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Defeat the Summer Slump With Goal-Crushing Q3 Sales Strategies for B2B
3 MIN. READ
Most people think of the warming months of Q2 as a special and unique time. However, spring brings several seasonal obstacles to sales, such as holidays inviting both retrospection and celebration, distracting from business, prospects often choosing Q2 to take time off, making it difficult to close sales, and the uncertainty of tax season making companies more hesitant to commit funds to purchase. While your closings may temporarily plummet, you can lay the foundation for future success by honing your Q3 sales strategies for B2B.
July, August, and September arrive with promise. While some decision-makers may continue to take time off, others may return, so it’s time for you to move forward with your sales agenda. So how do you throw off the summer malaise and revitalize your sales strategies? Try these ideas for sales success.
1. Pick up your prospecting
You may have potential prospects in your pipeline, but the loading may not have reached critical mass. The fuller your pipe, the better your chance for a closing. Losing pressure sabotages your opportunity to make future quotas. However, by topping off, you create backup targets if a prospect or two choose to take a later vacation. Building a surefire pipeline of industrial leads is easy with IndustrySelect.
2. Use social media
You can track potential prospects online. For example, set Google alerts for company announcements to find ideal opportunities to pick up the reins. Monitor LinkedIn profiles for news of promotions and changes in title that transform a previously unqualified prospect into a qualified one.
3. Check-in
In the third quarter, you can call top customers to touch base about any new plans or developments. You can steer a friendly conversation toward obtaining a referral to an additional prospect. You may find more receptive ears if you can provide a new prospect with a trusted name,
Maybe, during your check-in, you’re fortunate enough to discover that your product or service is reaching the ceiling of its usefulness. That’s when you can jump in to suggest an upgrade. What begins as a friendly inquiry will morph into a new sale.
4. Try, try again
If your prospect claims your offer comes at the wrong time, they may just be looking for an excuse to duck your pitch. However, a prospect who maintains that the timing is off might be telling you the truth. The company could be awaiting a contract or suffering through a temporary slowdown. Your next call may meet with an entirely different response.
Sending a timely email may also remind your prospect of a problem once reluctantly shoved to the back burner but now ripe for a solution. Then, you can sweep in heroically to ease your customer’s pain and fill your quota.
5. Modify your goals
A plan you formulated during Q2 may not be working out. The decision-maker you almost sold retired. A summer storm or wildfire disrupted business. If the big deal you’ve been hoping for seems out of reach, achieving smaller goals will keep your prospecting process active and your morale up. For example, complete a reasonable number of calls or demonstrations to keep your feet on the road to sales.
6. Rethink messaging
So no one is answering your calls or emails. Eliciting a smile or a laugh can forge a better connection than a straight pitch. Throw in a bit of the season to pump up your presentation. Try joking about kids losing phones on the beach or attaching funny memes of summer scenes. You can insert your message before the amusement fades. As you build a relationship with a prospect, touches of humor will be increasingly effective.
7. Emphasize deadlines
Aside from filling your quota, you may have multiple reasons you need to close a sale. For instance, you might have to complete the transaction while your competitor is still in development. Your customers could face a time limit on obtaining a tax break. Financing opportunities may be available during a limited window. Whatever the time pressure, be honest with your customer about the expiring opportunity. A serious prospect will understand it’s the moment to commit to a purchase.
8. Offer an enticement
If sales are slow, your company may be willing to add extra value to a deal. The additional punch can take the form of a price reduction, free maintenance, or some other added attraction. Whatever the perk is, give your customer an inducement to leap.
9. Access quality data
Unfortunately, if you aim your calls and emails at unqualified prospects, no Q3 sales strategies for B2B, no matter how well-crafted, will result in a sale. However, IndustrySelect can help, as a subscription provides you with reliable, intelligent data, including the company profiles, names, positions, and executive email addresses required to reach the decision-makers who can act. Try a free demo to discover what IndustrySelect can do for you.