A B2B sales funnel refers to a sequence of steps through which users in the segment, that is, companies purchasing from other companies, go through to complete a sales cycle.
The objective is to convert leads into loyal customers, that is, the B2B sales funnel is specific to companies that do business with other companies and organizations, but the general structure follows the buyer's journey model:
- Conscience;
- Interest;
- Desire;
- Action.
That is, a company that for supermarkets and stores, for example, needs to go through all these funnel processes, as well as a B2C client (businesses for consumers).
A B2B sales funnel takes a long time to optimize because it requires significant traffic to allow for proper A/B testing.
If you have the traffic and tools to test it out, you should start doing it as soon as possible and keep doing it constantly.
Check out these 5 tips to start implementing your B2B sales funnel today:
- Understand what your customers want
In our digital age, customers are bombarded with information, having unlimited options to choose from, even B2B customers. That is, there is a huge offer of outsourced companies that sell services and products to other companies.
Whether it's a service or supplying products to other companies, you need to know in depth who your ideal B2B customers are. That is, what are the companies that buy from you? What is their profile?
So start doing some research on your audience, determine what site visitors do there, where they click, what they view, and how long they spend on a page.
In conjunction with website monitoring and analytics tools, you will be able to identify various demographics that can be targeted.
- Capture your audience's attention
Combined with more choice and general distrust, it is indeed harder to capture B2B customer attention than B2C.
This is because they are rational and already know the marketing strategies, as they are constantly checking this issue with their own companies.
What really works to capture the attention of B2B customers are the personalized messages that really matter, delivered at the right time.
This can be a hard sell for some marketing managers as the return on investment is not always apparent.
Website visitors do not convert on their first purchase. In many industries, it takes several visits for a potential customer to feel comfortable with your brand and product.
It can also take several months to move your lead from the awareness stage to the consideration stage.
- cultivate relationships
After a successful first contact, many companies struggle to keep up. That is, when your company captures leads, whether through content marketing or through another strategy, you run the risk of scaring them off or causing them to lose interest.
So, as leads make their way down the sales funnel stages, you need to cultivate relationships through calls, support, answering questions, etc.
Buyers of all types are increasingly comfortable making decisions before effective communication.
Specifically, B2B buyers also research content before purchasing. In other words, potential customers probably won't want (or expect) a call or email from you.
- close the deal
Your goal is to get customers to buy. Based on this, it's important to highlight that nearly 50% of B2B purchases are made by leads who receive support until closing.
For example, let's say you want to sell a system to restaurants and supermarkets. You need to make contact with the closest merchants and hold meetings and calls before closing a deal.
Always think about technical support that actually play an important role in closing deals with B2B customers.
For this, you can request videoconference meetings or phone calls, as a B2B client always likes to understand the processes in depth to which he is contracted.
- Optimize your funnel
It is imperative that you optimize your sales funnel, whether you are an electronics distributor or a
At every stage of your sales funnel there is a living, breathing customer looking for answers. To best serve their needs at every stage, your funnel should offer a diverse set of solutions.
At the beginning, the client will be exposed to a wide variety of content: from landing pages, blog posts, social media, video clips, and infographics.
While all of this material may seem unrelated, it's important that it's targeted to a specific person in the funnel.