It's nearly the end of the quarter, you're ready to close some deals and finish strong. You've got a call scheduled with your star prospect -- you know, the one who you've talked to so often you feel like a member of the family? You're sure her response will be a resounding "Yes, sign me up!" But instead you get:



"Uh...yeah, that all sounds good. Can I just have some time to think it over?"



If you're a salesperson - no matter how good you are - you've heard a client say some variation of that question before, and with manufacturers contending with historic supply chain and labor challenges right now, you're probably hearing this common sales objection more and more. Dealing with prospects who need to "think it over" can be frustrating, but it doesn't have to mean a lost sale if you handle it correctly.



You can overcome this hurdle next time it pops up during your sales pitch by reinventing how you approach this vague response.

Finding quality leads in a sector as niche as manufacturing can be a real challenge. On Thursday, August 12th, MNI hosted the weekly Tweetchat #USAMfgHour and dedicated the hour to discussing the challenges of generating quality leads in manufacturing. The #USAMfgHour Tweetchat was especially revealing, with manufacturers sharing a bounty of insights on data decay, the pandemic's impact on communicating with prospects, lead qualification, top lead generation resources and the pros and cons of lists, and more. Today, we're sharing some of these insightful comments from manufacturers on lead generation in their niche.

When it comes to sales, good marketing is critical. It's even more important that good marketing tactics target your key audience in an accessible way. This is especially important for manufacturers. Indeed, sometimes there are unavoidable obstacles to overcome in a crowded marketplace. Other times, there are industry-related issues such as a technology gap. It is also not uncommon for the chain of command in the manufacturing industry to forgo the use of email. With that being said, a strong and effective sales methodology is how you can avoid these types of issues and keep a successful business.

Welcome to Part Three of our "Common Client Concerns and How to Address Them" series, where we give salespeople and marketers in the manufacturing industry the tools they need to outpace competitors and seal deals.



Last week, we took a look at some winning responses to clients who say they need more time to think over your proposal.



But what about those prospects who are too busy to even take your call?

Even the most experienced salesperson doesn't land every prospect. If you find that your company consistently misses its sales goals, though, you may find yourself facing some tough questions regarding your sales and marketing strategy. Is your sales funnel too shallow? Does your marketing messaging match your sales tactics? Are your salespeople on the same page as your marketing people? Are you reaching the right audience at the right time with the right product? The following suggestions will help you out of your slump and shorten your sales cycle.

Things are starting to go back to normal for the manufacturing sector. More businesses are opening up to their full capacity again after COVID-19. The good news is that many prospects are considering their next step and looking at proposals from vendors. You can stand out in this competitive environment by reaching out to C-level executives directly. However, you'll need to craft a strong C-level manufacturing sales pitch to convince these decision-makers.

"Listen, can I get back to you about this?"



It's a phrase that has killed countless sales. Say it to any experienced sales rep, and you'll probably see them deflate before your eyes.



But do clients who say, "I'll get back to you" just want to let you down easily? The answer may be more complicated than you think. Let's explore what clients really mean when they hit you with this phrase.

The typical buying journey has changed over the past few years. B2B prospects and decision-makers increasingly belong to the millennial generation. They prefer doing research on their own before speaking with a salesperson. Self-directed research on the internet accounts for 27% of the B2B buying journey, while offline research represents 18%. So, it should come as no surprise that you'll often encounter B2B prospects who say they need to do more research.



Are prospects being genuine with this objection? Let's look at the real reasons behind this phrase and how you can respond without alienating your B2B prospects.

Following top-notch manufacturer blogs is among the best ways to get a feel for the industry you're doing business with and to make new connections. Countless manufacturers are telling their stories every day and engaging with their content can help you build relationships with prospects and become part of a vibrant manufacturing community. Here are some manufacturing blogs across various industries that stand out.

Do you still receive emails beginning with, "Dear so-and-so?" While this sales tactic used to be the height of customization for years, it completely misses the mark for a personalized sales pitch today.



Now, everyone craves an individualized approach across all platforms. Especially thanks to the recent pandemic year, everyone is looking for personalization in order to get the most effective and relevant solutions for their company in the most cost-effective way. They aren't looking to settle for solutions that kind of meet their needs or those that only address one of their problems.

Being successful in industrial B2B sales means being efficient. But you cannot be efficient if you're wasting effort on the wrong strategies. Key performance indicators, or KPIs, are how the most successful companies keep track of what works in their teams and what doesn't. Let's take a look at some of the most important B2B sales KPIs you should be tracking.

By now, we are all familiar with the myriad of ways the pandemic has impacted our individual lives. Whether that impact means mask-wearing, vaccination, working remotely or helping our children with their online schooling, the pandemic has transformed our lives. Equally impactful is the way in which the pandemic has transformed B2B sales and how businesses can adapt. That impact can be summed up in one word: digital. Is your B2B company ready for this transformation?

Sales enablement is when marketing resources are used to directly support sales. As the name suggests, it's the process of using marketing strategy and content to further the goal of closing a sale. Let's see how this process works on the inside.

