How (and How Not) To Reach Me as a B2B Tech Buyer

By Joel Hughes

I have been in SMB IT/Technology leadership roles my entire career. In these roles, I’ve been directly responsible for buying or recommending:

• Cloud Computing Services/Platforms
• Software, both desktop and enterprise/server-based
• Training services
• Website hosting
• Productivity suites/email
• Hardware, both server-room and desktop
• CRM, GL, and ERP systems
• Printer and Copier leases
• Access control systems
• Website development consulting
• SaaS Software tools & platforms

Here are a few tactics that have never worked for selling me any of these types of products at work, personally, your mileage may vary:

• Cold calling, I never pick up unless I know the number at work
• Cold emails
• LinkedIn messages or connection requests
• My boss forwarding me any of this stuff

When I think back to all of the big enterprise purchase decisions I have made, these are the ways that I heard of the brand or solution that DID work and led to closed/won sales:

• A colleague or boss came back from a trade show or conference, heard the brand speak or talked to them at a meal and was profoundly educated/moved by/intrigued by the people behind the brand and the solutions they offered
• A peer that I trust at another company shared their success with the brand/solution and demonstrated the value it brought to their company. In this case my peers were such brand advocates that they effectively sold the product for no commission to their network. Think about client advisory boards, client speaking engagements, and just being really good to your clients. Elevate them. It may be the most important “selling” you ever do.?
• Being in my “problem solving workflow”. That means being smart about SEO, content strategy, and paid search. You need to show up where my problem/solution process lives. If I’m searching for a solution, I really hope your brand is there when I need you.
• Once I’ve found you, I need you to help me out with both the immediate solution and with my development. I always bought from sellers that taught me something new, helped me sell the solution and “manage up”. Brands that made me look like a star. It’s common to forget about our B2B buyers as individuals in a career trajectory, but this is really important. Buyers have their own fears, egos, and aspirations and you need to resonate and navigate through all of that at an individual level.
• Location?has certainly helped on a few deals. That means having a Chicago-area office in my case and being smart about locality in ads, local events, and outreach. Depending on the engagement this can be really important. What are you doing for your local business community to show up and be helpful?

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