Is There Any Way of Closing Deals Faster? [Part II]

Closing Deals Faster Requires Your Sales and Marketing Alignment to be Tuned for Performance.

This post will discuss closing deals faster and is part of a series to help B2B organizations improve sales and marketing cooperation.

Part one was about ensuring you have the right information to start. In part two, you’ll learn how to use the hand-to-hand combat required for the B2B sales teams and executives to close deals.

What do you do with struggling salespeople or sales teams? It vexes corporations, start-ups, sales managers, and CEOs.

It’s hard to know when to pull the trigger on removing underperforming sales reps when it could be that the staff needs a little guidance, encouragement, or training to get back on track.

A little professional nudge in the right direction is a more economical choice over the time-consuming and expensive process of hiring replacement sales reps.

Many sales professionals would rather give their struggling salespeople a chance to improve and improve their results to company standards.

 In this article, Part II of my three-part series, I shall share an approach I know will work after over 20 years in enterprise sales (including a start at IBM), provided you apply it consistently.

The approach I am about to describe to close deals faster can ensure success for any company with decent (i.e., not necessarily exceptional) product offerings in a relevant product or service category (i.e., not necessarily a recognized hot category).

Furthermore, I will make the following assertion: Unless your company is a bona fide leader in an established, growing product category, every time you lead with your product (as most software vendors still do), I can assure you that you are likely to fail in today’s market.

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The Importance of Sales and Marketing Alignment in a Global Organization with 2000 Employees

In a global organization with 2000 employees, sales and marketing alignment is crucial for achieving business objectives and maintaining a competitive edge. When these two departments work together effectively, they can generate a consistent pipeline of qualified leads, nurture those leads into paying clients, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. However, achieving true alignment between sales and marketing can be challenging, especially in large organizations with complex structures and diverse teams.

Common Challenges with Sales and Marketing Alignment

Several factors can contribute to misalignment between sales and marketing teams:

• Different Goals and Metrics: Sales teams are typically focused on closing deals and generating revenue, while marketing teams are focused on brand awareness, lead generation, and nurturing prospects. These different goals can lead to conflicting priorities and a lack of understanding of each team’s role in the sales cycle.
• Lack of Communication and Collaboration: Effective communication and collaboration are essential for sales and marketing alignment. However, in large organizations, silos can develop between departments, making it difficult for teams to share information and work together effectively.
• Inconsistent Data and Analytics: Sales and marketing teams need access to accurate and consistent data to make informed decisions. However, data silos and inconsistencies can make it difficult to track leads, measure campaign performance, and identify trends.

How Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Sales and Marketing Alignment

Artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly improve sales and marketing alignment by providing insights, automating tasks, and facilitating collaboration. Here are some specific examples of how AI can be used:

• Lead Scoring and Prioritization: AI algorithms can analyze customer data to identify and prioritize leads most likely to convert into paying clients. This allows sales teams to focus their efforts on the most promising opportunities.
• Marketing Attribution and Analytics: AI can help marketing teams track the effectiveness of their campaigns and identify which channels are generating the most qualified leads. This information can be used to optimize marketing strategies and improve ROI.
• Predictive Modeling and Forecasting: AI can be used to predict customer behavior and sales trends. This information can help sales teams proactively engage with potential clients and optimize their sales strategies.
• Chatbots and Virtual Sales Assistants: AI-powered chatbots and virtual sales assistants can provide 24/7 customer support, answer questions, and qualify leads. This can free up sales representatives to focus on closing deals.

Implementing AI for Sales and Marketing Alignment

To successfully implement AI for sales and marketing alignment, organizations should follow these steps:

1. Define Clear Goals and Objectives: Clearly define the goals and objectives for sales and marketing alignment to ensure that AI initiatives are aligned with overall business goals.
2. Break Down Silos and Foster Collaboration: Encourage communication and collaboration between sales and marketing teams to break down silos and build a shared understanding of the sales process.
3. Establish a Data Governance Framework: Implement a data governance framework to ensure that data is accurate, consistent, and accessible to both sales and marketing teams.
4. Select the Right AI Tools and Technologies: Carefully evaluate and select AI tools and technologies aligned with the organization’s specific needs and challenges.
5. Provide Training and Support: Provide training and support to sales and marketing teams to ensure that they can effectively use AI tools and technologies.

By leveraging AI to improve sales and marketing alignment, global organizations with 2000 employees can achieve significant benefits, including:

• Increased lead generation and conversion rates
• Improved customer satisfaction and retention
• Enhanced brand reputation and market share
• Reduced marketing and sales costs
• Data-driven decision-making and increased agility

Tips on how to close deals faster for a manufacturing firm:

• Identify the decision-maker. Who is the person or group of people who will ultimately decide whether or not to buy your product or service? Once you know the decision-maker, you can focus on building a relationship with them.
• Understand their needs. What are the customer’s pain points? What are they trying to achieve? The more you understand their needs, the better you can position your product or service as the solution.
• Build trust and rapport. Customers must trust you and believe you have their best interests at heart. Take the time to get to know them and build a rapport.
• Be proactive. Don’t wait for the customer to come to you. Be proactive in reaching out to them and keeping the conversation going.
• Create a sense of urgency. Let the customer know that your product or service is in high demand and that they must act now to avoid missing out.
• Be prepared to overcome objections. The customer will likely have some objections to your product or service. Be prepared to address these objections head-on.
• Follow up promptly. After each interaction with the customer, be sure to follow up promptly. This shows you are interested in their business and serious about closing the deal.

