The team of Odessa experts of Ukraine Global Export (UGE) shares some tips on how to build B2B sales online, in order to export succesfully.
Last year's international lockdown brought many dramatic changes in B2B relations and export sales. The traditional ways of sales so far succesful are not effective anymore. The world have changed and implemented new digital business processes.
How to invest in marketing correctly, today?
How to build B2B international sales in 2021?
It is time to learn new sales strategies to be successful on the competitive global market. UGE works with Ukrainian exporters and teach them how to sell online and to be visible on targeted markets.
- Create ideal customer profiles. 86% of buyers now expect personalised marketing communications, and this desire is ever-increasing – offering advanced customizations is now paramount. Take time to understand current pain-points and favoured communication channels of your buyers. Then, do not describe your product, but rather its features that will help the customer solve his problem.
Imagine the buying process of your client in details: the buyer identifies a problem, makes a research online, discover different solutions, Googles suitable solutions, reads reviews online, makes a buying decision and then contact a supplier/provider to finish the purchasing.
Is your company visible online enough at every stage of the customer research?
- Create a content library. That is a content based on your ideal customer profile and targeted marketing, including all your assets that answer the most common questions your target audience asks at different stages of their buying journey. The more complete information about your company/products is accessible, the more chances to get targeted requests from potential buyers.
- Sales automation. Automation heightens your team’s productivity. Digital sales instruments and online marketing make sales managers free from just order taking and company presentation for better exploring of your buyers. Many professionals, between ages 24 and 40, now occupy positions that give them the decision-making power in the buying process. These younger managers are keen to use digital self-serve technologies in the buying process. Therefore, we recommend companies to implement CRM, social media marketing, online advertising, SEO.
- Use B2B online marketplaces. Be visible where professional buyers search for suppliers. Professional B2B marketplaces make buyer's online research easier and structured. Online marketplaces are like full time 24/7/365 digital international trade fair.
Ukraine Global Export is a partner of the biggest European B2B platforms Europages and WLW that are visible in 221 countries on 26 languages from the first page of Google search. Ukrainian companies that placed their profiles on these platforms receive requests from the all the world.
- Sales persons must become strategic advisors. After adopting sales automation sales managers have time to identify needs and become a strategic advisor for a client instead of usual sales person. This investigation is helpful for company's marketing and improving of customer profiles. The better you know your client the better offer you can make. It is no wonder that 68% of buyers prefer to interact with salespeople, who listen to their needs and provide them with useful information.
- Respond - 2 rules of survival in business.
- Respond to a request from a potential client.
- Respond to a request instantly
Today you will compete with the whole world. While waiting for your reply, your competitor from another country is preparing a draft of contract with your potential buyer.
- Video sales. A video call with a potential client can shorten a sales cycle. You can show on your screen a presentation and describe your company inside. 55% of decisions in B2B is made with emotional impulse. Video calls help to build trust and emotional connection with your potential buyer.
- Learn and implement. Most of SMEs often make bad investment decisions during their first forays into the digital world, because they have no digital marketing experts and poor skills. However, without a well-thought-out digital strategy, many SMEs are at risk of survival with the new rules of B2B. So, it is very important to invest time in education of B2B online marketing.
In order to further develop the digital prowess of B2B focused companies, Ukraine Global Export together with French marketing company Visable offer an education programme tailored to the requirements of Ukrainian SMEs.
Ukrainian companies have good products and services and they can sell on foreign markets, but their export managers need to learn the new B2B digital tools to be competitive
The UGE team
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(Part 1 previously published)
