3 Effective Methods Of Selling In B2B

1. Conceptual selling

The idea of conceptual selling is that the customer is not buying a product or service, but a conceptual solution to a problem. To find and show this solution, you need to ask the right questions, listen, and show empathy.

During the information-gathering phase, ask questions to learn more about the buyer, their company, and their challenges. You need to:

• examine the situation and tell how you understood the problem
• understand what criteria the client will use to make a decision
• find differences from competitors' offers that are important in this situation to show expertise and maintain the interest of the lead

At the information stage, answer questions about the product in detail. Focus on the aspects of the product that solve the customer's problem and distinguish the offer from competitors.

During the sales pitch, ask the potential buyer if they agree that your offer will benefit their business.

The stage of obtaining commitments. In a conceptual sale, the deal should be beneficial for both parties. An interested lead is ready to actively contribute to the deal, for example, by sending additional information or confirming the next meeting.

If the client is not ready to commit, then he or she sees no value in the offer. If there's no interest in buying, don't push, and don't waste time. Other buyers are waiting for you.

Questions in conceptual selling

One of the main rules of conceptual selling is to ask, not tell.

There are 5 types of questions:

Confirmation. This is a customer problem that is reformulated as a question. For example:

"Do I understand right that [Rephrase the client's problem]?"

At this stage, briefly outline the ideal solution without reference to the product. When you talk about it later, emphasize the characteristics that resonate with the ideal solution.

Clarifying questions: These are asked to get a deeper understanding of what the buyer wants to get. Example:

"What is the most important for you in [...]?".

"What is your usual process in [...]"

Questions about attitudes. They help to get to know the customer better and understand their attitude towards the product. For example:

“What do you think about the offer?"; ” What thoughts about it do you have?”

Guarantee questions or commitment questions. With their help, the manager encourages the client to commit and invites him to contribute to the deal. Example: "When can you send the list of requirements?".

“When are you planning [...]?”

“How much time do you think you need to [...]”?

Questions about basic problems. These are questions that help you understand what problems might arise. For example: “What thoughts about it do you have?” “What doubts do you have?”

2. MEDDIC

MEDDIC is a B2B sales method with clear instructions for each of the six components of the deal.

M: Metrics

Metrics are measurable results that a client's business wants to achieve. There are two groups of metrics:

Basic. These are direct consequences (for example, savings from implementing a new solution).

Value. This is the final effect on the business (increased profits).

Examples of questions to help determine these metrics:

What do you want to achieve [...]?

What indicators does the business need to achieve with [...]?

E: Economic Buyer

This is a representative of the customer's company who manages the budget and makes decisions about the deal. The salesperson must find out who this is and then arrange a meeting with them.

At the negotiation stage, it is important to understand whether you are dealing with an economic buyer or his representative who does not have powers. To do this, ask the following questions:

Who in the company is responsible for [...]?

Does anyone else have to give formal consent to [...]?

The value proposition should be focused on the interests of an economic buyer.

D: Decision Criteria

There are two groups of criteria:

Technical. Here, you need to understand whether your solution is suitable for the customer in general. Does it disrupt current processes? Does it match the workflow? Will employees be able to work with this product? It is important to clarify these criteria initially, otherwise, you will waste time with each other.

Business criteria. If the proposal meets the technical criteria, you need to understand whether it is in the best interest of the business. Will the investment pay off? How will the deal affect operating costs? At this stage, the parties discuss the project budget. As with the technical criteria, you need to understand as early as possible whether the deal is financially feasible.

D: Decision Process

This is the route of the deal. At this step, the parties clarify what stages the deal should go through and what difficulties may arise.

At MEDDIC, the decision-making process consists of three parts:

• It is recommended to record the list of requirements.
• Approval at different levels, approval time.
• Legal agreement.

I: Identify Pain

The greater the client's pain found by the seller, the higher the chances of a deal. The intensity of the pain will determine the budget and the speed of decision-making.

Generally, pain is the financial loss that a customer's business suffers because of an unsolved problem. The salesperson should show the ROI and emphasize that the sooner the problem is solved, the lesser the losses will be.

To determine the severity of the pain, ask the client the following questions:

How does the problem affect business?

What happens if you don't solve the problem?

C: Champion

In MEDDIC terminology, a Champion is a person (or group of people in a company) who is most concerned about solving a problem. It is the person who strives to improve the situation as soon as possible. The salesperson needs to identify this person, establish personal contact, and gain their support. Since the Champion is interested in the solution, he or she will "sell" it internally. Even if the Champion and the economic buyer are different people, working with the Champion increases the chance of a deal and speeds up the process.

3. The Sandler System

Followers of the Sandler method believe that you should sell only to those who are willing and able to make a purchase. Don't put pressure on the client, make them feel that they are the initiator and are in full control of the process. In a radical version, this looks like a role reversal: it's not the seller who persuades you to buy, but the buyer who persuades you to sell.

Sandler's sales cycle

Sandler suggests considering sales as a closed cycle of seven elements.

1. Contact. Establish a good relationship from the first meeting - people like to work with those who are likable.
2. Preliminary agreement. Before meeting with the client, prepare a document that will indicate: the time, place, and purpose of the meeting; customer and seller agenda; a result that can be considered successful;
3. Pain. This is what the client lacks to get, the problem area.
4. Budget. Determine whether the client has a budget for your solution, and if so, what it is.
5. Solution. Analyze the information you've collected and place the lead into one of three categories: Disqualified leads: those with whom you will definitely not be able to close a deal; Leads that need to be worked on: leads that need to be met again, with the involvement of additional people from the customer; Prospective leads: a deal with them is most likely to be concluded.
6. Realization. This is the stage of the product presentation when you have the information in hand. The presentation is built around the client's pain and takes into account their budget. This meeting is held with those who make the final decision in the deal.
7. Post-sales. With the right approach, you can bring the customer back to the sales cycle and close a new deal. To do this, you need to fulfill several conditions: Not to violate the client's expectations; Prevent the client from leaving for competitors; Conclude a preliminary agreement on future cooperation

The way of defining pain according to Sandler:

How have you tried to deal with the problem before?

Did you succeed?

Why do you think this method was ineffective?

Did the failure cost you dearly?

How did you feel when the problem was not resolved?

How much do you personally (not a manager or an abstract business) want to deal with the problem?

Answers to these questions focus the lead's attention on the problem, increase discomfort, and make them want to solve it as soon as possible.

?What method do you think is the most effective? What method is the most ecological? ?

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