The end of the year is fast approaching and with it the big Christmas and New Year holidays. This is an opportunity to launch effective marketing campaigns and boost your sales.
Likewise, this is the right time to work on your reputation, to gain new customers and to retain existing ones. Indeed, business opportunities are numerous during these times, but sometimes, it's just the inspiration that businesses lack. They can't find the right ideas , the right solution to make more sales . But you don't have to look far to find them! Just read this article to the end. What exactly is B2B sales ? How to anticipate the end of year celebrations ? What tips can you use to increase sales ? What type of marketing strategy would be most effective? Let's see the answers in the next lines.
What is B2B sales and what does it involve?
B2B (Business to Business) sales are sales made between one business and another. They differ from B2C (Business to customer) sales in which companies sell their products or services to individual consumers.
With the evolution of the web and especially the advent of e-commerce, B2B sales are increasingly adopted by companies. They can easily sell different products or services on the Internet. Orders registered online, but the service is provided by a natural person. This does not prevent the entire process from being done entirely online.
As for the duration of the sales process, the cycle is much longer in B2B commerce compared to B2C commerce , which has a shorter cycle. This is explained by the fact that B2B commerce is based on partnership and the establishment of a lasting relationship between two companies. Understanding consumer needs and building customer loyalty is very important.
7 techniques to increase your B2B sales
Now that you know what B2B sales are, let's find out what you can do to increase them tenfold. These tips are simple, easy, but very effective if you apply them correctly.
1 – Associate marketing and sales teams
To increase your B2B sales performance coordination marketing and sales teams . By joining forces, these two entities can contribute to the growth of your sales. They can agree on the best acquisition strategy to adopt. The stronger the teamwork , the easier it is to generate qualified leads and sell more. At the same time, thanks to the efforts of united employees, productivity will increase considerably. This can only be beneficial for your business.
These days, it's much easier to attract prospects, especially with an inbound marketing . Instead of going after prospects, you can simply have them come to you. Companies have figured out this trick . They understood that results can be better with good collaboration between teams. This is the origin of Smarketing , a word that combines the terms “sales” and “marketing” . This practice aims to put the two teams in perfect agreement on the basics of the strategy. This means that they will now have common objectives .
2 – Post on social networks
To sell a lot more, social networks are the preferred channels. Whether it is a B2B or B2C sale, it is essential to promote your products or services on the networks where your target . The latter must be present, otherwise it is of no use, except a waste of time. You must therefore choose the most relevant network and also the most adapted to your activity. Then, define the communication strategy to adopt and develop a publication schedule . Depending on the social network that you are going to use, the content that you put forward must meet the needs of your target.
And remember, the most important thing is to post regularly . If you want to anticipate the end-of-year holidays , your communication strategy must be ready in advance. You can, for example, add a festive atmosphere to your walls, to your cover photo.
If you offer a discount on specific products, don't forget to highlight them in your posts. Everyone loves sales , and for you, it's a good way to grow your sales . You may also need to liquidate your inventory , in which case you can discount prices without resorting to loss of course.
3 – Favor video content
Among the many types of content you can promote, give priority to video content . Today, Internet users have a wide range of choices on the web. Consumers learn about your products or services before purchasing. But they are even more interested in what your competitors . They take the time to make the comparison to find their happiness. Infographics are of course still effective, but sometimes there is too much text. And always keep in mind that too much information kills information. You need to be as brief as possible.
You only have a few seconds to capture the user's attention. You must therefore share information as quickly as possible. But your content should also attract attention at first glance. This is why it is more profitable to present your products or services through a short video rather than a simple post with long boring text.
The quality of the video must be impeccable , the animation must make you want to watch it until the end. And the most important thing is the message you are trying to convey. It must be clear and easily understandable for your target.
4 – Present your wishes to customers
Acquiring new customers is good, but knowing how to keep them is even better. And the only way to achieve this is to use loyalty techniques . Among the most popular, you have the presentation of greetings to your customers, especially the most loyal. This allows you to maintain a good relationship with your customers, but can also allow you to make additional sales .
