From our meetings with SMB owners, sales directors, and marketing directors in B2B companies, I have learned that the main target of any digital campaign is to close the deal. It makes a total sense!
Yet, the digital terrain poses unique hurdles to B2B sales. It’s not a straightforward process of locating a buyer and sealing the deal. In essence, you must first ignite demand in the market before you can commence selling.
Demand generation plays a pivotal role in B2B sales activities. It’s the catalyst that sparks and fosters interest, awareness, and demand for a company’s offerings among its target audience.
How does demand generation support sales activities?
Demand generation efforts help generate a steady stream of qualified leads that the sales team can pursue. Demand generation ensures that sales representatives spend their time and resources on prospects with genuine potential to convert into customers by targeting prospects who have shown interest or engagement with the company’s content, campaigns, or brand.
Building Brand Awareness and Credibility
Effective demand-generation initiatives, such as thought leadership content, educational resources, and industry reports, help increase brand visibility and credibility in the market. When sales representatives reach out to prospects, they are more likely to be recognized and trusted if the company has established a strong presence and reputation through demand-generation activities.
Educating Prospects
B2B buying cycles are often complex and involve multiple stakeholders with varying levels of knowledge and expertise. Demand generation initiatives like webinars, whitepapers, and case studies provide valuable insights and information that educate prospects about industry challenges, trends, and potential solutions. This educational content equips sales representatives with valuable talking points and positions them as knowledgeable advisors who can address prospects’ needs and concerns.
Creating Demand and Stimulating Interest
In many B2B industries, prospective customers may not actively seek solutions to their problems or be unaware of the available options. Demand generation activities aim to create awareness of these solutions and stimulate interest in the company’s offerings, even among prospects who may have yet to look for them actively. By generating demand and creating a sense of urgency, demand generation sets the stage for sales conversations and accelerates the sales cycle.
Engaging Prospects throughout the Buyer’s Journey
Demand generation initiatives are designed to engage prospects at every stage of the buyer’s journey, from initial awareness to consideration and decision-making. By providing relevant content that addresses prospects’ needs and concerns at each stage, demand generation keeps them engaged. It nurtures relationships until they are ready to engage with sales. This ensures that sales representatives interact with informed and motivated prospects who are more likely to convert into customers.
Facilitating Sales Enablement
Demand generation efforts can also support sales enablement by providing sales representatives with the tools, resources, and collateral they need to engage with prospects and close deals effectively. This includes sales decks, product sheets, case studies, and other materials reinforcing the value proposition and addressing common objections. By aligning demand generation and sales enablement efforts, companies can empower their sales teams to have more productive conversations and drive better outcomes.
In conclusion, demand generation is a key driver of B2B sales success. It’s not just about producing high-quality leads or establishing brand recognition. It’s about aligning demand generation and sales activities to maximize revenue and achieve consistent growth, even in a highly competitive market.
