Welcome to the first “Big Deal” of 2021! For the unfamiliar, this weekly column zeroes in on a topic that is generating timely buzz in the B2B sales community.
In researching and surfacing these trending topics, BuzzSumo is always an invaluable tool for us, making it easy to see which sales articles and posts are earning the most shares across social media. Today, we thought it might be interesting to take a step back from our usual sense of immediacy and review the year that was, by highlighting the top five posts on sales trends of 2020 according to BuzzSumo’s engagement rankings.
The 5 Most Popular B2B Sales Articles of 2020
One might be tempted to turn the page and forget 2020, but that would be a mistake. There were important lessons to be learned on how to generate sales, and many of them are reflected in these saels articles. Here are the B2B sales articles that resonated most with audiences on the web.
5. How to Keep Closing B2B Deals During the Pandemic
Website: Harvard Business Review
Author: Jeff Winters
Total Engagement (per BuzzSumo): 1.3K
Unsurprisingly, readers were drawn to B2B sales content in 2020 that helped them generate sales and navigate an unprecedented crisis. This popular article from Sapper Consulting president Jeff Winters, published at HBR in late July, offered advice that was both timely and timeless. His key recommendations were certainly valid as reactions to the pandemic’s immediate impact, but are also worth taking forward:
- Ramp up your prospecting.
- Think about your prospect’s customer.
- Switch to ‘yes’ mode and be empathetic.
- Pitch all deals like you’re pitching to a CFO.
Thoughtful prospecting, heightened empathy, and helping customers win are all elements of a buyer-first philosophy that we believe will define the B2B sales profession going forward.
4. How to Create a B2B Sales Process - COVID-Proof for 2021
Website: YouTube
Author: Replyify
Total Engagement: 1.6K
This 10-minute conversation between Replyify’s Ryan O’Donnell and Social-Hire.com’s Tony Restell focuses on the accelerated transition in B2B sales communication, from in-person meetings and phone calls to digital channels like email. Ryan shares stories about helping small businesses adapt and develop proactive, data-driven email outreach strategies to generate sales.
Much like the guidance offered in the article above, these practices — centered on customer insight and customized sales leads messaging — could be described as “COVID-proof,” but really they’re just built for the new era of business more generally.
Ryan also posted the interview video on his LinkedIn page, where it’s been viewed nearly 1,000 times.
3. B2B Sales 101 - How to decide if a sales lead is a good fit. 10 questions to ask yourself.
Website: Ricochet
Author: Leanne Clegg
Total Engagement: 2.9K
There’s nothing too fancy or advanced about this post on the Ricochet blog from marketing manager Leanne Clegg; it’s a quick and simple introductory-level primer on pre-qualifying sales leads, listing 10 questions to ask oneself before reaching out.
While the contents of this sales article may not cover new ground for experienced sellers, the fact of its popularity serves as a good reminder: There is always an appetite for high-level, basic sales trends about products, processes, and best practices. If you’re sharing useful content in hopes of gaining awareness with prospects or peers, don’t get too caught in the weeds of complex and nitty-gritty details. Researching buyers and curious web surfers tend to love explanatory sales articles that get to the point fast. (To illustrate, all five post titles on this list include either “how to” or “why.”)
2. Why Doing Things That Don’t Scale Is A MUST In B2B Sales
Website: Forbes
Author: Steli Efti
Total Engagement: 4.6K
While COVID-19 was understandably a central theme throughout the last year, this sales article emerged as a top performer despite never mentioning it once. That’s because Close.com CEO Steli Efti’s contribution at Forbes touches on something that is tangentially relevant to an economic downturn, but also more fundamental to the core of modern selling.
To increase revenue and drive rapid growth, sales teams are challenged to develop scalable processes, making outreach and engagement with sales leads more efficient at higher volumes. But as Steli points out, leaning too hard on automation and repeatable scripts can mean sacrificing the tailored personal touch that stands out in today’s busy, B2B sales process. This is a pressing challenge faced by companies of all sizes, from startups looking to turn a corner, to sprawling enterprises working to maintain a customer-centric authenticity.
His sales article partially inspired a “Big Deal” entry on selectively scaling B2B sales operations, and I think it represents the next great frontier in B2B selling: establishing technology-driven efficiencies that allow sales pros to focus more of their time and energy where it counts. That is, on research, interactions, and B2B sales relationship-building activities that can’t or shouldn’t be scaled.
1. Why Women Are the Future of B2B Sales
Website: Harvard Business Review
Authors: Andris A. Zoltners, PK Sinha, Sally E. Lorimer, Tania Lennon, and Emily Alexander
Total Engagement: 6.6K
The growing need for equality and diversity across all aspects of business and society became more glaring than ever in 2020. This HBR sales article from late May addresses a specific aspect of that conversation in B2B sales, which might help explain why it gained such tremendous traction.
The authors noted that women account for less than one-third of B2B sales jobs, but pointed out some compelling reasons to believe this troubling disparity will change, in part due to the disruptive events of 2020. Among them:
- Women perform at least as well as men in B2B sales, if not better, with 2019 research showing that the former achieved quota more often than the latter (86% to 78%).
- Additional research found that women were “more likely to emphasize connecting, shaping solutions, and collaborating” in their B2B sales approaches, which all align with shifting customer expectations in a buyer-first world.
- The proliferation of remote work and WFH can make it easier for both men and women to balance career and family needs.
- As women come to account for more buying roles, female salespeople can build strong relationships with a changing customer base.
Conversations about diversity were at the forefront last year and should remain that way. B2B sales leaders are wise to think about this matter not just in terms of gender, or race, or ethnicity, but also in terms of background, skill set, and values. The bottom line: hiring people who look and think differently than you is healthy, and ultimately makes for a more capable, complete team.
Stay on Top of Trending Sales Content in 2021
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