Updates

Manufacturers are often struggling with long and complex sales processes, making it hard to increase sales. This has to do with the complex nature of the goods, but also with the fact that B2B sales requires various stakeholders to work together. On top of that, the manufacturing market has had some intrusive changes: increasingly demanding B2B buyers and global competition continue to impact companies. Increasing sales in manufacturing is therefore not as straightforward as it often is in other industries. We are bundling some tips to increase your sales again. Read along!

Attracting customers is essential for the growth of your B2B or Business-to-Business company. The best way of doing so is by meeting their needs. For years, B2B customers have been distinguished from B2C target audiences. However, in the most recent years, we have been noticing a shift, initiated by the changing behavior and needs of B2B customers.

Are you losing sales because it takes too long to make a quote? Long sales cycles kill deals. It slows down your manufacturing business on its way to growth and holds sales back. Are you also looking out for a shorter sales cycle to be able to move faster and grow? A CPQ can assist you with this process. But what exactly is CPQ? And how does it drive sales? That’s what we will be figuring out in this article.

Quotes are formal documents sent to your clients to offer goods or services at the indicated price. A good and winning quote includes accurate prices and product information, and has proven to be a method to grow your business even further. However, if you are selling configurable products, writing quotes is usually a long and dreadful process. The complexity of the products and prices slows down the workflow, resulting in an enormous backlog of quote requests that are not followed up quickly enough to keep the customers interested.

It has been over a year since the coronavirus has taken over the world. The pandemic put economic life on hold in March of 2020, and while the situation is looking a lot more promising in May of 2021, the virus still has its grip on everyday business. In this article, we would like to give you an insight into how Hive has handled the sudden recession and how our company has found a way to successfully continue to grow.

Hive CPQ simplifies international B2B e-commerce even further now: our platform is running in China! It is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, working its way up to the number 1 spot. China, known as a manufacturing hub, is therefore an interesting place for B2B players around the globe to target.

The idea behind the job of a sales representative is simple: help your customer find the best solution that fits their needs. However this task is a lot harder in a B2B environment in which companies are often struggling to explain complex products. This is where guided selling comes into play, a powerful strategy to regain control over your solution offering.

The alignment of marketing and sales is a key component for your company’s growth. You can no longer afford a misalignment of the two departments to meet the buyer’s needs at every interaction. However, companies often forget to use sales as a marketing channel. Let’s take a look at why it pays off to get the teams to work together.

A new year has begun, so it is time to reflect on 2020 and look forward to the new year. The Hive team would like to thank you for your dedicated support the past year, and wish you all the best for 2021! With a new year comes a new Hive!

We are slowly but surely reaching the end of 2020, so it’s time to look back and look ahead! This year was not what anyone expected, but suffice to say it was a life changing year. Every aspect of our lives seems to be different, which means that customers will have a changed behavior too. How do you anticipate these changes as a sales representative? Let’s look at some of the trends we can expect in 2021 for B2B Sales in 5 fitting strategies.

Keep your customers happy. That is up to this day the main thing account managers focus on. That is why, after its massive success, a lot of B2B companies have followed the B2C trend of eCommerce. Digital tools have proven to be highly effective, in case companies know how to implement them correctly. If done wrong, it creates a bad customer experience, which remains a main strategic point for any manufacturer: around 9 out of 10 buyers would turn to a competitor if their current supplier could not keep up with their needs (Avionos, 2020).

The current situation of the manufacturing industry is very complex, as companies evolve in a very competitive environment. But competition is not the only challenge manufacturers face, as product life cycles have been growing shorter and customers are demanding customized products more and more. The arrival of 5G will ease these challenges, but it is important to be prepared, by investing in the right software today.