We share some insider scoops on B2B Sales and purchasing decisions accumulated from our real-life experiences and failures.

Your career progression and manifested expertise

You start by being a nobody and you have to make yourself known. You have to aggressively market yourself for someone to make a bet on you. As your career progresses, you should start being known in the industry, and people will just go to you straight as you are at the top of the mind.

How to decipher the purchasing decision riddle

B2B and significant purchasing decisions are based on trust, to mitigate the risks of a bad decision. People buy from recommendations from people they trust, rather than buying out cold from the market.

Reaching out effectively

Cold calling works best for commodities when the buyer’s decision to purchase depends heavily on low prices, quality is pretty standardised, and there is an ongoing need. Ideally, you want to be at least lukewarm when you reach out and aim to create trust first. Buyers choose commodities based on price and choose business partners based on trust. Don’t be a commodity.

How do you build market gravity?

• Referrals – ask for referrals from your clients, professional acquaintances, social contacts
• Commercially published books – you need a book that will attract buyers to you
• Blog – ideally sources to showcase expertise, you need to have intellectual property, offer provocative ideas, post commentary a few times a week
• Networking – best done with strangers without any preconceptions; find buyers or recommenders
• Pro bono work – select a cause which you believe in that can use your assistance for your skills, and you become an instant peer of the executives and community leaders serving in similar capabilities
• Manifestos – show your expertise and why people should pay attention
• Speaking – best done through trade associations, market by presenting yourself in a room of buyers and recommenders
• Website – your website is not a sales vehicle but a credibility site; use it to highlight your thought leader, intellectual property and stature
• Testimonial – ask for a testimonial from every client during and not after the project or relationship

Find what method sits in your comfort zone and work on it.

Simplified framework for writing a good cold email for B2B Sales

• Be concise – get to the point of what you want
• Be personal – make an effort to show the email isn’t a copy & paste, which may seem rude to the receiver
• Add value – align your message to the receiver’s self-interest or business interest
• Go away – let the recipient get back to you if there is interest, don’t be irritating