This spring I attended GrowCo – The Essential Conference for Company Builders in New Orleans, LA.

Hearing the stories from successful entrepreneurs and focusing my attention on this area of the business world is always thought-provoking and inspiring.

Entrepreneurs, industry disruptors, and innovative startup companies all face a similar challenge – breaking through in new and/or established markets.

They might be offering a solution that many believe already exists, or introducing something entirely new.

When the offering is a simple solution or product with primarily a B2C market, new innovations can often sell themselves. When the new offering is more complex, and falls within the B2B sector, getting the right message to the right people in the right way can be the difference between success and failure.

Your Product is New – Your Sales Team Shouldn’t Be

For B2B sales, a successful sales team must be able to have real, business-level dialogue with the prospect in order to communicate the value of the solution, service or product. When the offering is new or innovative, this becomes even more important.

It’s human nature to be wary of a new idea or concept. If callers are using only basic sales pitches that merely extoll the features and benefits of a product or service, it is unlikely to be successful.

Experienced callers, who can speak in industry terms and explain business values that are relevant to the prospect will have a much better chance at evangelizing a new idea.

Even Disruptors Can Have Competition

According to Forbes, almost 70% of the companies listed on their 2017 Next Billion Dollar Startups represent just five industries – Fintech (emerging financial services), Healthcare and Biotech, “new space,” Data and Analytics, and Logistics.

This represents a hefty amount of competition within these industries for startup companies. With all the new innovation vying for new business within the same sectors, what is going to give innovators the edge that leads to ultimate success?

Chances are good that the startups and early-stage companies that make this list every year have something new and exciting to offer. They may only be separated by small differentiators or approaches to their particular industry. In order to find traction in a competitive and innovative market, the quality of the person delivering the sales “pitch” should not be overlooked.

How to Ensure Your Sales Team is Experienced and Capable

If you’re just starting out, or have invested in breaking in to a new market, you may not have the established inside sales team in place that is necessary for building a strong sales pipeline.

It’s possible to get the same, or better, results by bringing on a well-qualified outsourced B2B lead generation company with a team of experienced B2B business development experts. In doing so you immediately leverage the effectiveness of a seasoned team who can hit the ground running.

Look for an outsourced firm that has the capabilities for high-level  B2B lead generation. Some qualifications to consider:

• Executive Experience – Are the callers qualified to represent your business on your behalf?
• Proven Methodologies – Do they have the experience to develop and execute lead generation campaigns to meet your unique objectives?
• Thorough Reporting – A qualified firm will deliver useful insights and detailed data on each lead and overall results from the program.
• Sales Cycle Support – The firm you choose should have an experienced contact person monitoring your program and iterating when necessary.

Startups and industry disruptors can break on to the scene with new innovations and ideas that can completely change the way people do business – but first they have to get past the competition and importantly the perceived competition.

Increase your chances of success by promoting your new idea with an experienced and proven business development partner that can create an effective go to market strategy and execute the plan professionally.

Jim