How to properly sell to ordering clients
In an industrial sector where competition is heightened by the demands of competitiveness, being able to acquire customers and properly sell your products and services are real challenges for manufacturing companies. In this environment, the service offerings themselves play a key role, certainly. But the approach and the sales pitch are just as important, although they’re often overlooked by many players in the manufacturing field.
Whatever you may think of it, a product or service, as good as it is, is only rarely sufficient on its own to lead to a lasting collaboration – especially in the manufacturing field, where buyers or ordering clients have the last word. So how do you organize your pitch and choose your weapons to successfully carry out such negotiations?
Business intelligence, or how to put the odds in your favour
Business intelligence is one of the most important steps in a prospecting effort in the industrial sector. Consisting of an analysis of the market and the behaviour of its different players, this sales technique is, in effect, an effective decision-making tool. Thanks to various increasingly modern tools such as LinkedIn, it lets you build the relationship, refine your strategy, and determine the most suitable approach for successfully carrying out your business negotiations. Above all, maintain direct contact with the ordering client, and take the time to learn as much as you can about their real expectations, their particular demands, the potential causes of their dissatisfaction with their previous service providers, their values, etc. That way, you’ll always stay one step ahead during negotiations.
Know how to talk to the right person
Many large companies (especially industrial firms) have a very particular internal organization. Before setting out, try to identify and get acquainted with the decision-maker, or the ordering client – the person on whom the final decision generally depends. The idea here is obviously not to trample their other collaborators who are in your way. Rather, it’s a matter of clearly determining who to convince and what the potential barriers are to achieving your goal. It’s also an excellent way to spare yourself from having to repeatedly start again.
Know how to stay flexible
As the term implies, a business negotiation often involves concessions from both parties. When developing your initial offer (based on the information gathered), you should therefore consider giving yourself a little wiggle room. Renegotiating the price or the components of an offer is practically a reflex for most ordering clients. If you don’t seem open to dialogue from the outset, that can really put the brakes on any collaboration. On the other hand, being flexible should in no way mean questioning the fundamentals of your offer. If you give the impression from the start of wanting to sell your product or service “at any price,” you either risk selling out of it, or it will automatically lose value in the eyes of the customer. In both cases, your potential collaboration will be jeopardized.
An imperative: maintaining the business relationship
Since business development isn’t limited to the conclusion of an agreement, it’s important that your sales strategy guarantees, from the outset, the conditions for good collaboration between your respective companies. That obviously requires courteous, professional, and open dialogue, but it also involves keeping in contact through the appropriate choice of reactivation and exchange methods. Don’t forget that, in the manufacturing field, simplicity and functionality are essential.
Faced with the specifics related to the industrial environment, optimizing the strategy, the sales pitch, and the appropriate choice of business development tools are the best ways for a manufacturing company to stand out from the competition and convince ordering clients. When it comes to ensuring the best, most suitable sales techniques, Groupe Hyperforme is a partner of choice. Free yourself from the constraints of prospecting and trust a strong partner: Groupe Hyperforme.
