Business sales is something that should be on the mind of every b2b company. It offers unique opportunities, but also immense challenges. In this article, we'll explore what business selling is and how to build a sales team to execute it. What is business selling? Selling to businesses is a unique concept in the b2b world. As opposed to selling to startups or sole proprietors, enterprise refers to large enterprise solutions. It differs from other types of sales because of the sales cycle, the decision makers and the risks involved. Key differences between business sales include: higher risk -
Business sales pose much more risk to the organization in terms of revenue. Longer sales cycle – it could take six months or more to close the deal many company mailing list decision makers - there are often six to 10 decision makers, as opposed to one or two. Complex sales vs. Transactional sales complex (corporate) sales and transactional sales are very different. Transactional sales are the ones most people recognize because they see them every day. They involve simple and quick decisions. Examples would be buying a television from best buy or a small business buying a new table for their conference room.
These transactional sales represent a relatively low risk. And the sales cycle is relatively fast. For this reason, many startups focus early on on selling transactional products. They can be sold out in 30-60 days without a complicated buying process. On the other hand, selling to companies requires several months of intense communication between the prospect and the salesperson. To better contrast the two, here are the key aspects of transactional sales: lower risk - transactional purchases are usually offered at a lower price. This greatly reduces the risk to the prospect if they make the wrong decision.