null

Exceptional Skills for the -To- Sales Professional

There are two major types of channels for sales— to Consumer (B2C) and to (B2B). In B2C, one organization is selling their product or service to specific consumer. Typical examples are products we as individuals purchase via e-commerce sites or retail shops in our neighborhoods. In B2B, the sales transaction occurs between two businesses. Examples of B2B would include a spice company that sells ground spices to a baking mix manufacturer or a company that sells computer software to a hospital.

There are some basic skills that apply to every type of channel sales position. Having strong communication skills is essential, regardless if you sell ice cream bars at the ballpark or services to an international government. Being organized, thorough and honest are also skills that are essential to great salesmanship.

There are other skills that are specific to industry type, country or other specialty area. When it comes to B2B sales, there are also some special skills that create the best environment for successful selling and long term relationships. Often B2B sales are a complex, lengthy process involving multiple decision makers or steps to complete the sale.

Finding and Reaching Customers:

· In traditional sales transactions, the buyer is not hard to find. In retail, the shopper comes into the store. In a service industry, a set of strategic ads can drive new customers to you (e.g., an accountant or lawn care service). In the B2B world, finding and reaching customers might be simple at times, but more likely the sales professional needs to work hard at engaging a prospective customer.
· In these environments, even the definition of customer is tricky. There may be a person or department in charge of purchasing or sourcing, but the end user in the company may be in another department or even on another continent. Additionally, there may be a team assembled that become “the customer.” The team may comprise employees with technical expertise, negotiations expertise, financial expertise or even strategic expertise.

Building a Sales Campaign:

· This next step involves creating a campaign or proposal based on customer needs for the specific customer. Again, this is relatively unique to B2B environments. When you go to the grocery store, the stock clerk does not custom blend a pickle jar for your specific needs; when you are seeking high-cost manufacturing equipment or other such corporate based need, the sales proposal will be customized. While there are federal laws restricting pricing options, in the customized B2B world pricing is reviewed for each proposal as the scale and scope can vary greatly from customer to customer.
· Proposals can include in depth PowerPoint presentations as well as legal documents outlining each specific requirement and deliverable for the sale; they are often centered on the customer’s very specific needs.
· The proposals may be developed by the sales contact or even a sales support staff dedicated to highlight the selling company’s value proposition. These proposals may be presented multiple times to multiple stakeholders within the buyer’s organization. The proposals may have various iterations and may even include having multiple representatives from the selling organization involved as well.

Closing the Sale:

· There are endless experts that discuss the art of closing the sale. There are countless theories and methodologies. A sales organization often develops their own unique approach to closing the sale. Like every step, this can take a week, a month or even longer. It is a good reminder to think about all the interested parties within the selling organization and the buying organization that need to agree and sign-off on the final sales documents.

Summary

In B2B, the sale process can be long and involve many steps before a sale is made. Often times, the idea of the sale is as important as the relationship that is being built and fortified during the sale process. After all the steps take place, there is still negotiation and implementation. And, as with any great business, there is also an evaluation and feedback stage; it is important that both selling and buying organizations can collect data to improve future efforts.