Small gestures mean a lot to customers. For example, send them a nice greeting card or a small appreciation gift Then adapt message to the upcoming event. For example, for Christmas, if your budget allows, you can offer a special holiday to your customers.
Put empathy in your message to show a friendly gesture, this will show that you have consideration for your customers. You may think it's a small gesture, but it can make a big difference . Customers like to be pampered, so give them what they want. This way, they will continue to consume your products or services rather than those of your competitors. They can even become ambassadors to other consumers. Empathy marketing is a marketing technique that helps convert more prospects into customers. The key is to put yourself in their shoes to better educate them.
SEE ALSO : 5 prospecting errors that prevent you from closing your BtoB sales
5 – Offer special offers
If signing a collaboration contract makes you happy, special offers make your prospects or customers happy.
The end of year period is the ideal opportunity to offer exceptional offers in a limited time . To promote your products or services, you can launch a new offer or modify an existing offer. At the end of the year, games and competitions where there are prizes to be won attract a lot of people. This would be a good opportunity to increase your sales during the month of December. In addition, people like challenges, you can take advantage of this circumstance to attract more participants to competitions. The more participants you have, the more likely you are to increase your revenue. Participation in the competition is therefore paying.
Besides this, communication during these periods must be of a very high level. You must publish posts with a warm and festive , whether on social networks or on your website. You can, for example, decorate your company logo with a Christmas theme . The ideas are very varied, but choose the one that is best suited to your target. This way, you will be able to better sell your products or services to people who are really interested.
6 – Launch emailing campaigns
E -mailing is and always will be one of the most effective communication tools According to figures from Digitiz, 80% of marketers say that emailing is the best acquisition and loyalty . With an average ROI estimated at €32 for €1 spent, its authority is indisputable.
During the end-of-year period, one of the best ways to boost your B2B sales is to launch email campaigns . This is always a top option if you intend to publicize your deals during the holiday season . In addition, this choice does not involve a large budgetary investment. While the profitability is quite appreciable. You just need to be careful with your message . An email campaign can only be successful if it is carried out correctly.
First of all, you need to know how to write a Good email marketing. Next, define when you are going to broadcast your messages. All your actions must be done with finesse to have good results. Indeed, if you don't take the time to take care of your messages, you risk not interesting anyone with your email.
Likewise, if you bombard your prospects and customers with an abundance of emails frustrating them . The ideal would be to contact the right people in the right place, at the right time and above all with the right approaches.
Also read: Email typography: how to choose the best font? →
7 – Conduct competitive intelligence
In the business world, companies that don't learn about their competitors are missing out on good opportunities . Constructive competitive analysis can be an engine of growth for your business. You must understand that competitive intelligence has many advantages:
- Anticipate your competitors’ next move;
- Take market share from the competition;
- Follow developments in your sector of activity;
- Analyze the competitiveness of your company in relation to the market…
To perform a competitive intelligence, it’s not enough to know who your competitors are. It is necessary to have as much detail as possible about what they are doing and their strategy.
When you start this practice, there are several elements to take into account:
- Define who your competitors are;
- Put yourself in the position of their customers;
- Identify who their employees are;
- Analyze their financial data;
- Go check out their website and social media;
- Study their marketing and communication style;
- Subscribe to their newsletter to monitor their progress;
- Etc.
These different practices will help you better identify your competitors and analyze their behavior on the web. Then you will be able to better study your action plan and your strategy For stand out from competition. Thanks to competitive intelligence, for example, you can easily carry out a SWOT analysis. This is an essential step in the development of a digital marketing strategy. Indeed, it can help you understand your strengths and your weaknesses as well as the opportunities and the threats who come to your business. With the information you obtained during the competitive intelligence, it will be easier for you to move on to this practice. Basically, competitive analysis is a real asset for your business.
