It's the final Friday of Q3. Good selling to everyone out there working hard to bring in business.
Now on to our B2B Thoughts...
B2B Thought #1: Ch-ch-changes in the seller/buyer relationship
In Nailing Down Evidence That the Nature of the B2B Buyer Has Changed, Adam Needles share his thoughts around the fundamental changes in the B2B buyer/seller relationship. Adam argues that:
| Buyers increasingly set the ground rules on when and where they will engage. Buyers also increasingly turn to trusted third parties for education, not sales people … whom they engage as an almost final stage in their process. This means B2B marketers must focus heavily on ‘getting found,’ nurturing prospects and managing pre-sales buyer dialogue.
This is a critical re-framing of the B2B buyer/seller relationship. Much has been written about how sales and marketing strategy is evolving — becoming more sophisticated via CRM and marketing automation. Yet this is not an asynchronous evolution, and buyers are setting the pace … and getting ahead of sales and marketing organizations. |
Matt here: Adam goes on to lay out evidence in the following areas:
- Buyers turning to online sources
- Increased leveraging of social media
- A multi-channel buying process
- The rise of the savvry buying unit
It's a very good read, and the first attempt (I've seen) to show hard data around the changing buyer/seller relationship. I am really interested in what you think!
B2B Thought #2: The magic of the not-to-do list
Gerhard Gschwandtner of Selling Power wrote a great piece this week on 15 Things Salespeople And Sales Managers Should Put On Their Not-To-Do List. Here is his thought process:
| Think of your to-do list. It takes a lot of work to get things done. Chances are that you are starting the day with 7-10 major action items, and you are lucky if you are able to cross off the first three items by the end of the day. Start a fresh to-do list every day. Don't agonize, prioritize.
The not-to-do list doesn't change every day. This list doesn't take more work on your part; it creates less work for you. It helps you recognize new patterns. It helps you prevent self-defeating actions. Like Michelangelo chipped away all the unnecessary marble from a gigantic block to create a masterpiece, your not-to-do list will bring out the best in you. |
Trish here: great advice. There are 15 tips in each category and I have selected my favorite 5 from each.
5 things salespeople should have on their daily not-to-do list:
- Don't waste time chasing unprofitable leads.
- Don't pretend to listen; stay focused.
- Don't talk about features without explaining the benefits.
- Don't quote price before establishing value.
- Don't lie; build trust.
5 things sales managers should have on their daily not-to-do list:
- Don't make hiring decisions based on your gut instincts alone.
- Don't slip back into the role of the super-salesperson.
- Don't resist change, embrace it.
- Don't reject technology because you don't understand it.
- Don't think that your sales process is perfect; it needs to be renovated all the time.
Great list, huh? But now let's turn the tables around and we want to hear from you. What are your top 2 things you want your sales reps or sales manager to think about on a daily basis?
What should a "To Do" list look like? Thanks for reading. I'm looking forward to your thoughts!
(Photo credit: Tim Yates)