The overall understanding of the B2B sales funnel is extremely important. It’s a useful tool for visualizing each prospects journey from their initial awareness all the way to their loyalty and retention. Some businesses’ sales funnels look slightly different than others in the sense that their sales cycle is much longer and includes more nurturing along the way.
There is one thing that each business has in common when it comes to their B2B lead generation funnel system, and that is the importance of fresh leads and the need to keep their funnel full. Below are four way to improve your top of the funnel sales activity.
Differentiation
What is it that sets your B2B business apart from your competitors? Start with the simple question, “Why?”
Why do you do what you do?
Simon Sinek said it best during his famous Ted Talk, “People don’t buy ‘what’ you do, they buy ‘why’ you do it.” This is something that brands like Apple and Nike have perfected over the years showing that, when your brand is truly and meaningfully differentiated, it works as a magnet to attract new customers.
Outbound B2B Marketing
Unlike Inbound Marketing where prospects find you, Outbound Marketing is a great way for you to explore new verticals and find them. Talking to your potential prospects over the phone, at seminars, and/or trade shows are all great ways to introduce yourself and start to build an initial relationship.
Related Post: How to Follow Up With Trade Show or Conference Leads
Don’t Deep Dive
By this we mean, keep it simple. The top of your sales funnel should be full of people either aware of or considering your products/services. This is not the place to be aggressive and sell sell sell. Allow your leads to be nurtured throughout the funnel at an appropriate rate.
Online Presence
This fourth and final piece is extremely crucial for the success of every B2B business today. We’re currently living in an era where everything is being able to be found online and it’s almost always the first step someone makes in their initial discovery.
Make sure your website stays up to date and is user friendly, engage with others on social media, share your content through blog posts, encourage employees and customers to advocate to help attract new followers and leads alike!
Related Post: How Digital Marketing Can Help Your B2B Lead Generation Strategy
Once you’ve mastered the above, you’ll be in a great position to keep your funnel full with new leads!
Are you following up with your inbound leads as quickly as you need to?
Using our expertise in lead generation and sales, we’ve tested several strategies in our own business and on behalf of our clients. Across the board, we found that the ideal inbound lead follow-up strategy requires 2 things:
Urgency in response
Commitment to sales cadence if the prospect does not immediately answer
In this download, you’ll receive:
A successful sample sales cadence to get in touch with your leads
Details on WHY this works and how it helps your company drive more business.