The Death Of Demand

Generation

Branding >> Buzz >>

Business Outcomes

B2B Sales Process Now●What Has Changed● Social Selling ●Key Takeaways ●

The Good Old Days

B2B Buyer Journey

Image Courtesy :B2B Marketing Directions

Awareness – Information Gathering Evaluation Selection

The Traditional B2B Sales Process

Research• Database Creation of

"Suspect Universe"

Initial Contact• First contact for

awakening interest

First Meeting• F2F or Remote –

Detailed communication of “Value Proposition”

Follow Thru’• Establish if a “Need”

exists and that you can address that “Need”

Bid Preparation• Submit your technical

/ commercial proposal, Objection handling, Negotiations

Customer Acquisition• Contract Signup,

Project Kick-off, Timelines etc.

Customer Retention• Build Ongoing

relationship with customer

Change Is In The Air

80% B2B Buyers confirm taking more time to research & 82% view more sources

53% of them said Social Media played a role in their purchase decision

52% viewed 2 – 4 pieces of content before making a decision and a further 28% viewed 5 – 7 pieces of content

83% of B2B Marketers use content marketing for lead generation

81% of businesses report their blog as “useful” or “critical” to B2B Lead Generation

65% of companies acquired B2B customers through LinkedIn in 2013……………..

(All stats from CMI & 2015 B2B Buyers Survey Report by DemandGen Report)

The Tale Of The Tape

No one likes to be sold to – everyone likes to Buy

Better informed prospects - sales person no longer the sole controller of information

Level playing field – your content as likely as anyone else’s to be “found” Answer the Qs. your target audience has

Direct access to decision makers Engage first on social media & prove

your credentials – warmer connection

What Has Changed?

Brave New B2B Marketing World

Shifting Sales / Marketing Boundary

Social Media Habits of B2B Decision Makers

The Dawn Of The Social Selling Era

Create a perception of your B2B brand on social media that reflects your positioning Social Media Strategy Find and engage with communities

of your target customers – it’s a conversation▪ For example: LinkedIn groups

Leverage Content Build an “Inbound” engine

Your customers will likely find you before you find them Your content has to do the talking

for youEngage with your customers at

their level – answer their questions

Your customers ARE on social media – don’t let anyone tell you different

Have a strategy for the long term

If You Retain Anything At All….

It’s Really That Simple!

Image Courtesy: Boomity

14

Thank You!

Sanjeev.n@i-midastouch.com@sanjeevnambudir

)