B sales is a team effort and joining a team that can propel you to success is equally important as your sales skills!
To have a successful career in B2B sales is not easy and requires a lot of specialized skills. However, if you want to make the odds favourable, keep our 5 tips in mind and you’ll end up with a rewarding and exciting career path!