10 Killer B2B Sales Tactics that Take 10 Minutes or Less!

Got 10 minutes on your hands?

Great!

You’ve got what it takes to try some of the most effective sales tactics in the game.

That’s right… 10 minutes is all that it takes to capture the attention of your prospects and head down the road to closing the deal!

Think that 10 minutes isn’t enough to get a deal moving along?  You can only waste 10 minutes by trying!

What Is the Most Effective Strategy to Close B2B Sales?

So, you're skeptical that a sales tactic that takes less than 10 minutes of effort is really all that effective?

Think again!

The best B2B sales strategies are the ones filled with simple tactics.

Here's why: Prospects don't have the ability to digest a lot of information at once.  Also, they don't react to factual information nearly as much as they do emotional information.

For example, you can have a sales presentation full of fantastic facts about your solution.  But, if you don't simplify it down into a few small pieces of valuable information or effectively capture the emotional attention of the viewers, it will unlikely have any positive affect on them.

Remember, prospects are humans just like us.  And, humans don't have the ability to digest overcomplicated messages.  

Don't think so?  Consider the fact that the average human now has an attention span of 8 seconds... that's less than the attention span of a goldfish.

Therefore, if your sales tactics are way too overblown, your prospects are never going to see the point.

The simpler the better.  By simple, we mean tactics that are easy for prospects to take in AND capture their emotions.

Sales is at the heart of every business.  So, When sales go downhill, the business goes downhill.  In short: Overcomplicated sales tactics lead to the demise of B2B businesses!

Filling up your B2B sales process with these 10-minute tactics saves you time AND is better for your business in the end!

10 of the Best B2B Sales Tactics that Take 10 Minutes or Less

Trash the overcomplicated sales tactics and opt for these 10 that take less than 10 minutes!

If you integrate these tactics into your sales process AND stay consistent with them, you and your sales team will inevitably close more deals.

Save time, have happier prospects, and increase your success!

1. Share Your Current Customer Content on LinkedIn

Early on in the sales cycle, one of the first things you should do is connect with your prospects on social media, particularly LinkedIn.

But, then what do you do? 

In a perfect world, you will have already curated the perfect social media feed, filled with content that gives prospects a better sense of who you are both personally and professionally.

While that is a perfect world, it isn't reality for most sales reps. 

Whether that statement is reflective of your current situation or not, one tactic that you can do to immediately add depth to your profile is to share some of your current customer’s content on your page.

Even better, share your current customer's business success with your potential customers!

When you share their content, it does two key things for sales development, including:

1. It provides evidence that your solution works well 
2. It shows that you care about your client's success

First off, showing that your solution works with direct evidence from clients is excellent sales and marketing material!

However, showing that you care about your client's success runs even deeper.  It demonstrates that you are personable enough to have strong relationships with them.

Being able to build relationships with prospects and clients is a central tenet to sales success.  If your prospects see that you have strong relationships with current customers, the odds that they choose you for their solution increase significantly.

The best part is, sharing your client's positive content and adding a small caption takes literally less than 60 seconds!  Why wouldn’t you do it?

2. Write a Personalized Thank You Note

In a world consumed by technology, receiving a physical note or card in the mail can be riveting... even for adults!

Top salespeople know this, and they use it to their advantage by writing personalized thank you notes to their prospects.

All it takes is a couple of minutes to write a genuine "thank you" to one of your prospects.  Regardless of how the sale turned out, it's a good idea to send a note!  

Specifically, one that thanks them for their time and investment into the sales process.

Just like sharing client content on social media, sending a physical letter sends a similar message that you care about your B2B customer’s success.

Also, prospects understand that it takes time and energy to write out a personal, physical message, so they greatly appreciate the gesture!

Even though it might seem like such a small thing, it can go a long way in the eyes of potential customers!

3. Share a Case Study

In addition to sharing your prospect's content on LinkedIn, you should also consider sharing one of your company's customer case studies.

Case studies are one of the most effective sales tools out there.  If your marketing team has a case study handy… get them to make it shareable on social media!

Not only do case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of your business solution, but they also hit several powerful sales psychology points, including:

1. Social proof
2. Expert proof
3. Urgency

Social proof is perhaps the most powerful effect of sharing case studies.

Social proof is the idea that, if your prospect sees others reaping the advantages of your company's solution, then they will want to take advantage of it too!