Social selling is the act of engaging directly with potential customers through any number of social media platforms, including (but not limited to) Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter. There are many advantages to social selling, and anyone who does not use this method is losing business.



However, there are several things that you want to avoid. Discover some common dos and don'ts to ensure you use this method to its fullest extent.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has radically changed the way America works, with 44% of U.S. employees working from home (compared to 17% before the Pandemic). So how do professionals view the prospect of returning to the office? This article will explore some key statistics gathered from around the web that illuminate the work-from-home experience and how professionals are feeling about a potential return to the office.

The last thing you want to do on a sales call is sound like everybody else. But you also don't want to put your foot in your mouth and lose business as a result.



There is a way to find the perfect balance of unique but competent. Below are a few examples of what to avoid saying on a sales call and what you can say as an alternative.

Thanks to AI, machine learning and chatbots, successful companies are learning how to leverage live chat as a sales tool. Unsuccessful companies install out-of-the-box solutions that are the computerized versions of calling a company and, after an endless series of menu choices, listening to elevator music for an hour.



On the contrary, the main advantage of live chat is that it provides an instant response to your customers' questions. Your customers may not always be able to contact you during regular business hours. Live chat provides them the opportunity to get their basic questions answered and a time frame as to when you can address more complex issues.

"Cold calling" is an inaccurate name for what is actually very productive and, in many cases, friendly business conversations. Misunderstanding the purpose of cold calling and using outdated strategies can hurt your ability to form relationships with potential clients. Take a look at some ways you can improve your cold call performance to avoid that.

How many emails do you receive each day? Of those, how many do you actually read? Be even more brutally honest with yourself. Would you actually read or act on the emails your company sends?



Industry statistics suggest the average open rate is only 15.1%. Of those 'opens,' the click-through rate is a mere 2.05%.

"Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime." -Proverb



Substitute "sale" for "fish" and that Proverb applies to your company. There are as many ways to fish as there are fishermen. Some techniques work better than others, depending on your desired outcome. For highly-qualified B2B leads, nearly half of marketing departments surveyed rely on account-based marketing to increase their ROI.

Ask any salesperson, and they will say that sales is the most important position in the company because it drives revenue. Ask any marketer, and they will say that marketing is the most important position in the company because their words drive the leads.



Smarketing relies on putting egos aside and realizing that the two teams are intertwined. A combined approach of sales and marketing, with each recognizing and appreciating the strengths of the other, produces higher-quality marketing materials and higher-dollar sales closures.

B2B sales professionals face a raft of obstacles and challenges, from the prospecting stage to pitching a proposal to closing a deal. But it's important to separate fact from fiction when it comes to common presumptions in B2B sales. Keep moving forward with these 21 eye-opening sales & prospecting statistics!

Data decay is a leading cause of data inconsistencies, which can result in wasted time, resources and ultimately can have a negative impact on your bottom line. Plus, working with outdated and inconsistent data is just plain frustrating. But how prevalent is this problem?

You know that data decay impacts your sales & marketing efforts, but do you really know the extent of the damage? See how the costs of data decay might be far greater than you think and learn more about why good data matters in this infographic.

Between distractions and sudden changes in the business environment, it can be difficult to stay on task and be productive.



To get the most out of your business, you need to use productivity tools. There are a vast array of products and services that can help you optimize your time in the office. Below is a description of some of the more critical productivity categories and a list of some solutions that we think you'll find very useful in 2021.

2020 was undoubtedly one for the history books. The manufacturing world was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, from supply chain disruptions to labor shortages and widespread shutdowns. In many ways, IndustrySelect's most popular stories for 2020 reflected the efforts of sales, marketing and business development professionals to understand the struggles of their valuable manufacturing clients, improve communications and discover new opportunities amid this remarkable year.

On May 27 of this year, B2B sales and marketing expert John Coe, provided us with a detailed look at the challenges B2B marketers face when it comes to old or "decaying" data: B2B Data Decay: The Achilles Heel of Marketing.



Today, John is following up on that article, sharing some crucial steps B2B sales and marketing professionals should take to remediate old or aging data.

For many companies in 2020, profit margins are taking a hit. As part of the executive team, you want to have a comprehensive view of the challenges ahead and how to right the ship. Creating a seamless B2B customer experience can help boost your profit margins, putting your company back on the path to success. In this post, we'll explore the concept of the customer experience and provide the four fundamentals for enhancing the experience of your best prospects.

Many of the same factors that motivate individual buyers to choose one product over another also motivate industrial buyers[i] -- quality, price, performance, etc. The Harvard Business Review recently published a hierarchy of value propositions from base expectations at the bottom of the pyramid to loftier purchasing goals such as a feeling of social responsibility at the top of the pyramid. Matching these values to each buyer persona helps manufacturers complete more sales[ii].



The following buyer personas are designed to help manufacturing companies motivate industrial buyers to choose their product[iv]:

So much has happened in 2020 that was unprecedented. Simply looking forward to 2021 has become a definite challenge.



The only way to get a handle on what to expect in sales and marketing next year is to study the data from this year, especially during COVID-19, and project using the most likely scenarios.