When it comes to B2B sales, the sales process is longer and more complex than in B2C, the services more complex, and the B2B buyers are more ‘rational’ and long-term than consumers. This all points to the fact that personalisation, which could be more elaborately termed ‘building personal relationships and sculpting individualised purchasing experiences’, is a key to B2B sales, and in 2024, the significance has never been more pronounced. According to McKinsey, today’s fastest growing companies drive 40% of their revenue through sales personalisation efforts! From prospecting to closing deals, personalisation serves as the cornerstone of effective sales strategies, enabling businesses to forge meaningful connections, tailor experiences, and ultimately drive revenue growth. But what does personalisation mean, beyond writing a first name on the subject line of a cold email? And how can personalisation work through each stage of the B2B sales process?
Prospecting:
Personalisation fundamentally transforms the prospecting phase of B2B sales by enabling businesses to precisely target and engage potential clients. In 2024, advanced data analytics and AI-driven algorithms empower sales teams to decipher intricate patterns of customer behaviour, preferences, and pain points. Leveraging this wealth of information, businesses can craft hyper-personalised outreach campaigns that resonate with the unique needs of each prospect.
Whether through tailored email sequences, customised social media interactions, or personalised content offerings, B2B sales teams can establish rapport and credibility from the outset. For instance, leveraging personalised video messages addressing specific pain points or industry challenges can capture the attention of prospects and set the stage for meaningful conversations. Indeed, buyers have now come to expect a personalised experience - as McKinsey points out, 71% of consumers anticipate some kind of personalised interaction in the sales process. Demonstrating a deep understanding of the prospect's business landscape, personalisation done the right way can build the foundations of long-term relationships. Done poorly, prospects may feel anonymous, and actually be put-off by having their name used in marketing copy.
Nurturing and Engagement:
As prospects progress through the sales funnel, personalisation continues to play a pivotal role in nurturing relationships and sustaining engagement. Personalised account-based marketing (ABM) strategies enable businesses to curate bespoke experiences for key stakeholders within target accounts. By aligning messaging and content with the specific pain points and objectives of each decision-maker, B2B sales teams can drive consensus and streamline the buying process.
Moreover, providing segmented customer experiences affords better understanding of the customer, and in turn utilising this data to better serve the customer using techniques such as interactive chatbots, AI-driven email sequences, and personalised website experiences.
Closing Deals:
In the final stages of the sales cycle, personalisation emerges as a decisive factor in driving conversions and closing deals. By leveraging predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms, B2B sales teams can anticipate when a buyer might be surging and tailor their approach accordingly. In 2024, intelligent sales enablement platforms empower representatives with real-time insights and recommendations, enabling them to personalise pitches and address objections effectively.
Furthermore, interactive pricing models and personalised negotiation frameworks allow businesses to adapt to the unique preferences and constraints of each prospect. Prospects are typically already more than halfway through the decision-making process when they reach out and the decision-making process is increasingly long and complex and features many key interests, sometimes in different departments. By offering flexible payment options, customised service packages, and value-added incentives, B2B sales teams can be allowed to be adaptive and flexible with clients’ wishes.
Post-Sale Engagement:
Even after the deal is closed, personalisation continues to drive value by nurturing post-sale relationships and fostering advocacy. In 2024, CRM platforms equipped with advanced predictive analytics capabilities enable businesses to anticipate customer needs and deliver proactive support and guidance. Through personalised onboarding processes, targeted training resources, and proactive account management, B2B organisations can maximise customer lifetime value and drive referrals.
Buyers are far more likely to make repeat purchases from brands that provide personalised, relevant offers. In the era of subscription-based models and recurring revenue streams, personalised retention strategies are paramount in safeguarding long-term profitability and sustainable growth.
Caveats:
Despite all these obvious benefits of further personalisation, and the vast improvement it can bring to many a buyer’s experience, individuals are increasingly wary of giving away their data, and may be negatively influenced by hyper-personalised sales messaging. One study indicated that around 40% of buyers do not prefer their data to be used.
Personalisation has emerged as a linchpin in the realm of B2B sales, reshaping how businesses identify, engage, and retain clients in 2024. But initiating sales with wide-ranging prospects and personalising each is very time-consuming, which is why organisations are unlocking new competitive advantages by harnessing data-driven insights and well-trained AI to do the dog’s work and chase leads, freeing capacity to grow.
Super Benji has this advantage. He is highly personalised, both to your distinctive message tone of voice, and to your prospects, and has been trained to anticipate the best time to engage a prospect based on their own activity. Benji identifies opportunities like only an augmented intelligence could, before drafting decisive communications trained in your dialect, and perfecting with feedback.
If you’re tired of scrolling LinkedIn and messaging prospects generic outreach in the hope they buy, let Super Benji can sniff out leads and proposition them, when the time is right, and in your tone.
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