1. Respect the Informed Buyer
It’s challenging to sell to buyers who’ve already done their research and have detailed questions in-hand, but it’s inescapable. Your SEO-optimized website should provide information they can use to do research on their own time. If they like what they see, they’re more likely to want to connect with your company.

2. Spend More Time Listening Than Talking
Sales pros must resist the urge to chatter about their company’s offerings. Instead, you must make the conversation all about the prospect. Ask about their upcoming needs and goals, and then share how your solutions can help address those particular needs.

3. Approach With a Service Mindset
Responding in a timely matter, giving consultative advice and respecting prospects’ goals/needs goes a long way to becoming a trusted partner.

4. Make the Experience Seamless
Respect your prospects’ and clients’ time by keeping presentations short and to the point. If customers call you with questions for additional information, don’t make them wait on hold, and avoid back-and-forth that wastes time and energy. Buyers make decisions based on convenience; the easier you make the process for them, the more likely they are to buy from you.

5. Be Flexible & Adapt
Be ready to pivot with clients as they make adjustments, grow and change. Don’t be rigid in what you’re offering them; be open to their ideas while maintaining a consultative approach.

“Only once customer service has become habitual will a company realize its true potential.” — Than Merrill

6. Look at B2B as P2P
While B2B sales focus on selling to businesses as clients, it’s still a person-to-person transaction. Relationship building, particularly in a time of quick online transactions, makes all the difference. It’s OK to let the conversation naturally drift to common interests and even personal lives to build rapport.

7. Always Offer to Find the Solution
Some questions you may not be able to answer immediately. But instead of saying you don’t know, say something that boosts confidence in you and that shows you’ll work to get the information the client requires. Christopher Duffy, director of marketing at Ariel Premium Supply (asi/36730), suggests: “I don’t have that information in front of me, but I know who does. May I have some time to talk with a couple of colleagues to get you the right information the first time?”