B2B Sales Part 2: The Chase
I dabbled just briefly with B2B Sales in B2B Sales Part 1. Now we get just a little further into this section of sales. There are full sites dedicated to B2B Sales so tackling all aspects in a matter of one or two posts will not be feasible nor would it be logical to do so. In this edition of B2B Sales, we will talk about “the chase”.
The chase is the beginning steps of the B2B sales process. This is where you will be either cold calling or gathering information. It’s called “the chase” as you will be trying to find the decision maker or when they look at the service you provide. Not every prospect you talk to will be looking at your product or service right when you happen to call them. In a perfect world, this will happen but we all know the world we live in is not this way.
Set goals for the first part of your call. For me it results to my goals for cold calling. I want to accomplish just a couple things in my first call in a B2B sales process. I want to know:
- Who the decision maker is
- When they make these decisions
- How important this service is to their business
Those are my biggest 3 objectives on my first call and the beginning steps of the B2B Sales process. Now this step is called the chase because #1 above isn’t always as quick as just asking for it. Sometimes it takes time. Especially dealing with big companies that have their own bureaucracy.
As in the other post, this type of sales cycle tends to be a little longer. Sometimes it can be quick but don’t get frustrated if the sales cycle lasts longer. Look at the product your selling, how long it took others to act on it and various other factors. If your average sales cycle is 3 weeks for an entire sales cycle, don’t spend 3 weeks on trying to get a decision maker. You could have completed another sale by now. If you can’t land a deal, cut bait!