When you lead a sales or call center team, getting them to master product knowledge and digital systems is just the starting point. The real transformation comes when your team is adept at the art of selling and can make the leap from middle of the road to star performers.
Imagine your team being so attuned to your customers’ goals, challenges, decision-making processes, and even their emotional drivers, that every conversation feels personalized and every solution feels tailor-made. This deeper understanding isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. It creates trust, increases conversion rates, boosts retention, and opens doors for upselling and cross-selling. Ready to turn their sales conversations into impactful, customer-centric engagements? Here’s why understanding your B2B customers is your secret weapon—and how to equip your team to harness it.
Why does understanding your B2B customers matter?
There are several benefits that contribute to bottom-line results when sales teams seek to better understand their customers.
- Assists in creating more customized solutions – rather than pushing a product, you can offer a solution tailored to them. This leads to higher conversion rates.
- Builds trust – customers are more likely to buy from someone they trust and continue to buy from them. This increases retention.
- Additional recommendations – knowing them better also allows you to suggest other solutions they may have not initially considered. This allows you to upsell or cross-sell more complete solutions to them.
How to better get to know your customer
The key to understanding your customer is by actively asking questions and following the 90/10 rule – listen 90%, talk 10%. Make the conversation about them and solving their problems. Here are some areas you can start with when trying to understand them and their business.
Goals and growth objectives
Seek to know what their business. What are they looking to accomplish in the short and long term? What new initiatives or projects are they excited about? What does success look like for them, and how do they measure it?
Example questions:
“What are the top priorities for your business this year?”
“Are there any new initiatives you’re hoping to launch this year?
Pain points and business challenges
What are the inefficiencies or obstacles standing in their way? Where do they feel the most pressure or frustration?
Example questions:
“What challenges are holding you back from achieving your goals?”
“Are there areas where you see bottlenecks or missed opportunities?”
Decision-making process and criteria
Make sure you know who will be involved in closing the sale. Who is involved in making the final decision, what matters most to them, and what are their timelines? What is the urgency driving their needs?
Example questions:
“Who will be involved in the decision-making process?”
“What factors are most important when evaluating solutions?”
Emotional drivers
Recognize what personally motivates your customer. Are they looking to reduce stress, increase efficiency, or feel more confident in their decisions? Understanding their emotional drivers helps you connect with them on a deeper level, fostering a sense of trust and loyalty.
Example questions:
- “What would solving this challenge mean for you personally?”
- “What’s the most important thing for you when selecting a solution?”
By equipping your team with the right foundation, you give them the tools to achieve sales optimal performance.
Better customer understanding = More satisfied customers + More sales + Higher retention
Connect with us to learn how Weber can help optimize your sales team for maximum success-> https://www.weberassoc.com/sales-performance/
