Yesterday, I had the pleasure of presenting at both MaRS and the Innovation Factory on how to succeed in B2B sales as a startup.
If you’re unfamiliar with either organization and you’re located near Hamilton or Toronto make sure to check them out. Both organizations have great support, information, and resources for startups.
I`ve given my B2B startup sales presentation a few times over the years, and many of the fundamentals have remained the same. Things like using a CRM, finding the right value propositions, identifying the right targets, and establishing sales processes will always be in style. But every year there`s always a few new themes that appear. Here`s 3 of the biggest I`ve noticed in the world of startup B2B sales recently:
1. Inbound Lead Generation
It`s never been easier or more affordable to turn your website into a lead generation machine. As a startup that`s likely faced with limited sales and marketing resources, what more could you want than to ready-to-buy prospects come to you? With a tightly integrated (and mostly free) mix of content marketing, social media, and SEO, you can draw in prospects to your website and your sales funnel.
2. Social Selling
For B2B startups, social media tools like Twitter and LinkedIn are typically the best platforms to use. These social selling tools offer great opportunities for research, the ability to look for trigger events, the chance to leverage your network, and the opportunity to connect with clients and prospects.
3. Different Types of Sales Reps
Startups can have many different types of sales roles to help support their growing business, including Direct Sales, Channel Sales, Inside Sales, Outbound Sales, and Marketing roles (plus any type of mix of these roles). The key takeaway is that in a startup a salesperson isn`t any one thing. This realization can allow you to bring in talent with varying skills and experiences that will ultimately complement the skill set of the entrepreneur.
If you missed my presentations, here are the slides:
What yesterday reminded me of yet again is that it’s never been a better time to start a technology company in Ontario. Organizations like MaRS and the Innovation Factory have tremendous resources in place to help entrepreneurs turn their dreams into real businesses.
If you`re interested in learning more about the ways that startups can succeed with sales, marketing, and social media, please register for our monthly newsletter to have great content delivered right to your inbox.
