What's your Saturday morning routine?
Coffee? Workout? Yard work? Youth sports? Hobby? A couple hours of needed sleep? Maybe grocery store, dry cleaners, laundry and car wash....
And your prospects'?
Whatever you're doing, know this. Your B2B prospect is busy at work. They're using a few minutes of peace to catch up on social media (that means LinkedIn for most of you) and researching their challenges and opportunities. Depending on your personas they may be using laptops, smartphones, or commonly, tablets.
And they're busy people and critical thinkers who are looking for insight. Provide value first, and according to LinkedIn you're 3/4 of the way to securing a sale!
So your B2B sales growth work during the week needs to ensure that your ideal prospects are finding you (whether they're searching on Saturday morning while you're cutting the grass, Thursday night after an awkward board meeting, or Tuesday on the treadmill); that you're immediately providing them value; and that it's in a form they'll be able to consume.
Three keys to Saturday morning B2B sales growth success
- Get found when they need you - that means long before they're searching for your company, brand or product. That means on Saturday morning when your target prospect asks their magic tablet something like "What's the best way to improve/reduce/simplify XXX business function?" or "How to manage factory turnover from an aging workforce?" or "How to grow B2B sales using digital marketing?" or maybe "Accounting considerations for SMBs considering a recap?" You can imagine the implications to your previously unsuccessful SEO efforts and your product/service focused website...do you honestly expect to popup on searches like that?
- Provide deep-dive insight - It's not good enough to pop up on a search with a lame page that just answers their question in passing. When they land on one of your pages they expect expertise and insight...and if they find it, they expect yet more. It's critically important to offer a convenient way to get more in-depth info (e.g. download our free whitepaper on the topic for more detail.)
- Device agnostic - You may rely on your desktop in the office, but you almost certainly have a laptop for traveling, possibly a tablet and likely a smartphone. You use each device according to different habits and environments. And while you may use commuting time to catch up on news and sports, generally you use all devices for work. So do your prospects! And if you are successful in getting their attention, you'd better ensure that their visit is productive regardless of what device they're using. That requires a responsive website and properly formatted content. And guess what....starting soon Google will use that as a factor in the results they provide to people searching from mobile devices!
"Sounds good, but we're well known and people always call us before they buy"
You might assume that your brand will drive your B2B sales growth. Assuming it's strong, it won't hurt. But let's circle back to that critical stat from LinkedIn.
74% of buyers choose the company that is first to add value as they are defining their buying vision...audiences don't buy your products and services, they buy into your perspective and approach to solving their problems or needs.
That means you've got to be first. Period. And if your prospect is using his tablet on Saturday morning searching for insight, you've got to be found, with thoughtful and pertinent information, which he can easily consume on his tablet.
And then you've got to nurture him appropriately - because no matter how savvy your insight, as soon as he digs into email, heads out to walk the dogs and goes to dinner with his family, you're forgotten. It was an early, informational search. He didn't intend to buy and may or may not bookmark your page. But he'll appreciate your thoughtful insight as he gradually refines his thinking on the challenge. Earn that opportunity to be an ongoing resource by working hard all week so that your digital B2B sales growth assets work hard for you on Saturday morning!
Want to understand how the process could be optimized for your business? Check out or free eBook that details the best approach for B2B manufacturers.
