Finding the decision maker is an unavoidable and often time-consuming part of any sale process. Finding decision makers isn't as easy as searching for them by job title. Instead, you should start developing detailed personas for your target audiences. Make use of the personas and streamline the process to spend more time selling to the right prospect. You'll learn in this blog how to find the right decision-maker for your B2B sales.
Step 1: Create Decision Maker Personas
It is easy to eliminate everyone else in a company once you know your decision-makers. Finding out how to sell to those people will be easier if you narrow your focus. Develop a picture of what your typical decision-maker looks like based on the common threads from your existing customers and late-stage leads:
- Company revenue, industry, and the number of employees are considered when selecting companies to target.
- Which pages of your website do decision makers visit? How do they interact with your website and campaigns?
You'll be more successful finding and reaching ideal prospects and decision-makers if you have a more substantial and complete profile. There will rarely be just one buyer persona regarding B2B sales as job titles vary between companies, and company size also affects that. Start-ups with ten employees might need a meeting with their CEO, but procurement departments may be in charge in large companies. To truly represent every customer, you should develop as many personas as possible.
Step 2: Discover Decision Maker via LinkedIn.
With a clear picture of your decision-maker personas, you can search on Linkedin for them. Professionals often update their LinkedIn profiles with their titles and statement of work.
- Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator - you set job functions and seniority of your typical leads and recommend decision makers and contacts you may want to reach out to.
- Use Advanced Lead Search - enter the company name and click "apply your sales preferences" LinkedIn will narrow your search accordingly. Build a list of potential decision makers at the company.
Step 3: Reach Decision Maker via InMail
Cold outreach is made simple with InMail (with a Premium subscription). Using InMail, you can reach busy C-level buyers and decision-makers who aren't familiar with you or your company.
- Leverage any shared network you have with your target audience. Don't hesitate to mention any common friends, college experiences, or professional events you have attended.
- Make your message personal by adding information from the target's LinkedIn profile. Make sure your voice and tone are professional and personable.
- Run A/B test - compare two messages against two similar target segments to determine which one performs better.
Try contacting the target again within about 5 to 7 days if the first InMail doesn't get a response.
Final Thoughts
Engage gatekeepers earlier.
Connecting the gatekeepers and respecting them demonstrates your commitment to working with them rather than above or around them. Minor touches, such as learning and using their name and openly valuing their perspective and opinion. Inspire them to pass the deal along to stakeholders higher up the chain. Giving them credit for deal closures, adding discounts to the deal, and mentioning them in case studies.
You will enjoy immense growth opportunities if you partner with the right service provider. Get a better start with Zooloo. Our team is happy to assist you with your journey towards digital transformation. Please contact us at sales@zooloo.asia.
- Discover more about Customer Engagement Strategies
- Find some tips on e-Commerce Strategies
- Looking closer at e-Marketplace Strategies
- Read about The Digital Transformation Journey
- Learn more about our “Digital Backbones”
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