Modern lead generation in B2B

While in-person meetings may be making a return, B2B companies need to reassess what their key clients want in a post-pandemic world. Businesses need to evolve their lead generation strategies, becoming more data-driven and attuned to the preferences of their potential and existing customers. This is where a contemporary B2B playbook can guide the process.

Here's what this modern B2B playbook should entail:

• Building the right team.
• Creating easily digestible content about your services.
• Publishing your content.
• Generating pertinent leads.
• Evaluating the results on various levels

Before 2020, B2B sales reps would typically spend their time on the road, building new contacts and seeking qualified leads via face-to-face interactions. COVID-19 significantly changed this dynamic by restricting travel while maintaining or even raising the necessary sales quotas.

As companies plan to reintegrate travel schedules, they must consider whether their customers are eager to return to pre-pandemic interactions or prefer the convenience of digital interfaces and remote communication.

The challenge now lies in identifying new prospects in a landscape where customers are reluctant to revert to traditional business practices. This necessitates a shift towards a digital lead generation approach, using digital tactics to engage potential customers.

Understanding customer preferences

Instead of pushing sales reps to adapt personally, businesses must equip their teams to facilitate lead-generation activities within this new digital environment. Sales reps can use digital platforms to prospect, conduct meetings, and host online demos. Nevertheless, more must be done to bridge the gap in their sales pipeline, particularly for those without a steady client base or consistent business renewals.

B2B marketing and sales need to meet customers where they are most active – online and predominantly on LinkedIn. Businesses must establish themselves as thought leaders, actively participating in online dialogues and using client-specific, industry-focused solution-selling methods, which have become increasingly relevant in a digital context.

Sales reps often need support to achieve this, and businesses should provide the necessary tools and resources. Your marketing and sales managers should create meaningful content that positions your sales reps as thought leaders.

Executing modern B2B sales and marketing

Assemble the right team:

• Your company needs a cross-functional team to develop standardised global processes and content. This involves incorporating feedback from field sales and marketing teams worldwide.

Produce easily understood content

• Your content should address the problems, challenges, and needs of both your potential and existing customers. This content should be made available internally and externally.

Promote the content

• Ensure it is readily accessible to your sales reps and encourage them to distribute it on various platforms.

Generate pertinent leads

• Sales reps will obtain leads through their activities, but any collected customer data and information should be shared with the field to properly incentivise them.

Measure results at multiple levels

• Track content performance and build upon successful sales content while discarding those that are not gaining traction quickly.

These steps can enhance the sales reps’ experience by focusing on sharing authoritative content and targeting specific procurement VPs. Additionally, sales support teams can assist with conversation preparation, ensuring that both potential and existing customers receive support throughout their buyer’s journey.

Returns on investment

The returns are tangible. Sales reps will quickly adopt new strategies, resulting in more sales leads. Your company can benefit from global alignment, quicker improvements to your offering, less redundancy in content, improved content quality, and faster engagement with potential customers. This translates to greater revenue opportunities and cost reductions for your company.

Adopting this new approach presents challenges, including initial resistance due to regional preferences and industry-specific needs. However, leaders can transition from sceptics to advocates by prioritising leadership buy-in and using metrics to illustrate progress.

Every company is unique, but the fundamental challenge is universal – sales reps operate in a new digital environment. Your company can thrive in the evolving digital landscape by supporting them with effective lead-generation practices.

Once leads are generated, the next step is to turn them into customers. Understanding their customer journey is essential, and our customer journey map template can provide valuable insights into their thinking and behaviour, helping you turn leads into loyal customers and even promoters of your company.