Key Sales Techniques for Business-to-Business sales

How to move past any selling barriers quickly and effectively

When selling to a business owner you may find that they are a lot savvier around sales, having a deeper interest of how this sale will affect them across the board. Remember, people purchasing on behalf of their business will not only be making decisions based on the logistics and economics of their company, but one that’s right for them on an emotional level too.

Simple NLP (neuro linguistic programming) techniques can help you move past any barriers with business owners quickly and effectively. Here at Sasudi, we have found that a few sales techniques in particular can have some extremely positive results when working in a business-to-business sales environment. Here’s one of them.

How about you try this out with your next B2B client:

Work out if they are a ‘towards’ or ‘away from’ person

Before you go into the pitch of your product or service, ask them to tell you a bit about their business and where they would like to be in the future. Listen out for the language that your client is using. Do they talk about the fact that they want to ‘get away from….’ or are they ‘looking to achieve XYZ…’?

The former is an ‘away from’ state, which gives the indication that this is how you should be talking to them about your product or service. They seek to avoid pain. So for instance, you may be able to help them move away from tons of paperwork because your system is faster and more efficient. Perhaps, you can save them from spending too much with an alternative supplier because your delivery costs are cheaper. Whatever it is, focus on how your product can help them avoid past problems or pain points. Make sure they know that with you, they won’t have to experience that pain again.

The latter is a ‘towards’ mindset, and this mindset is motivated by seeking pleasure. These people like to try new things and are incentivized by new achievements, money and recognition, so focus on all of the new great things that your product or service will be able to bring them. If we use the same example as above, perhaps your system will create loads of free time for their employees meaning they can focus on new money making ideas, or as your delivery costs are cheaper you will be saving them lots of income that can be spent on new advertising. Focus on new, exciting things that can happen as a result of your product, and all of the pleasure that it can bring them!

Once you figure out what kind of business it is, you can then start planning your sales strategy. Understanding the needs and emotions of the people behind the businesses is very important. With this knowledge you should be closer to knowing how to sell to a business.

Leigh Ashton is the co-founder of Sasudi.com, the world’s first online subscription-based platform that is aimed at making sales easy for Small Businesses. If you’re interested in learning more about B2B sales, or need help improving your sales, sign up to Sasudi.com for free. You’ll get free weekly tips and be the first to hear when the platform launches!