Karina Collis

Five b2b enterprise sales features
every salesperson
should master

By Karina Collis, July, 2020

Business-to-business sales are about businesses selling different products and services to other companies. (B2B sales are different from business-to-consumer (B2C sales). Read more about the differences here.) But not all businesses are equal, some are just larger and more complex than most. And a specific sales approach goes with that.

Two overlapping circles, one with blue colour, the second one showing a picture of a woman working on her laptop

Five key features of B2B enterprise sales:

1. Professional Decision Making

Larger companies have a purchasing or procurement team made of multiple professionals and experts. So decision making is not one person's decision but the result of a specialist process which requires preparation. You need to up your game.

A man holding a presentation in front of others. On the right side over the picture is a conversation bubble with the word “advice"

You are in front of a team, you need to act professional. Prepare in advance, do your research on the prospect, your competition as well as each of the prospect's team members.

2. The Average Deal Is Larger

The typical B2B sale is larger. More users, more scale, larger sums of money. Don't get overwhelmed by that.

A person holding dollar bills in her hands and counting them. On the right side over the picture is a conversation bubble with the word “advice"

Negotiate price as a package, it will help you to land on higher final number. Your prospect, on the contrary, will want to break it into components to negotiate a smaller price.

3. Fewer Clients

The market is smaller when it comes to business-to-business enterprise sales. There just aren't as many large companies. It doesn't mean there are fewer opportunities to sell big. Look beyond the first tree.

Two men shaking hands. On the right side over the picture is a conversation bubble with the word “advice"

Focus on client retention and upsell. Even if the pool of potential clients is limited, you can win by maximising value of every existing relationship.

4. The Sales Cycle is Long

The larger the deal the longer and more complicated the sales cycle. Internal politics slow down decision-making processes. A B2B enterprise sale can take months, sometimes years. Don't be impatient.

A hand working on the construction of a plan. On the right side over the picture is a conversation bubble with the word “advice"

Develop a Mutually Agreed Plan (MAP) together with your client and establish deadlines. The plan will help you advance the conversation and identify and tackle potential roadblocks and delays.

5. Multiple Stakeholders Involved

B2B enterprise sales involve numerous stakeholders: technical, financial, commercial, you name it. Everyone has their own interest and brings their own perspectives to the table. Don't get spooked by the complexity it adds to the process.

Notes on a pinboard. On the right side over the picture is a conversation bubble with the word “advice"

Identify all the stakeholders, establish one-on-one communication with them and tailor the benefits of your proposal to match interests and goals of every single decision maker. You want to get as many supporters of your solution as possible.

B2B enterprise sales are hard and complex but they happen every day. Just remember that B2B enterprise sales is like politics: there is no final decision that happens by accident.

Do you want to gain more insights on how to successfully close more deals? Check out our other articles with useful tips that will help you:

>> 5 sales insights to take your sales tactics to the next level - JULY

>> 66 questions to navigate a sales process and to close any sale fast

>> Top 10 B2B prospecting tools that will help to achieve more with less

We offer bespoke sales workshops and personalised coaching that cover: sales framework, sales process, sales pitch, strategic selling and many other sales topics.

Sales people who receive continuous training show
50% higher sales rates.

Please contact at karina@liinea.com

Follow us on Linkedin for more sales insights

Sign up
to join our start-ups community and learn about new sales and marketing insights

Five b2b enterprise sales features every salesperson should master