5 factors of success in B2B selling
In our book, The Collaborative Sale1, my colleague Keith Eades and I looked closely at the behaviors of top performing sales professionals, especially those selling business-to-business (B2B) solutions. We identified how exceptional sellers align with modern buyer preferences, and we described various methods for achieving strong results consistently.
We discovered that, on average, the top 16 percent of salespeople were producing at least half and up to four-fifths of sales in their organizations. We call these salespeople Eagle performers. When we observed Eagles’ behavior, we found they follow distinct patterns which differ from most sellers, whom we call Journeypeople.
Most Journeypeople exhibit different aspects of Eagle behavior, but Eagles do all of them consistently and at a high standard of quality. Here are the five things that modern sellers do to achieve Eagle status in B2B sales.
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Dynamic Buyer-Aligned Sales Process
Eagle performers use a map for success, but one that is flexible and adaptable. They understand who their buyers are, and how they prefer to buy. Eagles then align their sales activity with modern buyer preferences. In other words, they know how to help each buyer buy, in a way that feels comfortable and valuable to that buyer. Eagles use their understanding of buyer preferences to chart an optimum course to a buying decision.
Journeypeople often have a sales process in mind when they engage with potential customers, but their activities do not always align with individual buyer preferences. They differ from Eagles in how they define their engagement process with buyers. They often see success as completion of selling activities: a meeting, a demonstration, a negotiation, a close, etc. This makes it easy for sellers to race ahead of buyers, however, and get out of alignment with their evaluation and purchase process.
Eagles understand that success depends on selecting sales activities that provide value to the buyer and help them to achieve useful outcomes. Their sales process is always buyer aligned. While a Journeyperson may believe that a demonstration is needed to prove the value of capabilities to a buyer (usually because they have been taught to sell that way), an Eagle will be open to alternative activities that may achieve the same result, and select those which are of most value to each specific buyer. Eagles’ sales processes do follow a logical progression to a purchase decision, but they are always tailored to each individual buyer. Eagles’ sales processes are both buyer-aligned and dynamic – this is not always true of Journeypeople.
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Situational Fluency
Modern buyers have high expectations of B2B salespeople. They expect sellers to possess the knowledge, skills and attitude that will help them to identify an optimal solution for their challenges. Eagle performers do this consistently – they demonstrate situational fluency with each buyer.
The elements of situational fluency include:
- Situational knowledge – proficient understanding of buyers’ challenges and opportunities
- Capability knowledge – understanding of the products and services the seller can provide and, more importantly, which ones are best suited to different buyer situations
- Selling skills – the ability to guide buyers to a buying decision
- People skills – the ability to communicate and relate effectively with buyers
- Collaborative attitude – the willingness to engage with buyers as equals and craft an optimal solution with the buyer
Most Journeypeople have been well trained in capability knowledge, and they generally possess good selling skills. As a result, they tend to lead with their products and focus too early on closing business. Eagles, however, use their situational knowledge to understand the buyer first, and then collaborate with them to develop a tailored solution for their specific needs. Eagles’ proficiency in all the elements of situational fluency give them a tremendous advantage in B2B sales opportunities.
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Personal Brand
Eagle performers achieve success in B2B sales by developing their expertise and manifesting this as a personal brand with buyers. Unlike most Journeypeople, Eagles define themselves not only by the products or services they sell, but also by the kinds of value they can help buyers create.
A personal brand helps Eagles to establish a focus for developing their expertise and differentiating themselves from other sellers. Most Journeypeople tend to see themselves merely as a reflection of their company brand. They give little thought to how they can provide buyers with additional value by bringing their own experience and abilities to the table.
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Persistence
Woody Allen once said, “Eighty percent of success in life is just showing up”. In B2B sales, Eagle performers demonstrate a strong work ethic, universally. They not only work hard at doing the right things, they also work smart by doing things right. They do not give up easily. When Eagle sellers find prospective buyers to whom they are convinced they can provide value, they pursue those opportunities persistently. They not only show up, but they do so again and again, until they gain access and engage with buyers.
Journeypeople, however, often demonstrate less persistence, and this reflects on their generally lower level of performance in B2B sales results. When prospecting, for example, Journeypeople may try to establish contact with a potential buyer only a few times before giving up. We observed that Eagles try two to three times more often, on average, than Journeypeople before letting a potential prospect go. Relatively, Eagles are doggedly tenacious in their zeal to help customers.
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Coaching and Development
Eagles value coaching and development. They see ongoing improvement in their knowledge and skills as essential to their continued success. When conducting research for our book, I spoke with one top performing B2B salesperson about their commitment to development. Even though this person produced Eagle results consistently, year after year, he still had regular coaching sessions with his manager and devoted ten days annually to training and personal development.
“At first, I knew nothing, then I learned what I didn’t know,” he told me. “Now, I learn how to learn so I can know things better. Only then can I make a real difference.”
Journeypeople tend to see coaching as useful, but they generally do not take personal development as seriously as Eagles. As a group, they are not as dedicated to expanding their knowledge and sharpening their skills.
Summary
These five factors differentiate top performers from the rest of the pack in B2B sales. The good news is that anyone can learn and apply these behaviors to their own development, if they have the will to do so. Those who do are likely to elevate themselves to Eagle status, in time. All it takes is self-awareness and commitment.
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References:
- Keith M. Eades, Timothy T. Sullivan, The Collaborative Sale: Solution Selling in a Buyer-Driven World, Wiley, 2014
