How to Collaborate with Buyers on Deals

Gone are the days when salespeople could rely on cold calling and product pitching to seal the deal on a business-to-business sale.

To be successful today, they need to think beyond the transactional sale.

In a digital-first world, buyers are more empowered than ever and seek honest collaboration from salespeople. Customers no longer want to be sold to - they want to be heard, educated, and engaged in meaningful conversations.

The payoff of collaboration is clear, and it's backed by data of all sorts:

89% of buyers describe the salespeople they ultimately do business with as "trusted advisors."

Research by Deloitte and Touche found that customer-centric companies were 60% more profitable than those not focused on the customer.

Lastly, data shows that educational content makes consumers 131% more likely to buy.

Collaborating with buyers and guiding them has proven to help them understand their needs and gives them the confidence to make decisions - ultimately leading to more sales for your business.

Creating a buyer-first culture to improve sales conversions

It begins with the culture within your sales and marketing teams. At the core of a buyer-first culture is an understanding that customers are more than just numbers on a spreadsheet.

Creating and cultivating relationships with buyers is the focal point of any customer-centric sales strategy - from the initial introduction to close and beyond. It requires instilling empathy and trust into the sales process and the individuals involved.

Salespeople are the center of a buyer-first culture. They're the front line - the face of your company.

They should understand that putting the customer first is more than just communicating such - it's about empathizing with their customers, providing value beyond the product or service being purchased, and showing buyers you truly care about their success.

Business leaders - CEOs, Sales Executives, and Managers - should set the standard. They should foster a culture of collaboration, respect, and trust, while constantly reinforcing the need to collaborate with buyers at every step of the sales process. It's also crucial to enable salespeople to collaborate by properly equipping them with the right tools, resources, and training to be effective.

Invest in sales enablement, training, and customer relationships

Giving your reps the resources they need to learn about the customer's industry, their prospects' pain points, and what type of language resonates with them is vital to success.

Arming your sales teams with collateral such as social proof, case studies, testimonials, blogs, guides, and more will help further build relationships with buyers and legitimize your product or service.

As sales and procurement processes go digital, more technology has become available than ever to support sales teams. For example, customer engagement tools like chatbots, video conferencing tools, and platforms like Recapped help sales teams collaborate with buyers throughout the entire sales journey in an organized way - from introductions to post-sale relationships and everything in between.

Equipping reps with the training, resources, and technology they need to create a customer-centric experience is essential for them to collaborate effectively with buyers.

Creative ways to collaborate with buyers

There are many creative ways to engage and collaborate with your prospective customers:

Engaging in pilot projects to give them a hands-on buying experience

Pilot projects allow buyers to experience the product firsthand and are often used to collaborate on deals. They allow buyers to see the value of your product or service through an interactive trial and make an informed decision about their purchase.

Implement Regularly Scheduled Zoom Calls

Regularly scheduled Zoom calls allow buyers to collaborate with your team and get updates on the status of their orders and other areas of interest. Having regular, open communication with buyers helps build a sense of empathy and understanding.

Host Customer Events - Webinars, Dinners, and more

From webinars to dinners, creating opportunities for buyers to collaborate and engage with you helps develop deeper relationships that foster loyalty and retention. Whether a virtual or in-person event, these collaborations can provide an educational and entertaining experience for a prospect, turning a sales team into the consultative, friendly figure they're looking for.

Use mutual action plans to organize the entire process

Mutual action plans are a great way to collaborate with buyers to better understand their needs and wants. Mutual action plans, also known as joint action plans, include details about the customer's goals and objectives, milestones, tasks and timelines, desired outcomes, related material, and other necessary information.

These plans give salespeople a bird's eye view of the entire process and enable them to collaborate with buyers individually.

Introduce prospective customers to valued customers

There's nothing more valuable than a referral from a valued customer. Introducing prospective customers to at least one of your existing happy customers is a great way to collaborate with buyers and help them make an informed decision about their purchase.

By leveraging the testimonials of existing customers, buyers can get an objective, unbiased opinion about your product or service - helping them collaborate more effectively with your team.

On the other hand, asking existing customers with whom your sales team already has a connection will make them feel even more appreciated and more likely to deepen their relationship.

Build your winning formula and collaborate with customers today

The use of customer-collaboration strategies is the new norm. As buyers become less reliant on sales teams and more empowered with information, it's up to your company to collaborate effectively with buyers and build the relationship that ultimately wins their business. Investing in the right resources, creating customer-first cultures, and implementing creative collaborations will ensure your reps successfully engage customers and build trust, leading to more closed deals.

Collaborating with buyers is a win-win for both parties, boosting sales and creating lasting customer relationships. With Recapped's suite of sales enablement and customer engagement tools, sales teams can collaborate with buyers throughout the entire sales journey - from introductions and pilot management to onboarding, post-sale support, and everything in between.

Transform your sales team into a world-class, customer-first organization in a matter of days, and reap the long-term benefits of doing so by getting started with Recapped's customer-collaboration platform today: https://www.recapped.io/consultation