SBI Growth

AUGUST 25, 2013

In 2011, the Sales Executive Council reported the average B2B buyer engaged with a vendor 57% of the way through their buying cycle. This prolongs the engagement with the vendor. Now, the average B2B buyer engages with sales at the 65% mark. Our research indicates this trend is increasing.

Collateral 314

Collateral Buying Cycle Software Software 314

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) software delivery has revolutionized the B2B software sales cycle. It has streamlined implementation and heightened ease of use for customers and vendors alike. For vendors, however, these bright sides have come. Managing Complexity and Competition.

Vendor 174

Vendor Customer Revenue Software 174

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 9, 2013

When you understand your buyers, you are better equipped to help them maneuver the sales cycle. Late-Stage Vendor Engagement – Now, buyers progress 60-75% through the buying cycle before engaging with a sales rep. This leaves you with 1/3 – 1/4 of the journey to convert the sale. Be helpful and not sales-y.

Buyer Persona 307

Buyer Persona Buyer Tools Trends 307

Sales and Marketing Management

FEBRUARY 12, 2020

According to a the Forrester Consulting Q3 2019 Global Content Preferences study, 87% of technology buyers said that they want vendors to understand their business, industry or market conditions, and 83% want vendors to understand what’s most important to their job.

Trends 289

Trends Ideal Customer Profile InsideView Customer 289

SBI Growth

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Overview : Acme was the preferred vendor in the market. Prospects who did engage were speaking with multiple vendors as well. This ramped up the sales cycle considerably. Wrong Solution: The VP of Sales eliminated the Solutions Engineer position and hired 4 more Field reps. They had the best Teleprospecting team.

Competition 323

Competition Customer Lead Rank Top of Funnel 323

Pointclear

MARCH 12, 2013

In that article and elsewhere, you've suggested that many buyers get as far as 70 percent through the sales cycle before they find it useful to engage the sales teams. However, it’s an important belief to take on board because it changes our belief about our need to communicate in the earliest stages of the sales cycle.

Research 253

Research B2B Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank 253

The Pipeline

MARCH 11, 2013

Ditch the product, and embrace their objectives, engage on that level and the product follows, more importantly, you have an unhurried sales cycle, as there is no crowd nipping at your heals, and you have a client that buys and pays full price for value, not negotiating on price.

Marketing 282

Marketing Vendor Buyer Objections 282

SBI Growth

JANUARY 21, 2013

Webcams, webinars, and self-directed presentations have narrowed the distance between vendor and prospect. Smart, nimble companies will be building Inside Sales departments capable of developing and closing opportunities. The other three vendors sent AT LEAST two field representatives. One presentation was virtual.

Face-to-face 244

Face-to-face Vendor Decision Maker Inside Sales 244

The Pipeline

JANUARY 21, 2013

It is a list containing two types of prospects: Those people who were involved in a sales cycle with you some time in the last 18 months, but did not go to decision, with you or any other vendor (You can say these are the folks in a self-induced coma, maybe there needs to be a third group, those that our sales effort put into a coma).

Call-back 296

Call-back Vendor Pipeline Sales Cycle 296

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Was this a trusted vendor and how could I be sure? The sales team quickly altered course. Luis runs Sales Enablement for a Fortune 250 sales enterprise. Since then, they’ve reduced the length of the sales cycle significantly. More importantly, the sales team freed up more time in their week to simply sell.

Tools 300

Tools Sales Tools Collateral Vendor 300

SBI Growth

APRIL 1, 2013

The sales cycle in a complex sale is between 6-12 months. The 80/20 rule in B2B sales is very real. The 80/20 rule in B2B sales is very real. They will aggregate their spend and award it to a small number of vendors. The practice of over assigning quota has gotten out of control and needs to be reigned in.

Scale 317

Scale Quota B2B Negotiation 317

Hubspot Sales

MARCH 13, 2025

Projecting a sales cycle ahead of time gives sellers a better chance of making their numbers. Lets say your average sales cycle is three months. Lets say your average sales cycle is three months. Transaction milestones should meld the prospects buying process with the vendors selling process.

