If you are selling B2B (Business to Business) or B2C (Business to Consumers), many sales experts or gurus generate lots of revenue for their own businesses by pinpointing all the differences between the two. From my perspective, there is no difference because as Zig Ziglar said so eloquently:
Sales is the transference of feelings.
What you will notice there is no qualifying phrase such as "for only B2B." Whether you are selling B2B or B2C the transference of feelings is present so there is really no difference.
Maybe it is from this transference that many years ago the Madison Avenue advertising types came up with this very short and effective marketing model, AIDA, to enhance that realization. The AIDA model contained four very specific marketing strategies.
Attracting Attention
Exciting Interest
Developing Desire
Action, Call to
Regardless if you are selling B2B or B2C, these four strategies must be present to start the sales process, which is also the beginning of the decision buying process.
All this hype about B2B being different that B2C reminds me about this well worn out and completely inaccurate motto:
There is no I in team.
Bull feathers! Teams are made of individuals who work collectively work together to greater results. Without the individual effort of each team member no results would happen. The difference between individuals working alone and individuals working together is a matter of efficient and effective leadership coordinating, reinforcing and supporting all the efforts of ALL individuals so that Together Everyone Achieves More.
Human beings are still human beings. And this remains true in either selling or buying arena in their roles as potential customers or prospects. They have wants (desires) or needs. They have reasons why it is important to achieve those wants and needs and also have reasons to avoid failure for not securing those same wants and needs.
What is also the same in the B2B or B2C marketplace is the presence of challenges or obstacles. Until these obstacles or challenges are identified and then potentially resolved, the buying decision will not be made.
So marketing and selling B2B or B2C is not different. What I have come to learn these past few years is there are three fundamental elements present in all interactions regardless of the industry, marketplace or products or solution.
The first element is the three basic buying rules. Now there maybe more, but these three are always present even if they are subconscious to either the buyer or the salesperson.
Buying Rule #1 - People buy from people they know and trust. Even in the simplest buying decision such as purchasing from the local grocery store, people buy because they trust the store to be clean, for the people to be cordial, etc. They may not like everyone who waits on them, but as long as they know they are not being cheated and they trust the store's products to be safe relatively speaking, they will continue to buy from that store.
Buying Rule #2 - People buy first on emotion then justify it with logic. Returning to the everyday grocery shopping trip. People read the advertisements and buy on the emotion of saving money for their most favorite products especially if they can double coupons or buy on what color box speaks to them. Talk about an emotional tornado. In some cases they will use those emotions to justify going to 2 or more different stores to secure the most savings even though their other resources of time, energy and dollars might have been drained.
Buying Rule #3 - People buy on value unique to them. Grocery stores are a great example of displaying unique value. Through branding, some people will only buy a certain soap brand or dairy product. Those folks believe the value of that item is well worth the cost even it is exceeds the price of the same item sitting right next to it on the shelf. The old adage a penny saved is a penny earned comes to mind and is far more about value (earning) than the actual saved pennies.
Now the second element is there are only five obstacles or sales objection categories or buckets. For it is the presence of these five sales objections that will derail any sale be it B2B or B2C.
Sales Objection #1 - You. If you are not bought as a someone who can be known or trusted, then earning that sale will be far more difficult. The challenge is to place a lid over this bucket so no reasons not to buy you enter this bucket. Sales Training Coaching Tip: By the objection never entering any bucket, it cannot grow and become even larger than when it was initially deposited.
Sales Objection #2 - Your company. Who you are is important and the company you represent is part of who you are. This is why it is the second sales objection.
Have you ever been asked either of these two questions?
Do you buy from the company you work for?
How many referrals have you made to the company you work for?
If you do not believe in your company whether it is to make a purchase or to make a referral, what does that say about your company? Potential customers or prospects can pick up on your belief in your company.
The objection to your company may also travel down a second path of non-belief. Here is where having testimonials to any other documentation can be of great assistance. With people buying from people they know and trust, using others to build credibility about your company helps to overcome this second sales objection. Putting a lid on this bucket may be just as simple as sharing the values of your organization in a "brag" book or similar related marketing material.
Sales Objection #3 - Your products or services. With the plethora of products and services in today's global marketplace, this can be a serious sales objection. However if you have followed all the buying rules and built the lids to cover the first two sales objection buckets, then this helps to reduce actual sales objections. Additionally, if you are experiencing this obstacle you may not have qualified your prospect or potential customer as well as you should have.
Sales Objection #4 - Your price. Possibly you noticed that this is the fourth sales objection and that is intentional. In many cases price surfaces as a reason not to buy and this is really a disguise because somewhere along the buying decision making process, you blew it. Here is where understanding return on investment and totally embracing Buying Rule #3 can only help you be successful to achieving your goal to increase sales.
Sales Objection #5 - Your delivery. The reason is this is the last bucket is because it ranks last in relevance to the other buckets, but this does not suggest it is not important. Some important sales have been lost to ignoring this sales objection. To place a lid on this may happen very early in your conversations when you listen to the urgency of the want or need.
The final element is the sales process of the sales person. This process may look different for each salesperson. However the key here is alignment to the other two elements.
Imagine for a moment an inverse three-sided pyramid or a three-legged stool. The sides or the legs are the elements. At the base of the pyramid or in seat of the stool is where the potential customer sits and can quickly fall off when the sides or legs shift in their alignment. Your goal no matter if the prospect is B2B or B2C is to keep them sitting.
Now if you wish you can continue to believe all that hype about selling B2B is different than selling B2C. Or you can consider changing your paradigm and realize that people buy from people and it is the buying decision that makes these two sales experiences the same.