In addition to these general tips, some specific strategies can be used to close deals faster in the manufacturing industry. These include:

• Focus on repeat business. Once you have closed a deal with a customer, focus on keeping them happy and returning for more. This can be done by providing excellent customer service, offering discounts and promotions, and staying up-to-date on their needs.
• Use social media and online marketing. Social media and online marketing can be a great way to reach a wider audience and generate leads. Create content relevant to your target market and highlight the benefits of your products or services.
• Attend trade shows and industry events. Trade shows and industry events are a great way to network with potential customers and partners. Make sure to have plenty of materials and be prepared to answer questions.
• Partner with other businesses. Partnering with other businesses can help you reach a wider audience and offer customers a more comprehensive solution. For example, a manufacturing firm could partner with a marketing firm to provide customers with a full-service solution.

Following these tips, you can close deals faster and boost your manufacturing firm’s bottom line.

How does AI-driven content help close deals faster for a manufacturing firm?

AI-driven content can help close deals faster for a manufacturing firm in several ways:

• Personalization: AI can be used to personalize content for each customer, making it more relevant and engaging. This can help build trust and rapport with the customer, leading to faster decisions.
• Lead scoring: AI can score leads based on their potential value so that sales reps can focus their time on the most promising opportunities. This can help to shorten the sales cycle and close deals faster.
• Nurturing: AI can be used to nurture leads by sending them personalized content relevant to their interests. This can keep them engaged and interested in your products or services, leading to faster conversions.
• Predictive analytics: AI can be used to predict which leads are most likely to close so that sales reps can focus their efforts on those opportunities. This can help improve the sales process’s efficiency and close deals faster.
• Sales automation: AI can automate tasks such as lead generation, qualifying leads, and sending follow-up emails. This can free up sales reps to focus on more important activities, such as building customer relationships and closing deals.

Overall, AI-driven content can help manufacturing firms close deals faster by making their sales process more efficient, effective, and personalized.

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Here are some specific examples of how AI-driven content can be used in the manufacturing industry:

• Use AI to create personalized product recommendations for each customer based on their past purchases and browsing history.
• Use AI to create chatbots that can answer customer questions and provide support 24/7.
• Use AI to create interactive infographics and videos that explain their products and services clearly and engagingly.
• Use AI to track customer behavior and identify potential opportunities for upselling and cross-selling.

Using AI-driven content, manufacturing firms can improve their sales process and close deals faster. This can help them to increase their revenue and grow their business.

How to close sales deals faster

1. Identify Key Decision Makers Early On to close deals faster
2. Build Rapport with Prospects Quickly
3. Understand Which Departments Need to be Involved in the Sale
4. Anticipate Objections Before They Arise
5. Use Technology to Make the Sale Easier for Both Parties Involved
6. Focus Your Time and Energy on People With Buying Power
7. Cut Down on Back-and-Forth Communication Between Departments
8. Utilize Strategies That Streamline the Process and Hone the Skillset

Start to Close Deals Faster with a Provocation-based Selling

In this section, I want to cover three topics related to the hand-to-hand combat required for high-tech sales teams and executives to close deals:

1. What do you tell the ‘big dog’ to interest them in your potential solution?
2. What are the main priorities for marketing to support the field?
3. How do you take account of the differing interests of the various target constituencies you must deal with in typical enterprise-level sales cycles?

Selling complex solutions into an emerging market means selling services-led offers, where consulting and systems integration, both from the lead vendor and its partners, help backfill an incomplete product offering.

And, to ‘cross the chasm’ into a first mainstream market, the target customer is likely to be a line-of-business executive or manager responsible for solving critical business problems through IT solutions.

In this model, it is critical to establish deep lines of communication with the customer to set their expectations and gain support. This, in turn, requires a very different sales model from selling an established product.

Here is the model for selling emerging solutions that will help you close deals faster:

I’ll drive into my final approach in Part III and discuss specific marketing activities to help marketing leaders support the sales force, boost sales, and close deals more quickly.

To make this sales process work, the field needs significant support in these four areas:

• introductions to line-of-business executives;
• provocation development and delivery;
• war stories;
• diagnostics.

Each requires a program to develop. That wraps up part two of this three-part series.

So, what did you think about how to close deals? I would love to hear your thoughts!

We’re listening.

Have something to say about your thoughts on how to close deals? 

General FAQs about closing deals

How should sales and marketing work together?

Sales and marketing must direct their efforts at the same prospects and wholly align on decisions and pricing. Together, sales and marketing need to create comprehensive buyer personas to target their ideal customer better, increase acquisition, and create symbiotic targeted ads and pitches.

Should sales and marketing be one department?

Sales and marketing should be separate departments within your organization. Marketing is about getting the word out and explaining to people the benefits of your products and services to increase interest and visibility. Most importantly, marketing is about driving inquiries and leads to sales.

What does sales need from marketing?

Sales qualified leads (SQLs): Lead scoring assigns points to leads based on their interactions with your website, email content, event, and others. Real-time alerts for hot leads: Website visitor tracking software alerts sales reps when active. Qualified leads on your website include email alerts.

What is sales enablement?

Sales enablement provides the sales organization with the information, content, and tools that help salespeople sell more effectively. The foundation of sales enablement is giving the salespeople what they need to engage the buyer successfully throughout the buying process.