Sales engagement refers to any interaction between your sales and marketing team with your prospects and customers. On a basic level, it is communication between sellers and buyers. However, B2B leaders recognize that effective sales engagement requires far more strategy than just random outreach. B2B owners need to develop a plan that optimizes building relationships and increasing revenue. A comprehensive engagement plan can include various events, such as:
- Webinars
- Phone conversations
- Podcast interviews
- In-person events
- Emails
Understanding some of the key components of a sales engagement strategy can help B2B businesses develop a strategic plan of action.
Engaging Sales and Marketing
In B2B companies, it is important to look at all marketing actions and determine how they impact customer engagement. Some organizations underestimate the value of their marketing team’s communication efforts. However, marketing is instrumental in ensuring an ongoing connection with prospects and customers. Marketers also provide the resources and develop the collateral used for sales activities. Additionally, they coordinate the events for “no-pitch” engagements. A marketing team’s efforts can support sales and increase value to buyers.
Prospects and Customers
Sales engagement is crucial throughout every phase of the buyer’s journey. B2B organizations often first think of sales as a means to get new clients. While landing new business is important, it’s not the only way to drive growth. For many companies, the majority of business revenue comes from existing clients. Engaging current customers is often driven by sales reps who align efforts with marketing to ensure everyone is getting updates on new services and service changes.
Types of Sales Engagement
Knowing the various options of engagements can help B2B organizations develop a comprehensive strategy that resonates with prospects and clients. The types of sales engagement include:
- Sales Activities
Sales activities are often a significant component in an engagement strategy. Sales activities can be emails, calls, and social outreach. - Educational
One of the biggest educational resources in a sales engagement strategy is the B2B sales webinar. A well-executed webinar can build trust, influence prospects, and deliver the information participants need to make buying decisions. - Interviews
Podcast-style interviews have gained popularity in recent years as an effective sales method. An interview offers an opportunity to connect with both prospects and clients in a new way. Sales reps have a chance to understand buyer challenges better. Likewise, the interviewee learns more about your business. They will also gain a little free press, all while building a relationship with your team. - In-Person Events
In-person events have definitely been put on hold for many B2B businesses over the last year. But, under normal circumstances, they can be an integral part of a sales engagement approach. Coordinating an event with like-minded individuals provides a chance to share experiences. A live event also offers a platform to learn from each other. It’s also an excellent way to engage prospects and customers.
FounderScale develops customized sales solutions for B2B organizations. Contact us today to learn more.
How to Increase B2B Sales Engagement by 667%
Engaging people on a human-to-human level to provide experiences and education is one of the few long-term sustainable lead generation methods that you can employ. Many other methods like contact and pitch may provide a certain level of results but the efficiency and cost are less than ideal. To maximize sales engagement platforms, you have a number of different options ranging from webinars to group lunch and learns which provide 667% higher engagement than cold outreach to set a meeting.
Read our new mini-book to learn real-world strategies to boost sales engagement by 667%.