Revenue 95

Revenue Meeting Top of Funnel Forecasting 95

Zoominfo

DECEMBER 28, 2020

Additionally, teams that harness the buying cues benefit from more precise and efficient sales cycles. The most straightforward way to access buying signals data is through a third-party vendor. For instance, buyers are 67% more likely to accept a meeting if the pitch is customized to their situation, says HubSpot.

Lead Rank 309

Lead Rank Intent Data Closing Buyer Intent 309

Hubspot Sales

JANUARY 3, 2022

By accepting automatic payments, you can cater to those who want to take advantage of the convenience that many customers look for in a vendor. CRM payments have the power to streamline the sales cycle for your reps and increase productivity. Many customers love the ability to set and forget payments.

Sales Cycle 124

Sales Cycle CRM Ideal Customer Profile Hubspot 124

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 2, 2013

Selecting a vendor to partner with. It takes time to run the new process against a set of sales opportunities. The normal sales cycle plays out, and revenue doesn’t improve. You spend all your energy upstream of the training event. Performing discovery. Building a process. Creating tools. Embedding it in your CRM.

Sales Process 308

Sales Process Webinar Metrics Vendor Energy 308

DiscoverOrg Sales

MAY 24, 2017

Check out DiscoverOrg’s Triggers feature , which alerts you to leadership moves, acquisitions, vendor changes, and other initiative which signal buying events. One had an experience in which she had asked a vendor to speak to very specific topics and solutions, but he ended up giving a very generic pitch during the presentation.

Account Based Marketing 264

Account Based Marketing Decision Maker Referrals Vendor 264

Steven Rosen

MARCH 12, 2024

He highlights the significance of being a partner rather than just a customer vendor. Ryan Thomas discusses the importance of teamwork and collaboration in driving business success and highlights the significance of being a partner rather than just a vendor for customers.

Video 156

Video Face-to-face Sales Cycle Vendor 156

SBI Growth

DECEMBER 29, 2012

A direct link to the Decision Makers can shorten your sales cycles. (N) Or they are scheduled to change vendors in the near future. Whatever the case, you must understand buying cycles to manage your quota. (A) Authority: You need at least one Buyer that can make final decisions.

Quota 287

Quota Sales Qualified Lead Top of Funnel Lead Qualification 287

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Maybe you are not their top vendor. Conduct a Sales Rep expert panel. Sales cycle length, win rate, no decision loss rate and average sales price are non-negotiable. 87% of Sales Rep Attendees don’t remember the material that was trained post 30 days after the event, let alone use it. Post Event Adoption.

Sales Process 267

Sales Process Top of Funnel Forecasting Sales Cycle 267

Sales and Marketing Management

AUGUST 14, 2017

Have already researched multiple vendors. Long sales cycles. When sellers proactively initiate buying cycles with Key Players, the advantages are even greater: Sales cycles can be shorter. Have a good idea of what their requirements are. Will be product/offering focused. Do not have budget approved.

Gatekeeper 249

Gatekeeper Buying Cycle Call-back Face-to-face 249

Allego

MARCH 27, 2025

Conversely, tech buyers prefer to conduct independent research, with 55% of B2B tech buyers consuming at least three pieces of content before engaging a sales rep. Theyre turning to sources such as online searches, vendor websites, third-party content such as reviews and industry publications, and peer recommendations to validate options.

Sales Cycle 62

Sales Cycle Vendor eBook Buyer 62

Bernadette McClelland

FEBRUARY 25, 2018

Sales cycles getting longer? But here is what most of us sales folks seem unaware of: today’s business velocity and high levels of disruption means that markets mature more quickly, and maturing markets are now underpinned by the need for buyers to consolidate and reduce their vendor lists. Conversion rates down?

Pipeline 207

Pipeline Vendor Policies Sales Leadership 207

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 7, 2014

It''s important to separate inside sales into its 5 most common forms: As a replacement for traditional outside sales. They are quota carrying salespeople responsible for the entire sales cycle but doing it from the comfort of a desk. This is technically "inside" but the comparison to inside stops there.

Consultative Selling 297

Consultative Selling Inside Sales Top of Funnel Funnel 297

Zoominfo

MARCH 12, 2025

Accelerated sales cycles with targeted, intelligent outreach Increased revenue from previously untapped buyer segments. Faced with a decline in productivity and revenue, sales leadership needed to revamp their data strategy and invest in a more intelligent platform. Their results include: 15,000 new contacts uncovered.

Pipeline 130

Pipeline Ideal Customer Profile Marketing Sales Qualified Lead 130

DiscoverOrg Sales

JULY 11, 2017

It’s always fascinating to listen to these buyers share their honest thoughts about how they made their decisions and why they selected the vendors they did. understand how buyers perceive the sales people they meet with; 2.) explore the circumstances that determine which vendor is selected; and 3.) The research goals were to 1.)

Study 206

Study Buyer B2B Vendor 206

Zoominfo

MAY 27, 2021

We’ll dive into more details shortly, but here’s a quick overview video: Before engaging with a sales team as they’re making a purchase decision , your prospects embark on the digital journey of research and vendor assessment to narrow down their options. Because we got in front of interested buyers before our competitors could.

Intent Data 246

Intent Data Intent Data Top of Funnel 246

Sales and Marketing Management

JUNE 28, 2017

The evolution of buying has made it harder for sales teams to do their job in a silo. The B2B world has experienced a shift in the way buyers engage with vendors. Gone are the days of simple, fast, and transactional sales! According to CEB , 5.4 The way companies sell should reflect this change in the buying journey.

Hiring 180

Hiring Incentive Incentives Compensation 180

Understanding the Sales Force

MARCH 13, 2013

It uncovers the compelling reasons for spending money, changing vendors, buying a product or service and, as important, buying it from you. The end-result should be a prospect that is willing to spend more to do business with you, and a sales cycle that is not based on winning the price war.

Coaching 264

Coaching Sales Management Decision Maker Call-back 264

Zoominfo

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

We’ve done the research to compare the top-rated website visitor identification software vendors — but first, here’s an overview of the definitions, features, and benefits of website visitor ID software platforms. Informed Sales Strategies : Sales teams gain insights into visitor behavior, enabling more effective outreach.

Sales Qualified Lead 130

Sales Qualified Lead Lead Scoring Lead Rank Software 130

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 14, 2014

If a modern-day sales process is milestone-centric (key outcomes that must be achieved during a sales cycle), then a modern-day sales methodology must support those milestones. As sales processes go, the steps could be as simple as the following: Appointment. Current Vendor. Size of components.

Sales Methodology 271

Sales Methodology Negotiation Proposal Analysis 271

Sales and Marketing Management

AUGUST 20, 2018

You want to move things along as quickly as you can before prospects get distracted, lose interest or find another vendor. The problem with the sales force is that they were too focused on efficiency. The lesson for Ultimate Sales Professionals: Don’t try to hurry along a sale. Well, not necessarily.

Buyer 294

Buyer Call-back Follow-up Sales Qualified Lead 294

Zoominfo

AUGUST 29, 2019

And if you have access to more robust data on buyer intent and opportunity, look for leadership moves, acquisitions, vendor changes, and other initiative which signal buying events. If there are information gaps, make sure any sales discovery questions are thoughtful and aimed at uncovering your buyer’s needs. Now quintuple it.

Account Based Marketing 199

Account Based Marketing Referrals How To Vendor 199

The Pipeline

APRIL 17, 2017

If the questions I ask, the areas I choose to explore and drill down on, are no different than the three or four or eight other vendors they are speaking with, then the selection and decision will go back to the same old, usually the lowest common denominator, moderated by price (the lowest price).

Buyer 242

Buyer Exercises Vendor Lead Scoring 242

Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

If you needed to hire an entertainment venue employee would it be a food vendor, a security guard or a hybrid? Or, if responsible for more of the sales cycle, convert that opportunity into something more, like a sale. They are different skill sets and attitudes. One wants to fly high and the other wants to travel.

Inbound 209

Inbound Hiring Airlines Marketing 209