Moreover, they look to the outside world for confirmation that they should do something.  In this case, they are looking to other businesses for confirmation that they too should choose you for their solution.

If your sales team isn't already using sales psychology strategies, you are significantly cutting off your team’s potential to close more deals.

With that said, get in touch with your marketing department to get your hands on a case study!

It takes mere seconds to share it on your LinkedIn profile... What are you waiting for?

4. Attach a 1-Minute Video to Cold Emails

Cold emailing is perhaps the most common B2B sales technique used by sales reps to fill their sales pipeline with qualified leads.

Not only is it one of the most popular, but it also tends to be one of the most contentious (and headache causing).

Ask most salespeople today, and they will probably say that poor cold emailing results is one of their own most evident pain points!

But, it doesn't have to be that way.

Don't let what you see online tell you differently... Cold emailing is still one of the most effective techniques for getting leads into your sales funnel.  That is, at least, if you use the kinds of cold emailing techniques that actually work!

One of the most effective cold emailing technique that top sales professionals use is attaching a personal, 1-minute video note to their email!  

In that video, they do a couple of things, including:

1. Personally introducing themselves 
2. Explaining that they see a problem in the prospects business
3. Giving insights into how they have the answer to solving that problem!

What makes this tactic so effective?

First off, seeing a video in an email message isn't something prospects are used to getting.  The presence of it alone might spark their curiosity enough to make them respond to you.

Second, when sales reps highlight that they see an issue, it creates a sense of urgency in the prospect.  Their internal alarm bells start ringing, telling them that they need to find a solution ASAP because someone else has spotted the problem!

Lastly, similar to how prospects appreciate receiving personalized notes, they also appreciate someone taking the time to make a video for them.  Your efforts alone might be the thing that makes them respond. 

It takes 1-minute for you to take advantage of one of the most effective cold emailing tactics ever!  What's stopping you?

5. Improve the Prospect’s Pain Points With a Voicemail

Like cold emailing, cold calling is another one of the most infamous B2B sales techniques.

However, it is perhaps even more dreaded than cold emailing.  Receiving rejection over the phone hits harder than receiving rejection in an email!

If you're an avid cold caller struggling to not just get a 'yes' from prospects, but to get them to simply respond to a call, then this one is for you!

It's common practice for sales professionals to leave voicemails.  But, leaving a voicemail isn't enough.  

It needs to be compelling and catch the prospect's attention right off the bat to make them want to put an effort into calling you back.

With that said, what is the key to catching your prospect's attention in a voicemail?

Just like in the cold email video, you need to tell prospects in the voicemail that you know something about their business that is problematic!  Create that sense of urgency by telling them that you've found something specific that is off, and you want to talk to them about fixing it.

The idea is to show the prospect that you have something of value for them already, even before you offer them your solution!  

You're not going to just walk them through a boring sales pitch... you're going to show them right away what you can do to increase the success of their business.

Moreover, instead of waiting until the initial sales meeting to show them you have value to offer, let them know in the voicemail!  

It takes less than 60 seconds to create a compelling voicemail.  There is no reason not to do it!

6. Connect With the Head Decision-Maker

Depending on the size of your B2B buyer company, you may or may not be in touch with the  person in charge of the purchasing decisions during the sales process.  

For example, if you are a SAAS company selling HR software, you would probably be speaking with members of the company’s HR department during sales meetings.  

But, the people you are speaking to might not have final authority over the buying process.  Moreover, they aren’t able to make the purchasing decision on their own without the permission of a superior.

If you find yourself in one of those situations, take a couple of minutes to connect with the head decision-maker at the company!

In the case of the SAAS company, their target person might be the head of HR, or even the CEO. 

The larger the prospect company is, the less likely you are to speak with the person who has the authority to make the final buying decision during the sales process.

If you come to find out that, of the people you are speaking to, it doesn’t include that head decision maker, take one or two minutes to reach out to them!  Let them know who you are, what value you have to offer, and offer to connect with them over the phone.

The idea is to start facilitating a relationship with that key decision-maker.

Remember, B2B companies working together are supposed to have a personal relationship!  And, that relationship should go beyond just you and a few touch points of contact.

Instead, you should be trying to connect with all of the most important people in the prospect company.  Not only that, but you should get the members of your sales team to connect with them as well!

All you need to do to take advantage of this very effective sales tactic is to write up a simple email!

If you can do that, you open the doors to a thriving business-to-business relationship (and many more closed sales)!

