B2b sales have gone remote, and if you’re B2B sales professional you may be facing a few challenges in this new environment. One of which is how to differentiate yourself from competitors, who may even be using the exact same digital tools.
This is a common challenge for sales professionals, who may be using the exact same tools as competitors. For example, both you and your competitor may be using the same, standard application to hold remote sales meetings, with a format and look that’s virtually indistinguishable from the prospect’s own, internal meetings. Which, in turn, means that your customer may have hard time telling your products or services apart, and you risk losing the sale.
It’s not just the tools that can be the same, but the technique you use may also be very, very close to the one your competitors are employing. You may, for example, approach a prospect in the same way as another actor in your industry; may use similar, standard material and sales pitches and may follow up in a similar manner. A fact that also complicates things when it comes to looking, and feeling, different from others.
Differentiating yourself when everything looks the same
There are a few ways to differentiate yourself and give your customer or prospect a customized experience that can’t be mistaken for any other actor in the industry. A recent Forbes Council article, for example, underlines that the “solution…lies in sales enablement”, and that investing in a few key sales-enablement areas can really make a huge difference in this new environment. Where they also suggest a few key areas to consider – including both sales tech and sales techniques – and where we’ve handpicked and developed upon a few especially relevant points.
- Include Marketing and product in the work your sales teams do. This way, they can help create the experience the customer or prospect will have, and can be available for any customer questions that they are better equipped to answer. In other words, it’s a great idea to have different functions working together to close the sale with the help of the proper sales tech. Which could, for instance, be done with SP_CE, where these functions can collaborate and create cool showrooms customized for a particular industry or customer, and where the right people across functions can seamlessly be invited to run or present in a customer call. A solid way to differentiate your brand from the first meeting and on.
- Build relationships by finding and using relevant insights: The Forbes Council article notes that “Organizations must have the capability to provide their sellers with the insight that brings a true understanding of the needs, challenges and aspirations of key accounts”. I.e. you need to find ways to gather the data you need to customize your offering or presentations according to customer needs. With SP_CE you can actually do this seamlessly and automatically, as every customer interaction in a given space can be viewed by the sales rep – giving them some great intel to go on.
- Add a human touch to your sales process: The Forbes article explains that “in a world of digital selling, it is the personal relationships that will become a differentiator”, which we happen to think is very true and super important. This can mean to use the abovementioned data you’ve gathered to present a curated presentation that tackles the specific pain points of a certain prospect, being authentic in your interactions, and acting as a collaborator who help the prospect on their journey. If you’re using SP_CE you could, for example, do this by tweaking your content according to the data you’ve gathered from previous interactions, using collaboration tools like Miro in meetings, and building a customer relationship over a long time with a clear process and timeline available for both you and the customer.
In short, there is a need to differentiate yourself from competitors, and even more so in the world of remote sales. Where you can beneficially choose a meeting platform that allows you to hold professional meetings, with your brand featured in every touchpoint, and tweak both look and technique to show just why you’re a better choice than your competition.
Do you want to know how SP_CE can help you differentiate yourself from your competitors, and how you can keep your brand identity throughout customer interactions? Book a demo with one of our Remote Sales Experts, or check out our Remote Sales Hub for more relevant resources and inspiration.
