How to Increase B2B Sales by Targeting Operations Buyers

Are you targeting operations buyers with your company's sales strategy? According to a recent study, approximately 21% of the average company's budget is consumed by operations buyers. Are you maximizing your sales efforts by selling your product or service to the right operations buyer?

The Operations Buyer

An operations buyer oversees a company's operations. Most companies have several departments that handle and facilitate their respective operations, some of which include logistics, customer support, operations management, construction and office departments. Operations buyers are in one or even all of these departments. They are directly involved in the company's operations, so they typically have the authority to make purchases.

Next, you'll need to use the right approach when contacting and pitching your B2B company's products or services to operations buyers.

Research the Company's Operations Department

Before contacting an operations buyer, research the operations department in which he or she works. The more you know about the operations department, the better. Look at the target company's official website, as well as its LinkedIn Company Page, to learn more about its business and various operations departments. You can then try to pinpoint the department in which the operations buyer works. Among other things, you should try to identify the size of the department, its function, hours of operation and budget. With this information in hand, you'll be able to create customized sales messages that resonate with operations buyers.

Highlight Efficiency as a Benefit

While different operations buyers have different jobs, nearly all of them focus on increasing their respective supply chain or logistics company's efficiency. After all, efficiency directly influences a company's net profits. The faster and more efficiently a company can execute its operations, the higher its profits will be. If you're pitching a product or service to an operations buyer, be sure to explain and prove how it can make their company's operations more efficient. Maybe the product or service can reduce their production cycle time by 20%, or perhaps it can reduce their waste by 10%. Regardless, highlight efficiency as a benefit will make your company's products or services more relevant to operations buyers.

Contact at the Right Time

Timing is essential when contacting operations buyers. If you contact an operation buyer when he or she isn't working, you may fail to get a response. Therefore, it's best to contact operations buyers during their respective department's hours of operation. You can often identify a department's hours by researching the target company online. Alternatively, calling the department -- even when it's closed -- may yield an answering machine message featuring its hours of operations. But remember, it may require you to call at 6:00 a.m. and only until 3:00. As we all know, many operations professionals start their day earlier than most.

Get Past the Gatekeepers

You may encounter gatekeepers when contacting operations buyers. Gatekeepers, of course, are professionals who serve as an intermediary between a company's decision-makers and its vendor or customers. High-level operations buyers don't always answer their phone. Instead, they have a gatekeeper, such as a receptionist, answer the phone on their behalf. If the gatekeeper deems a call is important, he or she will relay it to the operations buyer. If the gatekeeper believes a call isn't important, on the other hand, he or she won't relay it to the operations buyer.

Here are some tips to get past the gatekeepers and reach more operations buyers:

• Call before the gatekeeper comes into work. Most times they are not in by 6:00 a.m. That may be your best time to start your calling efforts. Give it a try.
• Explain your reason for calling the operations buyer. It's unlikely that a gatekeeper will relay your call to an operations buyer unless you explain why you are trying to call them.
• Talk clearly and confidently. If a gatekeeper can't understand you, he or she probably won't relay your call to the operations buyer.
• Keep your calls short. Gatekeepers are busy professionals, so they don't want to waste time listening to long sales calls.
• Don't rely exclusively on a script. You'll have an easier time getting past a gatekeeper if you use a customized approach rather than reading from a script.
• Mention your name as well as the company for which you work.

Source New Leads

According to a survey conducted by BSG, the leading challenge encountered by B2B sales reps when targeting operations buyers is sourcing new leads. Without leads, you may struggle to find operations buyers to whom you can pitch your B2B company's products or services. You can source leads manually by scouring companies' Linked Pages, as well as their websites. To get high quality sales leads specifically for the industrial marketplace, give SalesLeads a call. Our job is to identify companies expanding, relocating, renovating or purchasing new equipment in the industrial space. Our Project Reports provide a wealth of information so when you make a call, you’re as prepared as possible. Want to see a sales lead or Project Report? See it now.