7. Read Your Prospect’s Latest Blog Posts

Preparing for a sales pitch or initial sales call?  You need to make sure that you have as much good information about the prospect as possible.

However, having more information doesn't necessarily mean you have quality information.  Quality information about a prospect usually sheds light on:

1. Their business vision
2. How they add value to their own customers 
3. What their unique value proposition is 

Perhaps one of the best ways to uncover this information is to read over their latest blog posts.

Blogs can reveal a lot about their marketing strategy.  And, marketing is where you'll often find the answers to these three key questions.

You can spend hours trying to dig up information on prospects, but sometimes the best information is right in front of you. 

The next time that you sit down for your morning coffee, take ten minutes to read through your prospect's blog content.  It could be the difference between you nailing the initial sales encounter or not!

8. Update Your Target Market

These days, times change very quickly!  One minute people are into one thing, and the next minute they're not.

It's the same story in B2B selling: One minute prospects are into your solution, and the next minute their business changes and they need a different solution.

A common mistake that sales teams make is failing to regularly update their ideal customer profile (ICP). 

The ideal customer profile is a drawn out picture of your company's perfect prospect, including their demographics and psychographics, just to name a few.

As a result, their ideal customer profile falls out of date with the modern times, and they experience a drop in sales. 

B2B sales teams need to make a conscious effort to regularly update their ideal customer profile. 

Meeting with the marketing team on a regular basis for less than 10 minutes can be the solution!

Don't wait until you see a drop in sales to update your ICP.

9. Respond to Negative Reviews of Competitor Companies

We've already gone over two of the most common types of sales outreach, cold emailing and calling.  When done correctly, both are extremely effective lead generation tactics!

But, what if there was another, even easier way to connect with potential customers?

If your lead generation is a little cold, try this tactic that takes only a few minutes: Google your primary competitor company and check out their review page.  Identify their dissatisfied customers, and then reach out to them directly!

Let those individuals know that you've seen their issue, and want to help them solve it.

This is a perfect example of how you don’t need to jump through hoops to have a successful B2B sales strategy!  In many cases, all of the information you need to prospect quality leads is free and right in front of your face.  In this case, a simple Google search does the trick.

In addition to Google reviews, you can also check out Facebook, LinkedIn, and any other social media page that the company has.

It takes less than 1 minute to hop on Google everyday and check out reviews.  Make it a part of your daily routine, so that you never miss out on snatching the perfect lead.

10. Just Follow-Up

Sending follow-up emails throughout the B2B sales prospecting process is basic sales protocol.

But, would you believe that many salespeople don't follow it?  

Because, if they did, then there would be no such statistic as 10% of sales reps close 90% of deals!

Follow-up emails and calls are standard procedures that most salespeople don't follow.  And, they’re seriously missing out.  Because, not only is it standard procedure, but it's a standard that really works!

We will say it a million more times... B2B sales isn't complicated!  Following the easiest, and most straight-forward tactics such as following-up is a major key to close deals. 

Did you know that it takes an average of at least 5 tries to reach out to a prospect before they respond to you?  

That means, most salespeople, for example, need to send four additional follow-up cold emails to prospects after sending their initial message!

While following-up might be taxing on your energy, it only takes a couple of minutes to write up a simple message.  And, that message could be the difference between you closing the deal or not.

The selling process isn't totally a numbers game, but it is to an extent!  Instead of calling it a numbers game, it is more like a game of persistence.

If you could just learn to take a couple of minutes per day to follow up with one of your leads, you are likely to get to the point where they eventually respond to you!

Don't waste time trying to connect with new prospects when you already have a set of perfectly qualified leads in your hands!  If only you would just follow-up with them…

With that said, take two minutes and follow-up!  The smallest efforts often lead to the greatest results.

Final Thoughts on 10-Minute Sales Tactics

In business, more doesn't always equal better.  That statement doesn't ring more true than in B2B sales.

More time, energy, and extravagance invested into sales tactics is not only ineffective, but often leads to business demise.

Don't waste your most valuable resource (time) putting together over-the-top sales tactics that only fall flat in the end.

Instead, focus on simple, high-quality tactics, including these 10 that literally take less than 10 minutes or less to complete.

For less time than it takes you to answer your email inbox, you can take your entire sales strategy to the next level.

Afraid that these tactics aren't good enough?  All you've got to waste is 10 minutes!