B2B sales require a certain level of urgency, with the buyer as keen to close the deal as the seller. Conversations that start with great enthusiasm suddenly fade, and many B2B sales leaders and managers don’t really know why.
Your sales teams may also notice a core B2B sales problem: the right people just aren’t truly engaged. Emails remain unopened, and demos are never scheduled.
To address this situation and sustain momentum, companies need robust LinkedIn marketing solutions. With expert solutions, you can target the right audiences rather than casting a wide net that may or may not generate leads. LinkedIn enables you to connect directly with people who make B2B purchase decisions, which is a key step in shortening your B2B sales cycle.
Why is the B2B sales cycle so long in the first place?
A B2B purchase decision involves multiple decision-makers who usually work with limited financial resources. Once a budget is set, buyers begin evaluating options. Many of them may genuinely be interested in your product or service, but their goal is to secure the best possible deal.
So, they spend a lot of time educating themselves about the specific product or service they need. They also spend time comparing similar products and services in the market before shortlisting a few brands.
Given the extended exploration period, they may not reach a decision quickly, which will delay your sales cycle. Unfortunately, traditional marketing further delays the sales cycle because generic ads usually don’t work in these cases. And cold outreach doesn’t start conversations either.
You’re left with a sales pipeline that simply refuses to move. To shorten the sales cycle, companies must focus on reaching the right buyers from day one.
Can LinkedIn help you reach buyers early?
LinkedIn is a platform where professionals meet to discuss work, growth, products, services, solutions, and competition. It is perfect for marketing because the context you need to promote and sell your B2B product or service is already established.
Instead of using search engines to find potential customers, you can directly market your B2B product or service on LinkedIn to your ideal customers based on the following typical filters:
- Industry
- Job title
- Company size
- Seniority
You can also change your messaging strategy based on who you are targeting or approaching. You can start the conversation about your product or service and prompt prospective buyers to present it to their company’s decision-makers.
Better targeting means fewer wasted sales conversations
LinkedIn leads enable salespeople to initiate productive conversations more quickly by skipping basic details in the B2B sales discovery process.
Here’s what LinkedIn leads look like:
- They already know your value proposition.
- They may have seen your product videos.
- These leads may also have read case studies on your website.
Since prospects on LinkedIn already know what your company offers and why your product or service is important, the sales team will likely find it easier to move to the next step and close faster than usual.
Keep deals from going cold through retargeting
The lack of sustained engagement is one of the key reasons why B2B sales cycles go on with no end in sight. Prospective buyers may suddenly stop evaluating for reasons unrelated to finding a better option or losing interest in the product or service. Sometimes, they simply have other priorities, and you lose the opportunity to convert such prospects into customers.
LinkedIn retargeting helps solve this problem. Using this platform, you can ensure that your B2B product or service remains visible until a decision is made. While emails and outreach help, retargeted ads send out a stronger message. These ads are non-intrusive, so your solution stays top of mind without frustrating users.
Retargeting on LinkedIn involves sharing the following (not an exhaustive list):
- Industry insights, market trend reports, and benchmark reports
- Customer success stories
- Product use cases
- Explainer content, guides, playbooks, and tutorials
- Whitepapers and expert roundups
By running retargeting campaigns on LinkedIn, you keep the door to sales conversations open.
Final thoughts
No one can ignore the complexities of B2B sales. Therefore, a system that reduces pressure is necessary, and LinkedIn marketing solutions create that for you. They bring clarity to B2B sales and simplify the B2B discovery process for buyers and sellers alike.
Buyers tend to move faster when they understand your B2B product or service and trust it. LinkedIn marketing solutions help create confidence among your target audience about your company’s ability to meet their needs. These solutions help deliver relevant messages to prospective buyers and align them before the formal sales pitch.
