B2B 3: pragmatism sells in B2B

b2b stuff 2

Note from Bruce:

I was recently asked by an interesting B2B company to write some blog posts and new business direct mail thoughts. They were interesting because <a> they wanted to focus on a smarter, more intelligent, level of thinking in their communication <b> they truly had an ‘edge’ to them in terms of attitude, and <c> they were interested in taking on specific objections they hear day in and day out in a candid fashion. It was fun for me and I generated maybe 20 draft thoughts for them in less than 3 days. The following shares my favorites <in rough draft form and the name of the company removed>.

 

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Unlike B2C marketing, effective B2B marketing is pragmatic.

 

 

There is nothing subliminal in effective B2B selling & marketing. You aren’t supposed to “feel it.” You are meant to sense urgency and build trust and, ultimately, create pragmatic value.

 

We at Company X believe people who approach B2B with a consumer perspective get it wrong 2 ways:

 

 

– They define emotion wrong.

 

 

– They define hope wrong.

 

 

Emotion.

 

 

In the consumer world emotion is defined by ‘excitement, surprise, delight & ‘joy of discovery’ and invariably someone with a consumer background will want to discuss ‘creating an emotional connection.’

 

 

In the business world emotion is defined by respect, trust and pragmatic discovery. Yes, there is a pragmatic aspect in emotion. It is most often found in comfort, trust and sleeping well at night.

 

That is called ‘emotional security.’

 

 

 

<selling> … many dimensions, both practical (such as problem solving, the provision of information, and access to events, forums and workshops) and emotional, (including respect, friendship and a sense of partnership).
Individual relationships can be more important than the brand.

 

Millward Brown

 

 

Hope.

 

 

Anyone in marketing, B2B or B2C, is a dealer in hope because any potential customer wants to be better, do better or feel better.

 

 

In the consumer world hope is defined by ‘what if’ – reaching for something better.

 

In the business world hope is defined by ‘what should be’ – reaching for a better level.

 

 

In that distinction resides pragmatism. Any B2B initiative based on ‘what if’ will never be effective because businesses, and business decision makers, don’t seek dreams … they seek results.

 

‘What should be’ delivers upon the realistic hope of any business … better results.

 

 

Lastly.

 

 

Pragmatic selling.

 

 

Many businesses believe no one can ‘sell pragmatically’ unless they are an inside sales person. They are wrong. At its core pragmatism is based on facts, truth and understanding of what it is you are communicating. Nurturing future customers in a long buying process is engineered and not crafted.

 

 

The final sale is between the company and the business that is where the sale is crafted and the partnership is sealed. But ‘selling’ is the purview of those who are well educated in the product or solution and understand when to educate and when to sell <which is based on cues>.

 

Company X understands how to deliver a consistent volume of qualified sales opportunities by communicating pragmatically within the overall buying process.

 

The Company X programs often have the following pragmatic characteristics:

 

• Products or solutions offered in a complex selling environment

 

• Requires multiple decision makers to be engaged

 

• ROI based decision making process

 

• Prospect business intelligence is critical

 

• Subject matter expertise is required for conversion

 

 

Pragmatism leads to consistent sales flow with quality business connections.

 

“… pragmatism sounds boring, but it is not. It is exciting. It is sometimes surprising. It can deliver upon hopes. And it is always enjoyed when it is delivered well, delivered consistently and delivers results.”

 

Company X

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Written by Bruce