Tips for Navigating B2B Sales Cycles and Stakeholders

Most sales teams struggle going upstream because they treat Enterprise deals like bigger SMB deals. Brandon, a senior sales director, learned this the hard way. His team was crushing $10-15K deals with 25%+ win rates. But Enterprise deals worth $150-300K+? Only 5-8% win rates. Here's what was really happening: Reps were treating a $250K deal that takes 6-12 months to close the exact same way they treated a $15K deal that closes in 30 days. Think about it from the buyer's perspective: same discovery questions, same demo approach, same follow up cadence. Enterprise buyers tune out because they've seen this amateur approach from every other vendor. Smart sales leaders skip the "more activity" theater entirely. Instead, they invest in actual Enterprise selling skills. Here's Brandon's blueprint: #1 Bring in outside expertise Your biggest expense is people. Internal coaching has limits. Get an expert who's closed deals at this level. #2 Focus on deal specific strategies Cookie cutter approaches don't work at Enterprise level. Every deal needs custom strategy based on stakeholder dynamics. #3 Create safe coaching environments Reps won't share real details with managers on political calls. Third-party coaches get the truth about what's really happening. #4 Set realistic timelines Enterprise sales cycles are 6-12+ months anyway. Expect 90 days to first decent pipeline results, 6-12 months for team transformation. #5 Measure what matters Track win rates by deal size, not just overall activity. Segment your metrics to see the real story. The shift is subtle but powerful: Activity-focused teams = "Let's do more outreach" Skill-focused teams = "Let's close bigger deals" One focuses on quantity. The other focuses on quality. Brandon's results speak for themselves: team went from 5% to 20%+ win rates on Enterprise deals in 6 months. His biggest insight: "People are your biggest budget item. Why wouldn't you invest in making them incrementally better?" Stop hoping your SMB reps will figure out Enterprise deals. Start investing in the skills that actually close big deals. PS: The frameworks that worked for Brandon's team are the same ones we use with all our clients. If your team is struggling to go upstream consistently, book a time below to see how this applies to your situation. First, we will start with a diagnostic to see EXACTLY where you’re at before we prescribe anything: https://lnkd.in/ghh8VCaf

Elevate your B2B sales strategy and navigate buyer resistance with finesse using these 11 Key Strategies 🌟: 1. Harness Information Asymmetry - Use your unique insights to educate clients, transforming disparities into trust-building opportunities. 🔍 2. Capitalize on Experience - Share your broad industry interactions to guide decision-making with unmatched knowledge. 📈 3. Master Artful Inquiry - Employ thought-provoking questions to uncover deep client needs, positioning yourself as a consultative partner. 🎣 4. Navigate Outcome Asymmetry - Minimize risk for clients pressured to make high-stakes decisions accurately on their first attempt. 💼 5. Leverage "I Know Something You Don't" - Introduce game-changing information respectfully to align business requirements and overcome barriers. 🗣️ 6. Focus on Value Creation - Shift from transactional to transformative sales conversations, aiding clients in understanding their unique challenges. 🛠️ 7. Counteract Misconceptions with Data - Challenge false assumptions with solid evidence to steer discussions constructively. 📊 8. Share Real-world Experiences - Use personal stories of overcoming challenges to build empathy and demonstrate commitment beyond transactions. 🌍 9. Adopt Educational Selling - Transition from a vendor to an educator, differentiating yourself by building long-term, trust-based relationships. 🎓 10. Seek Specialized Training - Enhance your skills with courses on strategic selling and information disparity, staying ahead of trends. 🏅 11. Engage with Leading Resources - Regularly visit top sales blogs for insights on strategic selling and buyer resistance. 📘 Implement these to transform your approach, focusing on education, information, and advisement for success. 💫

Great takeaways from meeting with Wipro team in NYC yesterday. In B2B sales we tend to focus on results for our client, but really we need to spend more time focusing on our client's customer (customer or employee). Sure, we help a client move to the cloud. That is an approach to what was hopefully a real business issue we were solving. Is the client experience better? Did we save them money so that they could reinvest in their customers and employees? Is their data more secure so their clients, customers, and employees feel safer? Yesterday's meeting was a great example of this approach. We learned so much about Wipro clients and the meaningful impact they are having on their clients customers and employees by the minute (literally!) When selling B2B, I would encourage you to think about the following: 1) Think about the impact on your clients customers/employees. Will there be a better #customerexperience because of the solution you offer? 2) Tell stories of how you helped others create amazing experiences. 3) Be sure you have a hero in the story (it's not you as Randy Vetter likes to remind me). Make your client the hero for their customers and or employees!!

“B2B customers expect the same experience that B2C customers have.” Yes and no. It's commonly said and understood, but the reality is that designing for enterprise customers involves more complexity. While end users desire an intuitive user interface (UI), their purchasing process reveals additional aspects to consider in the overall product experience. Purchasing decisions weigh heavily on the product design. During product discovery, attention is often centered on the system's key advocates and most frequent users. This focus is a solid starting point for developing a strategic approach. Yet, as Maja Voje highlights, the enterprise sales process encompasses a broader range of individuals. (https://lnkd.in/gdD-atHE) She explains that you are most likely selling to DMU, which consists of: ✅ Initiator: first thinks of a purchase ✅ Influencer: influences decision ✅ Gatekeeper: can say no to the decision ✅ Decider: decides what to buy ✅ Buyer: makes the purchase ✅ User: uses or consumes the purchase B2B selling is challenging because your go-to-market (GTM) strategies must address the entire Decision Making Unit (DMU). However, the end user plays a critical role as they can reveal additional, perhaps unexpressed, features and experiences within your app. The champion (or initiator) and the user must be equipped to communicate the product's value directly to the DMU through its features and functionality. This implies that for successful product adoption, it's crucial to integrate certain aspects into the user experience. These include features that demonstrate the product's value, onboarding users, encouraging ongoing usage, and providing ways for users to manage product usage. The changing dynamics within an organization can make understanding the priorities and needs of different buying group members challenging. This variability complicates determining which features to prioritize in the product. To all my product people who are building for enterprise, much love. ❤️ #productdiscovery #productdesign