What B2B Companies Should Be Thinking About Right Now

by Jason Ogden | Jun 20, 2023

As we reach the midway point of 2023, we’re all taking a hard look at how the year is shaping out. This is typically the earliest time most B2B companies allow for adjustments either up or down. 

Year to date, unless you’re in the enterprise space, the vast majority of B2B sales teams are producing less than planned, and the deals that are closing are taking significantly longer. If this is true for you, what should you be thinking about heading into the second half of 2023? 

The answer is your existing clients. 

First, they are always your fastest path to new revenue. They have both higher close rates and shorter sales cycles than new businesses, even during normal times. 

Second, you can focus on service improvements. This could be in the way that you deliver products or services to your clients, or it could mean new offerings altogether. The real value here is it’s a deposit in your existing client relationships and even to the betterment of all future clients you haven’t earned yet. 

Third, you can ask your existing clients for referrals, or more precisely, ask your champions. In the same way that your current clients have higher close rates and shorter sales cycles, so do referrals from your clients – almost always at a rate faster and more efficient than new business. 

However you adjust your plan or not heading into the second half of the year, don’t get lost in what is going on at the top of your funnel and overlook this opportunity that you’ve earned to serve, grow and leverage your existing client relationships.