I got a message from a new social media friend asking a simple question. “I am not sure I understand the 7 laws of B2B selling?”. To be honest, I was not sure what he meant by seven laws. But it made me start thinking. I love processes and concepts but if I was new to B2B sales where should I start? What do I need to learn? What comes first? I believe a lot of people have the entirely wrong idea about sales. And it annoys me when I hear someone saying that you are a born sales guy. Ahhhhhhh (I get frustrated). Of course being an excellent sales guy is hard work just like anything else, and it is not luck or charm. It is all about processes and real skills.

My take on the 7 success factors for B2B sales

Here is my suggestion for the 7 success factors for B2B sales, and if you have any comment or suggestions for improvement, I would love to hear them, send an email to info@new.daniel-one.com

Nr 1 - Know how to create an excellent value proposition

In B2B sales you are most likely interacting with your prospect many times over a long period. Falling into the dangerous trap of features and functions is easy. Often I hear salespeople start a pitch that is not focused on what is important, the customer. Instead, their focus is to do their story talking about their product and company. The first thing you need to learn is to stop talking and start listening. What you need to do is to build your value proposition for this specific customer. What is the value proposition? It is a clear statement about the outcomes that an individual or an organization can realize from using your product, service or solution.

Key here is OUTCOME

And to know what outcome the customer really would like to have you need to ask questions. A lot of questions.

Tool for creating B2B Value Propositions

I have created a process for how you can learn how to create an outstanding value proposition for B2B. To read the article and get the tools - >Click Here

‍How to Create a Strong Value Proposition Design for B2B - It's all about the customer from Daniel Nilsson

Complex Value Propositions

On some occasions, we may be working for a company that has very complicated value propositions. This happened to me and I decided to write a story about it. Read - >How I Broke the Code for Advanced Value Proposition Creation Design

Nr 2 - Create a sales process and then improve it

B2B Sales is not a magic skill or something you got from birth. Sales are hard work, learned skills and process. Many companies have sales processes that are produced by a management team or leader who don't know what they are doing. Creating a sales process is hard work, and if you do it well, you have a fantastic tool to better understand your sales process and how you can improve it.

Tool - How to create a sales process for B2B

I have created a tool for how you can create a sales process for B2B. It presents a series of steps you need to take and examples of some excellent sales processes. To read the article and get the tools - >Click Here

How to Design a Sales Process for B2B Sales - #1 Tool for the Dream Sales Team  from Daniel Nilsson

Nr 3 - Build a fantastic presence on the web

When you have a problem or have a question what do you do?

Yes, you will search the web. Your customers will do the same thing, and you need to make sure that they end up on your web page and that your web presence is impressive. And by amazing I don't mean a web page where stuff flies around and looks cool. I mean a page that clearly explains the Value Proposition, the outcome the customer can expect and that have a clear call to actions for how the customer can get value from you even though they are not ready to buy.

Nr 4 - Create a lead generating program

I believe a web page should be designed to collect a lot of leads and you do that by giving away something that is valuable to your prospects without being intrusive. It could be a guide, whitepaper or some tool. With a lot of leads, you can do follow-ups and close more deals. The best is to implement an Inbound Marketing strategy, and you can learn more about Inbound at hubspot.com/inbound-marketing Once your site is generating leads, you need to start working on improving it. I love this site growthhackers.com, and I recommend you to sign up for their newsletter. After all, B2B sales are all about Growth.

Nr 5 - Consistently coach and train your sales team

A lot of B2B sales managers seem to believe that their job is about following up numbers. My opinion is that sales managers should follow up with people and focus on coaching and training. I think that the sales result can only improve if there is a focus on sales peoples growth as individuals. I wrote this article about How you can start coaching today. Check it out by clicking HERE and boost your sales team's productivity.

Nr 6 - Build a program to make customers to promoters and fans

How many times have you heard it is more cost efficient to keep a customer than get a new one? Ten times or more? Well, the reason you heard it so many times is that it is right and surprisingly many companies seem to be bad at this. You should always ask yourself “What can I do to keep my customer?” and action the answer you get. Something straightforward you can do is to send out a survey twice a year to check how they are. If people are responding confirming they are not happy I would call at once and solve the issue they have. For customers who are happy, I would call and thank them for being a customer. Another idea is that you create videos, papers, tools, etc. to make it easier to use your product and service. By doing this, you create stickiness, and your customers will stay longer. It is a wise investment since it will also help you to sell more to prospects.I have created a guide for 3 Steps for how you can Convert Customer to Fans. Click on the link to learn more.

Nr 7 - Analyse everything you have done and consistently continue to improve

As soon as you have built something you should wait for a month, analyze the result and see how you can improve. There is always something that can be better. But don't forget to stop sometimes and celebrate all your wins. I think you should celebrate as often as you can.

BONUS - How to create a Sales Strategy for B2B

I have developed an inspirational sales strategy framework that I hope will help you develop a better and more efficient sales strategy. Please note that the framework most likely needs to be adjusted to your specific organization and set up. Click here to read the article.

BONUS - How to create Buyer Personas and Customer Profiles

This is article is a must-read. Learn the skill for how to create Byer Personas and Customer Profiles. A must know how for a skilled sales/marketing person. To read the article click HERE.

Bonus - 4 Amazing Sales Tools I Use Every Day - Be Effective - Tools to Close Deals Faster

These are my four favorite sales tools that have helped me close the biggest deals of my life. The tools have helped me speed up my sales cycle and close more deals faster. Click here to read the article.

‍4 Amazing Sales Tools I Use Every Day - Be Effective - Tools to Close Deals Faster  from Daniel Nilsson