10 ways to decrease sales friction

Sales friction - A hurdle that companies around the world face everyday. Sales roadblocks are responsible for holding back potential revenue and often, they’re the result of things that can be easily changed.

But what exactly is B2B sales friction??

It's those hurdles and roadblocks that put a damper on the sales process, causing inefficiencies and missed opportunities. In this newsletter, we're going to delve into 10 reliable ways to decrease sales friction and turbocharge your business growth.

1. Get to Grips with B2B Sales Friction

To tackle sales friction head-on, it's crucial to get under the hood and understand what's causing the trouble in the first place. B2B sales friction can rear its head in various forms:

• Complex sales cycles
• Mismatched efforts of sales and marketing teams
• Lack-luster sales enablement
• Evolving customer objections

Once you've identified these hurdles, you can develop focused strategies to conquer them and ease the friction.

2. Pinpoint the Culprits of B2B Sales Friction

Take a deep dive into your sales process, customer interactions, and internal workflows. Seek out bottlenecks, gaps in communication, and trouble spots where friction loves to rear its ugly head. Armed with these valuable insights, you'll be ready to implement targeted solutions that kiss sales friction goodbye.

3. Lay the Groundwork for Solid B2B Sales

Start with crystal-clear definitions of your target audience. Who are they? What makes them tick? Developing buyer personae - you’ll hear these referred to as Ideal Customer Profiles or ICPs - gives you the inside scoop. And here's the secret sauce: aligning your sales and marketing strategies.

Run an Account-Based Marketing campaign to target those ICPs with messaging you know will resonate. By truly understanding your customers' pain points and preferences, you can fine-tune your sales approach to sync perfectly with their needs.

4. Smooth Sailing through a Streamlined Sales Process

Cut the clutter and streamline your sales process. Take a critical look at each step, weeding out any unnecessary hoops and hurdles. Embrace automation to tackle those repetitive tasks that suck up valuable time. And don't forget about those smooth handoffs between sales representatives.?

For example, a B2B manufacturing company could streamlined its sales process by:

• Implementing digital quoting
• integrating CRM with sales tools for automation
• Adopting a centralized project management tool for visibility
• Developing a comprehensive sales training program.?

A streamlined approach means they can focus on what really matters: building relationships and sealing the deal in record time.

5. Empower Your Sales Team with Sales Enablement

It’s never too soon to hire Sales Operations. Essentially everybody complains that they wish they’d done this sooner. Effective sales enablement arms your sales team with the right tools, resources, and knowledge. Provide comprehensive training that turns your team into sales rockstars.

Ensure easy access to relevant content that empowers them to address customer concerns like pros. And don't skimp on collateral that leaves a lasting impression. When you equip your sales representatives with the right support, they can breeze through the sales process, tackle objections head-on, and leave customers wowed.

6. Unleash the Power of Technology

When it comes to reducing sales friction, technology is your secret weapon. There are many ways to manage customer relations, and the tools out there are largely comparable. The key is how you use them.

At their best, they will help to automate repetitive tasks that drain your team's energy, and unlock invaluable insights into customer behaviour. You can’t (effectively) change what you don’t measure. Sales analytics tools will allow you to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and pinpoint areas for improvement.?

7. Fail fast

Devote time to understanding what constitutes a successful sales process. Once you understand what good looks like, you can also identify its corollary: a bad process. Sales people are by their nature optimistic and determined.

But tenacity isn’t always what’s called for. B2B sales cycles are often long - knowing which ones are unlikely to result in success - and cutting those out of the pipeline - will ensure you devote your efforts efficiently.

8. Address Objections and Resolve Customer Concerns

Objections and customer concerns can throw a wrench into the sales process. But generally speaking, the same objections will come up again, and again. Track them, address them, and train the team to handle them.

Target marketing messages against them. Anticipating objections and providing responses upfront to alleviate friction will help ease the process. Show empathy, understanding, and expertise in your responses, building trust and paving the way to overcome obstacles with finesse.

9. Cultivate Lasting Customer Relationship

Nurture long-term customer relationships with your targets. These are long processes, after all. Implement post-sale strategies that demonstrate your commitment to exceptional customer care. Proactively offer customer support, personalize your communication, and maintain regular follow-ups. By staying engaged with your customers, actively addressing their evolving needs, and providing top-notch service, you create an environment of trust and loyalty. This paves the way for repeat business and referrals, minimizing friction and fostering long-term success.

10. Measure and Analyze Sales Performance

To continuously improve and keep friction at bay, it's crucial to measure and analyze your sales performance. Implement key metrics and tracking mechanisms to monitor the effectiveness of your sales efforts. Dive into the data to analyze conversion rates, average sales cycle length, customer acquisition costs, and customer satisfaction.

This treasure trove of information enables you to identify areas for improvement, make data-driven decisions, and implement targeted strategies to further reduce sales friction. With a keen eye on your sales performance, you'll navigate the sales landscape with precision, optimisoing processes and achieving greater success.

11. Bonus tip! Use Two!

When you offer Two to your B2B customers, you automatically reduce sales friction from the get go. With instant credit decisioning and integrated ID-verification right there in the checkout, you make B2B purchases simple.

If you’d like to learn more about how Two can decrease sales friction and increase B2B sales, make sure to?speak to one of our experts!