In B2B sales, the difference between success and struggles lies in the efficiency and effectiveness of the sales cycle.
A well-crafted B2B sales process separates a steady stream of closed deals from a frustratingly long pipeline of stalled opportunities.
We will drive you into the essential elements of the B2B sales cycle, explore common obstacles that can prolong the process, and pass proven strategies to shorten your dynamics.
Understanding the B2B Sales Cycle
The B2B sales cycle refers to the step-by-step process that a business goes through to acquire a new customer, who usually represents an entity.
The worst way to start is by email-spamming randomly, and there are lots of bad examples.
B2B sales typically include lead generation, prospect qualification, proposal creation, follow-up & predefined journeys, negotiation, and ultimately, the sale itself.
How long should a B2B sales cycle be?
The duration of a B2B sales cycle varies depending on factors such as the product or service complexities, the size of the target organization, and the decision-making process involved.
Generally, B2B sales cycles last a few weeks to several months.
What the B2B selling process should look like
An effective B2B sales process is a structured, repeatable framework that guides your team. Typically includes the following key steps:
1. Prospecting and Lead Generation: Identifying and qualifying potential customers who fit your ideal buyer profile. In B2B, also identifying the buying committee is crucial.
There are online tools to gather sufficient information about potential individuals that match demographics, firmographics, or interests due to known business problems.
2. Initial Contact and Qualification: Connecting with the prospect, assessing their needs, and determining if they fit your offering well.
If you rush to pitch your offer, there is a high probability that the prospect will reject your initial contact, even when they need your solution.
3. Proposal and Negotiation: Crafting a tailored proposal and working with the prospect to address any concerns or objections. Follow-ups are mandatory.
4. Closing the Deal: Signing the agreement and onboarding the new customer. Project kickoff is the usual term for the stage where you two start working together.
5. Post-Sale Support and Retention: Providing exceptional customer service and nurturing the client to drive repeat business and referrals.
Common reasons for prolonged B2B Sales Cycles
While an efficient B2B sales cycle is essential for business growth, several mistakes often lead to drawn-out sales processes and missed opportunities.
The following factors can contribute to a sluggish sales cycle:
Manual proposal creation
Creating custom proposals for each prospect leads to unnecessary delays. Instead, productivize your services. Wrap them up and tag them with a price. It is wasteful to keep polishing details.
The differences among implementations can be priced per hour, platforms, etc. Just draw a base price (hook) plus add-ons. The proposal will be the same for all clients.
Delayed follow-up
Failing to follow up with prospects promptly can result in lost momentum and missed opportunities to advance the sales process.
We used to generate leads for a client, but this person refused to call them immediately. That hurts the business.
The related mistake is that sales reps give up too early. We recommend 10-12 valuable follow-ups using different formats and channels.
Complex decision-making process
Purchase decisions often involve multiple stakeholders, each with concerns, which can slow the decision-making process.
When you dig into the needs and wants, you must address what holds the target from reaching their desires.
In that way, you put yourself into other shoes.
Inefficient process
Outdated or inefficient proposal creation can hamper your team’s ability to respond quickly.
This problem arises when customized proposals include different departments or specialists. So, getting deep details demands expertise that sales reps don’t possess.
Lack of clear value
If your prospect clearly understands the value that your product or service provides to them, they will move forward with the sale.
Suggestion: forget about your urgency to close the deal. Start by listening carefully to what the prospect wants, and reframe your attitude to serve customers even when your offer isn’t the best. Anyway, they’ll choose you because you care.
Lack of interactive features
Static, text-heavy proposals can fail to engage prospects and demonstrate the full capabilities of your offering. Develop demos with their data, products, name, and branding.
Pay a Loom subscription or record locally and send a YouTube private video link. Don’t use an unknown file transfer or video service.
To succeed in this task, explain what the current process/tool allows the operators to do and the advantage of your solution. Simple, like faster load times or fewer clicks to complete operations.
Lack of urgency
With no urgency or a compelling reason to act, prospects may delay or postpone their purchasing decision. But don’t fake it, or you’ll lose their trust.
To sell marketing services, you cannot frame urgency by saying “BUY NOW” or “Prices will go up.” Instead, use touchpoints that hurt their current performance levels.
For example: “Case study: how [competitor’s name] increased their web traffic by 17% ONLY this quarter”. For sure, the copy aims to hit pain points and exacerbate FOMO (fear of missing out) due to slow-adoption issues.
Another way to plant a seed is by finding security breaches and exploiting the fear to foster direct action. Let’s pretend that I sell robotic process automation (RPA) software. I’d prove how easy to hack Modbus is.
You will read my case study if you are in charge of a plant with a software control and data acquisition (SCADA) network. That approach will resonate in their heads like Hey, mitigate the risks of an imminent attack. You are likely to be vulnerable. It’s just a matter of time for you to notice it.
If you hit their triggers, they’ll receive your message. They will consume several touchpoints created in order if planned.
