Business customer acquisition - how to improve the results?

The statistics can be discouraging: only one in four B2B emails will be opened, and it takes an average of a dozen phone calls to close a sale. How to improve efficiency business customer acquisition? 

What will you learn from the article?

Customer acquisition represents one of the key challenges for any company. In the article, you will discover how to effectively acquire B2C customers and B2B, using a variety of channels and methods. You will also learn what problems most frequently arise in the process of business customer acquisition and how to solve them effectively. Finally, we will share examples of interesting strategies that may inspire you to implement new solutions in your company. We look forward to reading!

B2B transactions are typically larger, more complex and require a longer sales cycle. Moreover, purchasing decisions in companies are often made by several people, which means that the sales process must be adapted to different interests and perspectives.

B2C and business customer acquisition 

Acquiring business customers is largely no different from generating B2C leads In collaboration with companies, emotions also count, and these are built using similar tactics as in communication with ordinary customers. The main differences are: 

• Duration - usually the process individual customer acquisition takes less time and is less complicated. You have to put more effort into B2B communication. 
• transaction value - most often in B2B the contract value is higher, which translates into the complexity of the sales process. 
• Tongue - although there is also room for relaxation in communication with a corporate client, the CEO or business owners need more specificity. More formal language reaches them. 
• personalization - there are millions of individual customers, while companies interested in a specific service - much less. In each of them, the decision is made by one or more people who have a lot in common. The message addressed to them may therefore be more personal than in communication strategy addressed to individual clients. 

The above list alone provides hints as to the business customer acquisition. It is worth tailoring your message to what business owners want. The basis should, of course, be the selection of the target group of customers. It can help marketing audit. Sometimes completely new groups can be identified in the process. 

Tools that are used to automate marketing allow you to qualify leads, for example, all traders who have made an enquiry on the website or visited a certain number of pages and signed up for a newsletter. Customer acquisition business can also start with the creation of regional or industry databases. 

What are the key stages of acquiring B2B customers?

1. Identification of potential customers

The first step in B2B customer acquisition is to identify companies that may be interested in your products or services. It is worth using tools such as LinkedIn, industry databases or specialist CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software to help gather information about potential customers.

2. Research and segmentation

Once you've identified your potential customers, the next step is to conduct research to better understand their needs and problems. Customer segmentation allows you to tailor your offer to specific target groups, which increases your chances of success.

3. Making contacts

In B2B, building long-term relationships is key. Start by establishing contact through e-mails, telephones or business meetings. It is important that your first messages are personalized and focus on the benefits that the potential customer can gain.

4. Presentation of the offer

Once you have established the first contacts, present your offer in a clear and transparent way. Focus on what specific problems your product or service solves and how it will benefit the customer's company.

5. Negotiations and finalization of the transaction

B2B negotiations can be complex and time-consuming. It is important to be flexible and ready for compromises while protecting your interests. When both parties are satisfied with the conditions, we proceed to finalize the transaction.

6. Building relationships after the sale

Customer acquisition This is only the beginning. Equally important is maintaining a long-term relationship that benefits both parties. Regular contact, technical support and attention to customer satisfaction are key elements in building loyalty.

Through what channels and methods can you acquire business customers?

In an off-line world to methods customer acquisition business can include telemarketing or visits to branches by sales representatives. W B2B on-line marketing it can be called cold mailing or contact via social media. The most effective method, however, is to direct your customers' attention to your business so that you don't have to call or write to them first. This can very often be observed on the example of companies from the SaaS industry.  

An advanced product or expensive service is not for everyone. Such companies often to acquisition of leads they use a free, simple version of the product. In return, they add the user's email address to the database. The next step could be helpful content for business owners - a slightly more specialised newsletter or content on a company blog. This sales funnel strategy means that companies interested in the paid version of the product will soon start requesting it themselves. Remember that business people are practical people, constantly looking for new inspiration. Closed groups, business webinars or e-books have become a good way to reach them.

Customer acquisition individual online, you need to focus on many different platforms at the same time. This could be Instagram, Facebook, TikTok.... Customer acquisition Businesses require slightly different tactics. You're more likely to reach them via LinkedIn, so that's where it makes sense to focus your efforts. Of course, there are live people behind every business, and these search terms online are the same as any customer. That's why it's also worth investing in tailored strategies: 

• Google Ads, 
• SEO, i.e. positioning of pages 
• maximum responsive and informative website. 

Do you know that according to HubSpot increasing the number landing pages from 10 to 15 will increase the number of potential customers by 55 percent? It is with tricks like these that you can significantly improve customer acquisition business in your company. 

Acquiring business customers - the most common problems 

Not yet all companies put warming relationships with potential customers into practice. Warm emails, warm calls and, finally, warm leads - this is the holy grail of the marketing world, as it significantly increases conversions. Meanwhile, some still use ineffective techniques such as sending out 'blind' flyers or hundreds of random emails. Customer acquisition business in this way is usually a waste of time.

Just like individual customers, business owners increasingly want to feel that their business partner understands their problems. Personalization and personal contact make the offer of one company look much more interesting in their eyes than that of the competition. That's why it's a myth that you should have a universal offer addressed to everyone. It is worth looking for a differentiator that will be remembered by customers - including business ones. 

What tools support B2B?

CRM

CRM systems help in managing customer relationships, tracking contact history and analyzing the results of sales activities.

Marketing automation

Marketing automation enables effective e-mail campaigns, personalization of communication and analysis of customer behavior.

Data analysis

Data analysis tools allow for better understanding of the market, identification of trends and optimization of sales activities.

The role of social media in business customer acquisition

Contemporary marketing customer acquisition cannot do without social media. Platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter have become key tools in the process of business customer acquisition. They enable companies to build relationships, increase brand awareness and engage potential customers. Regular publication of valuable content and active interaction with the audience foster online customer acquisition.

Referral and recommendation programmes - customer acquisition

Referral programmes are an effective method for business customer acquisition. Satisfied customers, by sharing positive experiences, become brand ambassadors, which supports the marketing customer acquisition. Offering benefits for referrals, such as discounts or bonuses, motivates people to recommend services to others. Online customer acquisition through referral programmes is gaining ground, enabling it to reach a wide audience quickly.

Examples of interesting B2B customer acquisition strategies 

Wishpond is dedicated to providing solutions for marketers. It uses an interesting strategy acquisition of leads. It offers free downloadable content for its advice-filled articles: 

• mini-e-books, 
• check-lists, 
• step by step guides, 
• listings such as "100 ideas for ...". 

To receive such a guide, simply provide your e-mail address. During 10 months of such a campaign, 2,302 marketers decided to do so. Many of them soon reached for the company's paid product.  

Another very popular strategy used by debuting brands is free consultations. Some offer 10-minute Skype calls or half an hour of advice over the phone. If the value of the potential contract is high, it is worth having up to a dozen such conversations to find one B2B client.

Business owners often don't know how to approach the problem they are struggling with. They may not want to blindly opt for an expensive advice package. A thorough consultation will allow them to find a simple solution on their own or make sure that they really need specific help. 

On the Internet you will find lists of dozens or even several hundred inspirations regarding acquiring business clients, step-by-step guides and e-books. But do you have time to read them? If not, contact us. Experts from Commplace will select ready-made strategies to be used in your company.