Recent years have brought tremendous changes to the landscape of B2B sales, as digital and online channels now play an integral role in purchasing decisions. In fact, statistics show that buyers today use double the number of channels (up to 10 or more) when making a purchase compared with five years ago. 

Additionally, business organizations are leveraging B2B marketing efforts earlier on in order to qualify buyer readiness and fit for products/services while investing smarter based on customers’ preferences during their buying journey.

Current B2B sales trends are rapidly changing the way organizations do business. As the market continues to speed up, B2B sales teams aiming to succeed must find ways to keep ahead of their lead generation. It is essential for them not just to make great products but also to create relationships with customers based on trust and transparent communication. 

Navigate how to build a b2b sales team and develop effective strategies which maximize conversions into wins.

Building a Successful B2B Sales Team – Key Roles

For a B2B sales team to reach its full potential, talent and hard work are only part of the equation. To set a business up for success, assembling an accomplished B2B sales team is vital. 

This requires recruiting top talent with essential roles and skills and arming them with proper resources and guidance from leadership on expectations that need to be met. 

This results in boosting revenue growth while also granting access to a competitive marketplace.

The following are the key roles needed for a B2B sales team to succeed:

• The Lead Generators: First-touch sales reps are essential in the process of filling an organization’s sales pipeline – they acquire leads, gather important data, and make sure it is validated. But there’s more to their work than just collecting information — these professionals build relationships with potential customers to drive new lead generation for a business. 

• Sales Development Representatives (SDRs): SDRs are responsible for qualifying leads generated by the Lead Generators. They are responsible for researching potential customers and reaching out to them to qualify them as a good fit for your product or service.

• Account Executives: Account Executives work closely with SDRs to close deals and generate revenue. They are responsible for managing customer relationships, negotiating deals, and closing sales.

• Sales Managers: Sales Managers manage the sales team and ensure they meet their targets. They are responsible for setting sales targets, coaching team members, and providing guidance to help them improve their performance.

• Sales Operations: Sales Operations teams are responsible for supporting the sales team and ensuring they have the tools and resources they need to succeed. They are responsible for managing the sales process, tracking performance metrics, and identifying areas for improvement.

Building a Successful B2B Sales Team – Steps to Follow

B2B spending is a major contributor to the American economy, driving 48% of total economic activity. It’s no small feat for B2B sales teams who must navigate complex deals and establish long-term customer relationships. 

Keeping up with this fast-paced environment requires a tactful research strategy and tenacity – two qualities vital to success in the business world.

Step I – Determine Your Sales Goals

Businesses can set effective sales goals and build successful B2B sales teams by following these strategies: 

• Break down the annual revenue goal into monthly sales targets, which helps make the target more manageable and easier to track progress towards it. 
• Another key aspect of setting sales goals is to use SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

• In addition to setting clear and measurable goals, building a culture of engagement is also essential for creating a high-performing sales team. This includes promoting empathy, curiosity, and persistence and creating an engaging work environment for employees.

• Before setting sales goals, it’s helpful to assess the business and sales operation to customize sales plans that meet the company’s specific needs. This involves analyzing information to guide decision-making when setting goals for the next quarter or year. 

Step II – Choose the Right Sales Team Model

When building a successful B2B sales team, choosing the right sales team model is crucial. Here are some ways to keep in mind when making that decision:

• Consider using sales plays, which are coordinated sets of actions to create and win opportunities for specific customers or prospects.

• By taking a careful and calculated approach to sales force expansion, companies can leverage their growth through purposeful measures that foster success. Utilize an all-encompassing six-point checklist as you define roles & responsibilities, and align metrics with strategic objectives and beyond for optimally scaling operations.

• Choose a sales team structure that works for your organization. There are several different models to consider, including a traditional hierarchical model, a flat structure, or a squad structure that groups roles into pods.

• Harness the power of squads to maximize B2B sales team performance. The squad structure model allows you to combine all the necessary roles into designated groups, creating a fluid user journey that’ll ensure nothing is left wanting. A hybrid approach for your organization could be just what’s needed for success.

Regardless of the model chosen, it is important to ensure that the roles and responsibilities of each team member are clearly defined and aligned with the sales strategy and that metrics are put in place to measure success.

Step III – Define Sales Roles

Establishing a successful B2B sales team starts with defining the core roles and their responsibilities. The manager is in charge of leading, budgeting, coaching, hiring, and setting goals for the team. Sales representatives focus on prospecting customers to find those who will benefit from their services; account executives are instrumental in managing existing accounts as well as developing new ones. On the other hand, business development reps identify leads that may require significant research skills around networking, understanding product offerings, and the right message to engage them.

Ultimately, by clarifying job definitions, companies can ensure they have what it takes to meet customer expectations while driving growth within an organization’s operations model.

Step IV – Create a Sales Training Program

To build a successful B2B sales team, the key is to create an effective training program. This involves determining their specific needs and utilizing the appropriate formats, such as online self-study courses and instructor-led classes. It’s also vital to incorporate interactive sessions into such programs so that learning can be engaging for participants while comprehensive materials should provide ample opportunity for further study at any point in time. 

Step V – Set Performance Metrics

For businesses to reach their sales targets and optimize performance, it is essential to set effective KPIs. These should be tailored specifically to the company’s needs to ensure accurate measurement of progress. Sales teams must also have clear short-term objectives alongside long-term goals, which will help incentivize positive results and provide team members with direction toward ultimate success. Tracking these metrics regularly guarantees maximum return on investment and enhanced revenue growth over time.

Step VI – Build a Culture of Accountability

Creating a culture of accountability in your sales team is crucial to ensuring team members are motivated and committed to achieving their goals. Here are some tips on how to create a culture of accountability:

• Define accountability: Clearly defined expectations keep your sales reps on track and goal-oriented. An effective accountability framework gives you the ability to monitor performance effectively, making sure that each rep is striving for success.

• Set clear goals: Strong goal setting is key to ensuring team accountability and success. Utilize the SMART framework for a structured approach that can help you craft clear objectives on the road to achieving your desired goals.

• Create a culture of collaboration: Create a team culture focused on collaboration and accountability. Sales team members are more motivated and productive if they’re accountable for their actions. Effective salespeople need to be accountable to themselves, their team, and their customers.

• Leadership sets the tone: Have leadership set the tone. Scaling a sales culture starts with a commitment from company leadership. Executives and upper management at your business need to commit to and project the values that define your organization’s sales culture.

• Regular feedback and recognition: It’s essential to provide your team with regular feedback to ensure they understand their performance and where they can improve. Providing recognition and rewards for top performers can also help motivate and incentivize your sales team.

Summing Up

A well-constructed B2B sales team is an invaluable asset for any organization that wishes to excel in the current business environment. Through clear revenue expectations and a spirit of cohesiveness, collaboration can be nurtured as employees take steps towards their goals with curiousness, sensitivity, and commitment – leaving them poised to capitalize on opportunities enabled by technological advances.

Accelerate your success in the B2B market with Marketboats Consulting. Our innovative platform and expertise provide full transparency into campaign operations, enabling you to syndicate multichannel content for unified brand projection. 

As a global lead generation organization, we offer flexible solutions tailored specifically to each company’s needs – ensuring maximum development toward their business growth and prosperity goals. 

With Marketboat’s commitment to excellence through ever-evolving strategies, put yourself ahead of competitors today by unlocking next-level performance!

Get in touch today!