How to Turn Strangers into Champions in B2B Enterprise

So how do you get folks in a large enterprise to your side?

LinkedIn is quite an interesting place. A lot of sales gurus, short text, and a constant need to engage. I find it very tough to communicate anything valuable in a short post, so I’d sometimes write these long reads to share my side of the story and I hope you do not mind or even find interest.

I’d like to bring my story on first impressions and initial call with a prospect. I would even argue that this is the most exciting part of any sales job. Meeting a prospect, perhaps even a stranger, but maybe a champion? Who knows? I never know where each call is going to go but I still get a little rush a couple of minutes before the call. I used to be nervous, even perhaps scared to get in front of a customer, but now I’m just excited. It’s quite difficult to tell how your meeting is going to go, but there are things you can do to make sure you create some buzz around it. Or at least try.

The points below are not rules or a framework to follow – these are just observations from experience. You can try to copy them and succeed but you can also fail. Because that’s what sales is about – there are no perfect sales calls and I tend to mess up. Maybe it’s the intro that I would get wrong or forget to schedule the exact next steps – whatever it is, I don’t care. I’m showing up to each call and trying to do my best. So here are some of the things I try to do best.

Research

I need to figure out if someone is active on LinkedIn. If you work in an early stage or startup, you will rely on early adopters first. How to figure them out? These people are usually staying active – they share articles, comment, and speak with people – they are genuinely interested in hearing new things. It’s unlikely you're going to engage someone who’s not engaged on his own. So try to find folks who are open to a conversation.

Now, it doesn't mean you will not be able to have a meaningful conversation with someone who’s not active on socials – it simply means the likelihood of engagement is going to be higher. You can still close deals if there’s value on the table. But it is easier to do so with someone who’s naturally more engaged. Make it easier for yourself and prioritize reaching out to those who reply to others, and maybe they will reply to you as well. I guess it’s common sense, right?

First Impression

There’s strong data on SMBs and on how the first impression is strongly correlated with the closing rate. That’s not exactly true with an enterprise. When it comes to a couple of thousands of dollars and one stakeholder to decide - I’m sure dressing well could create a better dynamic.

The thing with enterprise is that you will have multiple first impressions. First, you might speak with junior folks who need to trust that you will do well with their boss. Then you might speak with the actual business unit head, who will then need to trust you with bringing your sales pitch to IT or other decision-makers. Notice the pattern? Building trust is what you’re trying to do on the first call.

Now, there are a lot of articles on how to create trust, but if you need to read them, you’re screwed. You just need to tell the truth and don't lie. Show respect, tell the truth, and listen carefully. Do not try to manipulate, fake laugh, or try to resonate with the personal interest of the buyer. Just do your job reliably and with enough attention & professionalism. You will have time to talk about the weather and whether someone is playing golf this week. Show people how you can do business, and perhaps they will want to do it with you by the end of the call.

What is a priority?

My biggest problem in the early days was a quite high-level discovery. Understanding some of the problems on a high level will not do justice. It might help you resonate with the buyer and convert them to the call, but it won’t be enough to create action on their side.

However, if you try to understand the correlation between problems and some of the priorities for decision-makers in the nearest term, you can try playing a game called: ?My product will solve those problems?.

You might win this game if your discovery and pitch are great but you can also lose it. Be prepared to lose it at most times and chase them for some time. However, you should try.

Get deep into the problems and try making valid assumptions as fast as possible. The faster and deeper you go, the more attention you will get. If you’re successful in trying to draw conclusions together with your champion, now you might be able to create a mutual plan on how to solve it.

Have a good script

The reason I kept this item last is because it might not apply to everyone. Some folks who will read this post will only start their journey and some are doing business for 20 years. Having a script means evaluating your confidence in taking the call to directions you have no control over. Some folks can take it in different directions but still feel in control and some might lose their client. So evaluate yourself first.

As I accumulate more experience, I’m taking fewer lines from my script, but there are some calls where I will completely stick to it – I guess it depends on several factors i.e. focus level, decision-making level, and external factors.

Overall, trust yourself and be prepared to think about commercial relationships in the long term, even if you are a small company and in need of cash. If you decided to work with an enterprise, you now have to act like one – right??