Many startup companies are hesitant to start marketing their software. Often, it’s not the product that isn’t ready, it’s a lack of understanding of the market and hesitancy to spend valuable budget on building a B2B sales strategy.
Generally, startups with their first few customers face a dilemma. Should you spend money to market and get more customers? Or, do you rely on word of mouth and the founder’s networks to generate your next sales?
The truth is that word-of-mouth and founder connections cannot last forever. You need to market your brand now, and build a solid foundation for your future marketing and sales efforts. Now is the perfect time to test and learn, and find the B2B sales strategy that really suits your startup.
B2B Sales Strategy: Charisma Doesn’t Scale
Generally, founders of companies are the most passionate about their product, and they should be. You’ve built the company with your blood, sweat, and tears. As a result, your passion is clear to your prospects every time you talk about your solution.
It’s easy to buy into something when the salesperson really cares about the product. But, you cannot close business on charisma alone as your startup begins to grow. Charisma isn’t scalable.
Of course, starting with your personal network is natural. Your first accounts will always come from people you know, or other business connections. However, you need to expand out of this network quickly if you’re really looking to scale your startup.
The first step? Get to know your buyers. You need to know exactly who you’re marketing to, and how to resonate with them specifically. Similarly, you need to know your market. Who are you competing with? How is your solution better?
All of this information will go into your marketing and sales strategy. Once you’ve built clear messaging and processes, you need to hire a sales team. Now, these teams cannot possibly carry the same passion as you, the founder. But, if you’ve got the research right, your solution will be the perfect fit for your prospects.
Test, Test, and Test Again: Leads Are Your Guinea Pigs
A B2B sales strategy relies on marketing that tests ideas and messages. In the beginning, you need to get in front of potential customers as quickly as possible.
Presenting to initial leads allows you to test messages and see what works, and what doesn’t. Each success or failure is invaluable, as that data tells you who you’re selling to. Your persona should become more and more clear as you start speaking to leads and prospects.
You will take plenty of meetings that result in excluding personas and markets, but that’s a good thing. However, to get the opportunity to test your theories, you need to market and book these meetings.
Marketing is More Than Just Leads
When we think of marketing, many of us think of branding, logos, and events. While these are all key components of marketing, they are primarily brand-focused. These strategies build brand awareness, but you need real industry-leading content to cement your place in your market.
You also need to begin with small, targeted campaigns to test messages and themes against markets. This combination of strategies gets you the influx of leads you need to test messages further, and allows you to build a sales process from there that closes business.
Not only that, but VCs like investing in market leaders. Content is the key to establishing a position in the market before approaching investors.
In conclusion, the time to market is now. If you’ve got your first few customers then that’s a great start, and it’s important to make sure you optimize those accounts. But, you need to start marketing and building for the future now, otherwise, you won’t reach the growth goals you need to raise money.
At Nituno, we work with startups to build a b2b sales strategy that scales. Our full-service marketing agency can help you to build a marketing strategy to bolster your sales, and enhance your future growth. Get in touch with us to discuss your sales strategy today.
