The rules of engagement around B2B sales have changed. As someone working in this space, you’ve undoubtedly seen it firsthand. Buyers and the buying process are evolving and will continue to do so. They demand that sellers are helpful resources who educate them with new perspectives and aren't transactional order takers.
How can you keep up? Better yet, what changes can and will you make to stay ahead?
NOT ENOUGH TIME TO PROSPECT
You’re focused on beating your numbers. To do that, you likewise focus on how to best manage your time between prospecting, competitive and industry research, and driving growth within the accounts you already manage.
By the way, you’re also expected to know your territory inside and out, and identify trends before they happen while advancing existing opportunities through your funnel.
It’s a tough balance and a challenge that seems to get more difficult and complex each day, month, and quarter.
With a limited amount of hours in the day, and an overwhelming amount of information broadly available online to zap your time and energy, you may feel like you’re always in reactive mode or – God forbid – not adding value.
WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME?
Are you having meaningful conversations with your prospects and customers? And how do you define “meaningful”? Do you struggle to find a relevant and timely reason to call, email, or visit?
The list of potential signals to trigger a prospect or customer contact is extensive:
- New executives
- New job / role for current contact
- Large customer announcement
- Company expansion / relocation
- New product / service announcement
- Competitive product / service announcement
- Major competitive move
- Good quarter
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Legal problems
... and more.
But tracking the material events that trigger an opportunity for a meaningful prospect interaction manually is incredibly time consuming. You're searching for a needle in a haystack, combing through massive amounts of useless news from a variety of sources that never seem to uncover what you are looking for. Your target companies are leaving a digital footprint, but are you leveraging it efficiently or effectively?
HELLO, AI
Enter the power and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) which provides access to clean, valuable, and real-time data about specific organizations, geographies and industries you care about. This intelligence can be synced directly with your CRM, reducing the volume of prospect and customer data that may be scattered and siloed in your company.
(Below is an example of a Labor signal. This category identifies a variety of topics related to a company's employees, including furloughs, hiring, layoffs, labor contracts, strikes, pay increases, union issues, etc.)
Taking advantage of AI in this fashion allows you to plan and execute your outreach at the right time, to the right person, with the right message. Rather than being reactive, it allows you to discover hidden opportunities early. It’s technology that facilitates selling and could arguably change your organization's sales behavior and culture.
(Below is an example of a Facilities signal. This category identifies when a company has leased, opened, closed, expanded or renovated a facility.)
Even the most subtle news item could help warm up a previously cold outreach.
(Below is an example of an Executive Change signal. This category identifies when an executive or board member has joined or left a company.)
When you as a B2B salesperson bring trusted insights and ideas to your network, you strengthen those relationships long-term, and differentiate yourself from the competition...and win more sales. Bitvore Precision News can deliver the insights you need on a silver platter, without the endless searching you do now.
