B2B Sales Lagging? Get More Referrals with these Strategies

In the context of B2B sales, generating leads and getting referrals is just as important as in B2C selling. When dealing with other businesses, however, a B2B sales professional has some different but effective B2B referral strategies that can be brought into play to increase the number of leads and referrals.?

Build your social media network: Gaining leads and referrals in a B2B relationship can be a much more subtle process than in a B2C context. Work on developing a social network that appeals to your business customers and their needs. Join groups and interact with potential leads. Your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, and other social media platforms should be designed to guide a B2B lead steadily along a response path, aided by your presence as an adviser and mentor.?

Blog with value: Create blogs and online content that offer genuine value to your B2B customers. Your blogs should consistently address and answer questions that concern business owners in your industry, and your content should again serve as a way to guide leads toward recognizing that you are the best resource for resolving their problems.?

Practice focused cold calling: Use your interactions with potential leads and customers to identify key personnel and decision makers you may want to contact. Focus your cold calling efforts on getting in touch with these individuals. This makes cold calling more efficient and gets you directly to a decision maker who can help you. If you are already acquainted from your interactions online or on social media, this can help immensely with getting your call through and securing that important first meeting.?

Produce educational seminars: Put together educational seminars and webinars that directly address industry-related issues and specific problems that your potential leads might be experiencing. The seminar gives you an excellent opportunity to prove your position as an authority on the matter while it also puts you in contact with several potential leads and referrals who could immediately benefit from your products and services.

Where else could you put these B2B referral strategies to use in gaining more referrals and leads for your company?