Business to Business Selling

So many schools of thoughts on business to business selling have surfaced since the 1900's, from the pyramid style selling to the door to door cold calling and prospecting, to the tactical selling and finally, the strategic selling. Wow, so many thoughts and only one goal, closing that sale.

So what do you need to know here? Is it one particular method of selling that would help you succeed? Does your method depend on the client that you're dealing with? Or is it the product or service that you are selling that would dictate the method? Well, if you agree that customers are not alike, then you would agree that each customer requires different approach; however, never forget, you are still dealing with people not machines. You will not press a button and the contract will be signed. So what method do you need? It is not the method, it is the knowledge that you have about your customer that would help you to use the right approach.

In today's market place, your competition spends money to copy your success; you must stay ahead and build a solid business relationship with your customer.

So, what customer do I use what method for? I think that is a reasonable question, and I can tell you, if you are selling a copier contract, you will need less presenting work than if you are selling a long distance service or a hotshot delivery service. So, what is the difference? Well, selling a copier requires knowledge of the machine, features, benefits and warranty. But if you're selling long distance service, you need to know if your customer has out of state business and or International calling and faxing needs. You see, it takes us back to the knowledge about who we're selling to.

When selling a product, you need to:
1. State features, Benefits and warranty
2. Know how does your product stack up against the competition
3. Know why should the customer use your product
4. Develop post contract-signing relations with your customer
When selling services, you need to:
1. Get to know your customer's business
2. Know what kind of relationship your customer has with the competition
3. Know who decides and who influences him from within (you need both on your side).
4. Present your services that are geared to the needs of your customer's business
Remember, there are two fatal mistakes that could shorten your career in sales, promising what you cannot control or deliver and not responding to a customer's need after the sale.