While B2B and B2C marketing have their differences, there are some shared skills and principles between the two. And while the two diverge in terms of tactics, these core commonalities are the key to ensuring an honest, high-quality pitch to potential clients.

Essential sales tips and strategies

To help you use these  we’ve pulled together our 5 top tips for making that B2B or B2C sale, so you can close more deals and keep your customers happy.

1. Be Transparent

Transparency isn’t always easy to adopt, but it’s one of the most effective ways to increase your sales. Admitting where flaws are, being honest about what your product can’t do, and not covering up potential problems can be uncomfortable at first, but it ensures happier leads and customers down the line. Being transparent gains trust and credibility—after all, no one really believes in a perfect product.

2. Deliver Across Multiple Platforms

People never stay in one place for long, and they tend to bounce around between different mediums and devices throughout the day. Because many sales reps stick with one or two mediums to contact leads, they can miss out on opportunities to connect. Increasing your sales starts with increasing your touchpoints to include channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook—so you can reach leads where they already are.

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3. Personalize Your Message

No one wants to be treated like a number, but that’s exactly what mass sales emails can do. Leads pay attention to messages that address them—and their unique concerns—directly. Incorporating personalization in your messages starts with knowing your audience. By looking at behaviour, form fill data, and doing a little research on them, you’ll be able to address their unique needs and pain points directly—giving your message more value and making them more persuasive.

4. Offer Value

Many sales reps try to talk to leads as if they are someone who’ll accept their pitch, as long as their facts are sound—but this is rarely the case. While they may be appealing to sales reps, plain facts and figures don’t close deals. Understanding your lead’s story—and how you fit into it—is one of the most critical parts of crafting an effective pitch. By showing how you can provide value for their unique needs, you can override the natural aversion to risk that comes when leads consider a new product or service.

5. Tell a Story

Turning your pitch into a story is a sure-fire way to create a deeper connection with potential customers—and increase your sales. When you weave the facts about your product or service into a story about how it can help the lead, you let them relate personally to your pitch. On the whole, by shifting your focus from features and functionality, to the total story surrounding your product or service, you sell a solution, not just a set of facts. At the same time, you create a personal relationship who you’re selling to and what they’re buying—which is what really closes the sale.

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