Strategies to Shorten B2B Sales Cycles
To combat these common challenges and streamline your B2B sales process, consider implementing the following ideas:
Conduct Market Research
Thoroughly understand your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), what they love to do, what they hate the most, and their fears depending on their demographics and psychographics. Sure, firmographics first.
By the way, people like examples a lot. What about you? Examples help to get a grasp on hidden details.
So, put yourself for a minute in the shoes of a Ukranian businessman at fifty-something. What does that person fear the most? Can you build rapport with somebody under that pressure?
And most importantly, is your social media displaying you (we mean 🫵 you) as a trustable source of information to help him overcome those obstacles? What about achieving their goals?
Now, change that person to an American in their mid-thirties. Everything changes from one person to the other, and so should your tactics.
Is your motivation how much you will pocket from a sale? Wherever your force comes from, find pain points and revise your angles to tailor your approach so you can frame your proposal correctly.
Determine your ideal Buyer Persona
Develop a detailed profile of your most valuable customers to focus your prospecting and lead-generation efforts on the right individuals.
Cluster your suspects or pre-candidates to become prospects. Use AI-powered tools. With sufficient context, don’t send the same cold email to everyone. Tailor the intro/icebreaker section depending on past roles.
Another example is selling POS (point of sale) software to fast-food chains.
For those decision-makers who worked for cybersecurity firms, include their jargon like OWASP’s. Why? OWASP sets the standards for risk mitigation.
If committee members have a marketing background, reframe your proposal against those long lines we hate when only craving a cheap ice cream from a franchise.
In all cases send different email subjects with a Problem-Agitate-Solution (PAS) framework. Storytelling can solidify the icebreaker or intro section.
Map out the Buyer’s Journey
Analyze all steps to make a purchasing decision and optimize your sales process to align needs and expectations.
You produce overalls made from hemp. They’re water-resistant but also anti-static. You can design lots of content pieces using different formats to:
- Those unaware of what hemp is
- Those who hate static discharges
- Those who love clean work clothing
- Those who need my product constantly
- Those who care for their workers’ skin health
If you can imagine a big funnel, depending on your prospect’s level of:
- Problem awareness
- Solution awareness
- Product awareness
You could force them to consume those content pieces (named touchpoints), so they move from the top of the funnel (TOFU) to the middle (MOFU) or get to become marketing qualified (MQL) at the bottom of that funnel (BOFU).
What a bunch of crazy acronyms, huh?
Well, they make us feel like we are on the same page. 🥂 To marketers!
Qualify Leads
When you launch a PPC (pay-per-click) campaign, qualified and unqualified viewers will interact with your ads.
Implement a lead-qualification process to ensure you’re dedicating your resources to the most promising opportunities.
How do you eat that? Use an incredibly valuable lead magnet that only attracts your target.
You receive a lead through a Meta Ads campaign – double opt-in to mark it as a valid inbox with a click on the confirmation email.
That lead will receive SMS messages, calls, files, and emails. There will be links to online resources. And all those clicks mean something to your sales system.
You plant cookies in the browser (for retargeting PPC campaigns), use pixels in the website, activate server-side tracking, mark leads in your CRM platform, and trigger lead-scoring rules or automation scenarios.
Then, since you have those touchpoints mapped out to match TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU stages, you could deduce who’s more likely to accept an invite to a demo or a coaching session.
But let’s imagine that the lead declined the invitation. A couple of days later, you’d send them a free resource for credit calculation and inform them what choices have those near the credit score you want.
I’d send follow-up touchpoints in a multi-channel strategy until I collected sufficient information about that lead to discard them. However, I would give reasons and opportunities to qualify for my product or service. And that’s an almost unattended process.
You won’t hire 200 sales reps to call all leads all day. It’s not worth the investment. Focus your resources on qualified audiences. And if they aren’t qualified nurture them for months.
Meet Face-to-Face
I can’t stress this enough: you are a human being, not a brand. Perhaps you represent one, but you will communicate with another person. Humans need face-to-face interactions to know, like, and trust others.
So, arrange in-person meetings or video calls to build stronger relationships with your prospects, addressing their concerns more effectively. Empathizing with specific moments of their lives, you can become trusted by them.
And with verbal and non-verbal signals, you can build rapport and even topic authority. You don’t need to become friends with everyone, but you need respect from your audience.
Watch your backing behind your face when you turn your camera on. That also communicates a lot in your calls.
Close the deal
What is the #1 reason sales reps don’t close deals? They don’t ask for the business! They’re afraid of being rejected. They panic to close deals! YES! Horrific!
Since I’m not a psychologist, I recommend you develop a structured, repeatable approach to the closing process, including objections handling, and guide the prospect to a final decision.
A sales framework. That’s it. You don’t script all your conversations but must craft sales scripts. Humans sabotage themselves, and your sales reps are not the exception.
If the prospect’s not ready, doesn’t trust you, or the pain isn’t BIG enough. It’s your fault, but you never discard the prospect at this stage.
We better move forward, enough with the examples.
Track results and improve
How many leads did you receive in your last PPC campaign? How many of them became marketing qualified leads (MQL)? Did the sales team qualify them? How many?
Let’s say you had 200 leads, but 100 were just curious. From those remaining 100 leads, 50 asked for a trial or demo session, and 40 had the budget to purchase your proposal.
You had 40 prospects and dedicated your sales team to follow up with the 40 prospects. Half of them were willing to close a deal with you. However, only 10 of them became your clients.
If those numbers don’t mean a problem, you need our help. Soon.
The recommendation is to continuously monitor your sales cycle metrics, identify areas for improvement, and make adjustments to refine your sales process over time.
You address problems one at a time. You record the calls, review them, improve the scripts, train your staff, create better touchpoints, identify those meaningful ones, and keep measuring your numbers against the benchmarks you decide. It’s your business.
Tips for Successful B2B Sales
You may be doing OK in B2B sales. But if you want growth, increase your team velocity, close rate, appointment setting rate, fill your pipeline, etc, consider incorporating the following practices into your B2B sales formula:
Be likable, but remember: you’re not trying to be your prospect’s best friend
Develop a friendly, personable rapport with your prospects, but maintain a professional distance and focus on their business needs.
If they don’t trust you, they won’t buy from you. You may have a lot of crazy friends. And some are lazy or at least unprofessional. They can be your friends, not your providers.
Sell yourself
Convey your expertise, credibility, and trustworthiness to build confidence in your ability to deliver the desired outcome.
Use social proof. Past clients are your best asset for closing new deals. Trust me.
Ask for referrals
Satisfied customers can be a powerful source of new leads, so take a helper approach and provide the best customer support money can pay.
So don’t hesitate to ask for introductions to their professional networks. But you ask for it at the peak of their excitement or when they start seeing results.
You call them, visit them, or prepare a tiny gift (avoiding your marketing materials).
Be an expert on your craft
You’re the expert. If not, bring the expert to the call or meeting. Thoroughly understand your offering, its features, and how it solves your prospects’ problems.
Sometimes, prospects ask for ridiculous features. They’re gauging your confidence and expertise in how much you know them.
I recommend practicing your proposal’s weaknesses. Don’t avoid those questions.
Teach them about what you do better than anyone else.
Focus on improving Lead Targeting
Refine your prospecting efforts to focus on the most qualified leads when you actively reach out to them rather than casting a wide net.
Nonetheless, PPC ads must be mainly broad to allow algorithms to play the main notes in your leads party, at least in the learning phase.
To improve your targeting using broad audiences starts with a combination of AI help, server-side tracking, and exclusions/negative keywords to avoid unwanted crowds.
Laser-focus picky audiences affect the campaign’s performance. A lot!
Subscribe to your prospect’s content
Stay up-to-date on their industry, pain points, and priorities by consuming their blog posts, newsletters, and social media content.
You will find more qualified leads as you become one of them and view their problems from their strengths, constraints, and limitations.
Skip straight to the real decision-makers
Whenever possible, work to connect with individuals with purchasing power within the organization.
Search for ambassadors, advocates, those who introduce your offer to buyers, and also in-house experts who will evaluate how convenient your proposal is.
But decision-makers will play a crucial role in your goal.
Sell actual business results and outcomes
You profit from your activity, and so does your target. Your target is in the same game you are.
Shift the conversation away from product features and focus on the tangible benefits and ROI your solution can provide. Avoid the fluff: no smoke and mirrors.
Be crystal clear about your value proposition
Clearly articulate how your product or service uniquely solves your prospect’s most pressing challenges.
Don’t be a Jack of all trades. Focus on what you do well.
Stand behind your premium pricing
If your offering is priced higher than the competition, be prepared to justify the added value it delivers.
We charge more than close competitors but only collect the money after delivering the results. Whether you hire us on a retainer or performance-based, we fulfill our agreement month after month.
There’s a saying for it: we put our money where our mouth is. We keep our promises.
Dig deep to discover more challenges
When you understand your prospect’s pain points, goals, and decision-making process, you tailor a better sales approach.
You can also upsell and cross-sell, help your clients, and make them repeatedly buy from you if they can trust you and your solutions work great for them.
Keep your emotions in check
Your product is probably like any of the similar prices already available. Assuming that your product is better puts you in a difficult stage for B2B sales.
Avoid getting defensive or emotional when addressing objections. Instead, maintain a calm, professional attitude. Listen to the arguments and delay your response for at least a minute.
The best way to keep control is by repeating what the prospect said, using their terms. Respectfully ask for confirmation before saying anything.
Don’t win any discussion. Instead, win more deals. Do not make enemies, but turn them into clients, allies, and partners, or respect their point of view. You might agree with them, eventually.
Give up to three options in your B2B proposals
Provide your prospects with a premium, mid-tier, and entry-level offering. That will give them a sense of choice and control. Most will pick the “Popular choice” in the middle.
You can make the Premium package so expensive -yet valuable- that they dream of having you near their business.
The lowball offer will have most features as optional and charged as included in the service. Make it a no-brainer.
Finally, with the strategies and best practices, you’ll be well on your way to optimizing your B2B sales cycle and driving more revenue.
That’s the game that we are all in. Are you up for this?