What are the stages of a B2B sale?
Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2024 6:03 am
In the B2B sales environment, there is a key process that drives commercial success: sales stages.
These provide a structured guide with key steps to follow to close a transaction with a customer . Although they may vary depending on the organization and the product or service offered, below are the most common ones:
Stage 1: Defining the ideal customer profile
At this stage, extensive research is conducted to identify and define the profile of the ideal customer for your business.
This involves analyzing:
Demographic characteristics.
Industrial sector.
Company size.
Specific needs and other relevant criteria.
Defining your ideal customer profile helps you focus your sales efforts on the most promising prospects and maximize the effectiveness of your strategies .
Stage 2: Creating relevant content
Creating valuable content is essential in B2B sales because it provides useful and insightful information for your prospects. This includes materials such as:
Blogs.
Case studies.
Guides.
Infographics.
Videos.
All these contents help you to:
Establish credibility.
Educate prospects about your products or services.
Building trust in your brand.
Stage 3: Prospecting and qualifying leads
At this stage, a proactive search is carried out for potential leads that fit the previously defined ideal customer profile. This involves the use of different strategies:
Database search.
Networking.
Use of social networks.
Participation in events.
Once the leads have been identified, they are scored to determine their level of interest.
Scoring is done by assigning a score or numerical value to each lead based on a set of predefined criteria . These vary depending on the company, the sector and the product or service offered.
Below are some of the most common forms of grading:
Demographic information : Basic information about the lead is evaluated to determine if they mobile number list fit the profile of an ideal customer. Pay attention to:
Geographic location.
Company size.
Industry.
Position held.
Website Engagement : Track the actions the lead has taken on the website to determine their level of interest. Observe:
Content downloads.
Visits to key pages.
Time on site, etc.
Email Activity : Perform a detailed analysis of how the lead interacts with the emails sent by the company. Use metrics such as opening rates, link clicks, among others.
Stage of the buying cycle : Evaluate what stage of the buying process the lead is in. For example, if they have shown interest in a product demo or requested a quote, they are likely further along.
Source and Origin Data : Depending on where the lead comes from (landing page, paid ads, referrals, etc.), it has different levels of relevance and interest.
Budget and Authority : Analyze whether the lead has the budget and authority to make purchasing decisions.
After evaluating these criteria, assign a score to each lead and classify them into different categories, such as:
These provide a structured guide with key steps to follow to close a transaction with a customer . Although they may vary depending on the organization and the product or service offered, below are the most common ones:
Stage 1: Defining the ideal customer profile
At this stage, extensive research is conducted to identify and define the profile of the ideal customer for your business.
This involves analyzing:
Demographic characteristics.
Industrial sector.
Company size.
Specific needs and other relevant criteria.
Defining your ideal customer profile helps you focus your sales efforts on the most promising prospects and maximize the effectiveness of your strategies .
Stage 2: Creating relevant content
Creating valuable content is essential in B2B sales because it provides useful and insightful information for your prospects. This includes materials such as:
Blogs.
Case studies.
Guides.
Infographics.
Videos.
All these contents help you to:
Establish credibility.
Educate prospects about your products or services.
Building trust in your brand.
Stage 3: Prospecting and qualifying leads
At this stage, a proactive search is carried out for potential leads that fit the previously defined ideal customer profile. This involves the use of different strategies:
Database search.
Networking.
Use of social networks.
Participation in events.
Once the leads have been identified, they are scored to determine their level of interest.
Scoring is done by assigning a score or numerical value to each lead based on a set of predefined criteria . These vary depending on the company, the sector and the product or service offered.
Below are some of the most common forms of grading:
Demographic information : Basic information about the lead is evaluated to determine if they mobile number list fit the profile of an ideal customer. Pay attention to:
Geographic location.
Company size.
Industry.
Position held.
Website Engagement : Track the actions the lead has taken on the website to determine their level of interest. Observe:
Content downloads.
Visits to key pages.
Time on site, etc.
Email Activity : Perform a detailed analysis of how the lead interacts with the emails sent by the company. Use metrics such as opening rates, link clicks, among others.
Stage of the buying cycle : Evaluate what stage of the buying process the lead is in. For example, if they have shown interest in a product demo or requested a quote, they are likely further along.
Source and Origin Data : Depending on where the lead comes from (landing page, paid ads, referrals, etc.), it has different levels of relevance and interest.
Budget and Authority : Analyze whether the lead has the budget and authority to make purchasing decisions.
After evaluating these criteria, assign a score to each lead and classify them into different categories, such as: