FOUNDER’S GUIDE TO B2B SALES CUSTOMERS BUY SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS The traditional way of saying this: • “Customers buy quarter-inch holes, not quarter-inch bits.” – Theodore Levitt The modern way of saying this: • “Customers hire products to do jobs for them.” – Clayton Christensen Either way, the point is clear: • Customers buy products (and services) to solve problems • Your product and services are therefore always a means to an end While marketing emphasis may be on either the end or the means, as a function of the company’s situation and strategy. In sales, it is universally good advice to focus on the customer’s problem. Talk about their problem and how you solve it, not all the wonderful features in your product that may or may not be relevant to them. SALES IS 57% LISTENING The average B2B seller talks too much. Some 65% to 75% of the time. According to Gong research, the golden talk-to-listen ratio is 43/57. This means most sellers are listening as little as 25% of the time when they should be listening 57%. The best sellers are great listeners • They ask clear and purposeful questions • They listen to the answers (and don’t interrupt customer responses) • They ask thoughtful follow-up questions Conversation Intelligence tools like Gong and Chorus can provide talk/listen ratios among many other important features (e.g., coaching, activity, keywords, analytics), meaning you no longer have to guess how often you and your sellers are listening. The average B2B seller talks too much: 65-75% of the time. Per Gong research - the golden talk/listen ratio is 43/57 “You have two ears and one mouth, use them in proportion.” Ancient sales adage (which pushes to 33/66, but a little attempted over-compensation never hurt) SPRING 2023 .07