Getting to Yes: 5 Keys to Engaging Your Buyers

With so many competing priorities, distractions and daily demands, the attention of your buyers isn’t just divided; it’s fractured. Doing more with less is SOP these days, so engaging buyers during the sales process is more challenging than ever.  Every business is different and relationships are nuanced, but the following five tips can help you engage your buyers and lead them down the road to “yes.”

1. Align Your Solutions with Their Business Goals
Stop. Look. Listen. These elementary school lessons can serve you well when talking with prospects. If you’re pitching your solutions without a deep knowledge of your buyers’ goals and objectives, you’re whistling in the wind. You will lose the interest of the buyer and your credibility will take a major hit. Listen to their needs, then help solve their problems.

2. Use Multiple Channels
Your buyers have more channels to choose from than Comcast. How do you know the right one to use? Answer: You probably don’t. So rather than focusing resources on just one channel of communications, diversify. E-mail is increasingly a clogged (and oftentimes ignored) channel.  A smart Targeted Direct Mail (TDM) campaign can be like a regular sales call to your buyer, and with variable data printing, you can personalize each piece to the interests of your buyer.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) allows you to be where your buyers are looking on the Internet and can be highly effective. Social Media is in its infancy and may not play a role in B2B today, but nobody knows what role it will play in the future. Ignore it at your peril.

3. Identify all Decision Makers and Get them Involved
Remember the equation: involvement = commitment. Get your decision makers involved early and have them assist in the creation of the desired outcome.   The days of a single decision maker are over. More people are involved in the decision making process, and each role has a different need, interest, and buyer persona.  Multiple decision makers are the norm, so get as many of them involved early in the sales process to win them over and get additional buy-in.

4. Uncover Objections or Critical Issues
When you have good rapport with a buyer, an objective dialogue about problems or critical issues will involve them in finding the solution. Many times, the buyer will suggest solutions or ideas you might have missed. Use your creativity to think of new and different ways problems can be solved – even ones unrelated to what you sell. Be the expert who helps solve problems for your buyer and you will be a step closer to “yes.”

5. Keep it Simple and Easy to Say Yes
This should be common sense, but many salespeople get carried away trying to prove their knowledge and are unnecessarily complex.  Solve their problem … then stop. Keeping it simple and easy to do business with you will win more business in the long run.

Develop a Marketing Strategy
Our clients know that the Capital Letters’ approach is strategy, strategy, strategy. When developing a marketing strategy, think like your client: how do they benefit from your products or services? What is the value proposition of your company to them?  Business relationships and the quality of your work will always be the foundations of your business. But promoting your brand and generating leads are the building blocks.  Know your customers. Know how to add value to their business, and develop a strategy to engage them. Engaging your buyer is the key to getting to “yes.”