We have built something called the Signals Quadrant at Pipeline Signals. The goal is to gather knowledge from our clients about the convertibility and urgency of all the different signals and other things that we’re currently tracking. They are constantly changing.
However, we propose concentrating on time-based signals when it comes to urgency because you’re not the only game in town.
Whether someone joins a company, someone departs a company or a department increases in size or declines in size. You, your rivals, and everyone else is vying for the same buyer’s mindshare and wallet share.
What are time-based signals, and how do they work?
Time signals are occurrences that indicate a seller’s chance to contact a prospect. Time Signals enable you to forecast when a company will want your service or product, allowing you to focus on the clients that can be converted easily into potential clients right now.
Most of these indications, though, aren’t as straightforward as a tweet or a LinkedIn post. You’ll need to monitor the proper channels to see the minor adjustments that might freshen up a cold outreach.
So, how do these compelling event signals appear, and where do they occur?
Here are several time signals to help you create fresh sales leads and improve your B2B sales strategy.
Changes in an organizational structure
Changes in the company’s organizational positions or structure and its hiring velocity fall within this category. For one thing, a newly hired high-level manager has considerable authority and is eager to mess things up. Because they don’t have set conventions in their new business and seek to earn their keep right away, they’re more receptive to fresh ideas than other corporate executives. It’s the right time for you to propose your proposal.
However, you should pay attention to changes in top management and new duties that might imply new plans. Remember that people who have never had a predecessor are free to start their divides in whatever way they want. Make the most of your chance to get in on the main level.
Whether the organization is employing new people or laying off many people, any substantial movement in hiring might be a good trigger event.
A satisfied client shifting employment or transferring to a different organization, on the other hand, might indicate Time Signals. To see if they’d want to take your product or service with them, give them a call. If your offer made them look suitable in their former employment, they’d be ready to spread the news in their new one.
Expansion of the company
New problems occur when a lead enters a new industry or introduces a new product or service in an unexplored area. This means that there will be new challenges to cope with. This is the ideal environment to seize the chance. Uncharted territory demands new kinds of help, as well as maybe new suppliers.
If your target has lately been awarded a significant account, they will get a large sum of money. At this point, you can pitch your product or service.
A new office site necessitates many new solutions, products, and services, which your prospective client will require. Depending on your solution, this might be a significant upsell or an introduction opportunity.
Strategies for business
Draw conclusions about your prospect’s new business strategies or initiatives from a social post or a shift in social media behavior. Find out which projects are being funded and which are being delayed or canceled entirely. Suppose you can derive these observations (from a social post or a shift in social media activity) and position your offer effectively. In that case, buyers will be impressed with your ostensibly clairvoyant powers.
You should also pay attention to any events that a potential account is hosting. Is there a conference or other sort of event planned?
Furthermore, every sector has news and changes that generate a lot of attention inside the field but are scarcely noticed outside of it. Make that you keep note of these occurrences, whatever they may be.
Performance of the Business
Is the business making a lot of money? Then they’ll be more accepting of projects that can assist them in maintaining or hastening their progress. What if the company is rapidly losing money? Do you have a service or product that might go against the grain?
Keep track of any honors that your prospects acquire. It’s satisfying to be acknowledged inside a company’s industry or expertise. While they’re on a high, reach out and tell them how you might help them stay ahead of competitors.
Keep a watch on how the business is being covered in the news. A newspaper feature, whether favorable or harmful, will cast a particular light on a company. Assist them in maintaining a good image or correcting a bad one by being present.
If a prospect mentions that their existing spouse isn’t working out, seize the opportunity. Remember that this might show up in more than just a simple Facebook or LinkedIn post; look for articles or keep an eye on legal activities that signal worsening relations.
If a company gets punished for non-compliance, it will look for a product or service to protect it from getting into difficulty again. The individual who can swoop in and help amid a disaster will almost certainly become their hero.
Reacting to time-based trigger signals
When it comes to time-based signals, you must act quickly. They’re probably looking at your products or services, as well as those of your rivals. You may be their first choice, but quickly enough, you risk losing the transaction if you don’t reply to their compelling event signals. Give them no opportunity to have buyer’s regret. Act quickly and address all of their worries and inquiries to make them feel more comfortable with the deal.
Here are a few tips on how to engage these signals.
Concentrate on your most important prospects.
Using the predictive data, you may build up your lead-scoring algorithm to favor the organizations that exhibit genuine interest and purchase intent. Maybe they’re looking for a specific item. They come back to your product page several times and download the whitepaper.
Your sales team may follow the prospect’s behavior, obtain a visual of the score, and make a timely and fruitful contact by using the intent data.
Reactivate possibilities that have lain dormant for a long time.
Remember that promising lead that you didn’t follow up on? What trigger signals are they sending out to help you rekindle your relationship and clinch the sale? A prospect, for example, accepts your free trial. However, they do not take advantage of it. Your sales representative follows up with the lead to find out why they didn’t use the products.
The agent knows how to influence the conversation and drive the sale ahead with intent-data knowledge, such as the other websites the lead is examining.
Keep existing clients happy.
Clients who you’ve worked hard to get will make more purchases. See what they’re looking at in real-time so you can generate upsell chances and keep them interested in your product.
A lead’s purchase intent data can also assist you in spotting any problems that would prompt them to cancel a subscription or membership renewal and look for another option. This involves getting information from postings and reviews on social media.
If your sellers know what consumers are saying about their positive and negative experiences with your brand, follow-up is more focused, resulting in satisfied clients.
Conclusion
You’ll be able to focus essential accounts at the right moment if you organize your sales efforts around time-based signals, allowing you to use more efficient and effective B2B sales strategies.
Time signals help you not only choose the most outstanding prospects to pursue right now but also help you have more meaningful conversations with them. Based on these signals, you may alter your pitch to their present circumstances. The prospect will feel that you know what you’re talking about, which is critical for establishing trust, credibility, and confidence.