Corporate vs. Individual Clients

After hearing Sam Webber speak on her experience with ProfilePasser, I started considering the inherent differences between selling directly to consumers or to retailers and other intermediary parties. Logically, this key distinction in market determines a salesperson’s strategy and sales approach. Here are some of the differences to consider:

1. The purpose of the sales conversation: when selling to retailers or businesses, you are selling the value that your product or service will add to those value points that they already offer. You are selling an enhancement to their current value. When selling directly to consumers, there must be an understanding of the individual’s needs and a clear awareness of how the product or serve you sell can address or impact these needs.
2. The sales cycle: with multiple decision makers in a B2B sales context, there can be a longer timeframe before approval can be made and orders can be finalized. Whether on the side of the consumer, of because of a business’s inability to fill orders in a timely fashion, there can be more extended turnover in the sales cycle when selling to intermediary clients.
3. Selling the story: while it is often essential that entrepreneurs learn to sell their own and their company’s story, and this can be very effective when selling to individual consumers, it can be more difficult when selling to an intermediary. While you may use a story to hook the attention of the representative you are speaking with, it can be hard to sell any mass quantity of goods based on a story. Thus, entrepreneurs must practice selling a compelling story blended with unique and convincing value. Our sales project team encountered this reality first-hand when prospecting for our project on behalf of the Soarway foundation.

While there are surely many other important distinctions, these are some key factors to consider in selling to both individual and business consumers.