With the cost of materials still rising, finding effective pricing strategies for B2B is crucial for keeping manufacturers afloat. As interest rates increase along with production costs, your pricing window narrows. Competition for reluctant purchasers is an additional complication to your price-setting dilemma. So how do you set prices in this challenging environment?

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the most in-demand industrial products and services in the U.S. right now. At MNI, as well as providing quality industrial sales leads among 400,000+ industrial business in the U.S., we also keep track of what equipment, parts, services millions of industrial buyers are searching for across 11,000 distinct product and service categories on our industrial marketplace IndustryNet.

Today's marketing tools are evolving at a rapid pace to keep up with the growing demand for automation. With that in mind, your digital marketing tactics should similarly be kept up to date. Here's how you can improve B2B email click-through rates in your campaigns.

In sales, a good starting point is often to understand what your industrial prospects' needs are. By asking the right questions, you can establish a dialogue and recommend the best solution for a shorter sales cycle and a better B2B buying experience.

Generative AI is suddenly infiltrating nearly every corner of our digital world. It can write your sales scripts, your marketing copy, your thank you notes, your eighth grader's research paper; it will make our lives easier, our business tasks infinitely more productive. But before you feel like your laptop is staring you in the face thinking, move over obsolete human, you are soooo 2022, here's an interesting reality check that says a lot about the importance of real human intervention in our day-to-day tasks---especially sales and marketing.

You might wonder how important account-based marketing (ABM) is for the industrial sector. ABM employs the experience of your company's sales and marketing professionals to create a specifically tailored experience for your targeted accounts. ABM is all about identifying your most promising contacts and aiming your message specifically at them.

If you flip through the Bible to Matthew 13, you'll find the parable of a farmer who sowed seed. Unfortunately for him, his agricultural methods were indiscriminate. His seed fell on good soil but also in harsher locales where it couldn't take hold and grow. A generalized marketing strategy is similar. Your pitch may reach some good prospects but also find many who consign it to a spam or circular file.

Your company provides an array of quality goods to manufacturers, yet your sales are slipping. Your company prides itself on the services you offer to manufacturers, yet sales remain stagnant. Why? Competitors.



You know that you have competitors. Successfully running your company is at the forefront of your mind, but somewhere in the back, you know that competitors exist. You may even think that you have a pretty good idea of which companies comprise your main competitors.



It's time to bring those thoughts to the forefront and perform a competitor analysis.

Value propositions bombard buyers daily. Whether that proposition takes the form of Walmart�s �Roll Back Pricing� or another store's BOGO (buy one, get one) offers, your potential manufacturing client are saturated with value propositions in their daily lives. For your business value proposition to stand out, you must invest the time in creating a product that will knock your socks off upon impact.

Quarter 1 of the sales cycle is much like the first quarter of the year � a time for all of your internal B2B sales strategies, such as product development and data analysis, to garner new business and presales tactics for your existing customers. All of this internal activity leads to your B2B company setting and crushing its Quarter 2 sales goals with innovative and adaptive strategies to take your products across the finish line. The following strategies can help you effectively contact manufacturers in the U.S. and meet their needs.

How often do you hit the trashcan icon before reading an email? Do you decline a call if you don't recognize the caller ID? How can you find a way around similar reactions in your prospects? One approach that's regaining popularity in 2023 is direct mail.

Statistics on email marketing abound on the web and the data overwhelmingly suggests that as the highest ROI digital channel, email marketing is still the most effective way to drive traffic and conversions. Today, we're diving into specific stats on email marketing as we set sail into 2023.

Trade shows and live events are tremendous opportunities for marketers to learn more about industry providers. Not only are key personnel from large enterprises presenting, but you can actually see the products and services different companies offer firsthand. For marketing and sales professionals, this level of immersion allows you to speak with authority when working with these companies.

LinkedIn Groups are virtual meeting rooms (or forums) where people with similar interests can host and hold discussions around subjects they want to share or learn more about. Engaging in groups allows you to display your expertise around a subject and start to grow relationships with like-minded people.

Value based selling forces companies that market their products to other companies (B2B sales) to reevaluate their business model. Instead of focusing on the number of new clients per year, the goal is to realign and emphasize providing lifelong value to the customer.

There�s no doubt about it. The U.S. manufacturing sector has faced and overcome huge challenges over the past few years. While you admire their resourcefulness, you want to help your manufacturing partners succeed.



With the beginning of a new year, you may wonder if the pain points in the manufacturing industry have retreated or at least diminished. Unfortunately, American industrial companies still have more than enough headaches ahead.

After all the challenges 2022 posed to industrial sales and marketing, you may be eagerly wishing for a stronger year ahead. So let's look at what sales trends 2023 will bring and see what you can do to make that wish a reality.

As U.S. manufacturers scrambled to adjust to abundant challenges in 2022, from high prices to supply chain constraints and labor shortages, our most popular stories on IndustrySelect this year reflected the efforts of sales, marketing professionals to stay ahead of new developments and shifting needs, improve communications with their valuable manufacturing clients, and discover new opportunities.

Perhaps you've always enjoyed attending (in-person) networking events: You get to hang out somewhere pleasant, meet new people and maybe bump into some people you already know.



Many in the manufacturing industry have done MOST of their networking at trade shows and only see themselves networking in this capacity, but the reality is that most trade shows have been cancelled or moved online for the best part of two years and we must be prepared, in case it happens again!

Traditionally, businesses use data from three parties, first, second and third. But a fourth collection method, called zero-party data, is rapidly gaining traction as a preferred channel for marketers. So what's the difference between all of these different data types and which is the most effective and accurate? In this article, we will discuss all four forms of data-party types so that you can make the best choice for your company.

Every day the news deluges you with more scandals about social media. Determining what media to use and how to use them can be a nightmare. Fortunately, you have an option that doesn't involve a daily bombardment of noise and angst. When selling to other businesses, you can readily reach out to current customers and prospects through B2B email marketing.

Every small and mid-sized business cares about one thing: a consistent flow of sales. Every time you close a new customer, your company drives revenue, the means to your company�s growth and expansion. After each close, management askes itself, "How do we get our next customer?"

The mention of a looming recession evokes groans from sales and marketing reps everywhere. Still, you may find success at selling in a downturn isn't as elusive as it sounds. Read on to understand the economic climate for manufacturers at present and discover some expert tips and growing opportunities for selling in a downturn.

In celebration of Manufacturing Month, I shared my goal setting and planning process as part of MNI University.



Are you a goal oriented or a result driven person? Do you find that you need a set direction to go towards or look for validation along the way to prove that you are on the right track?



You may have found yourself in positions where your goals are not defined or there are no KPIs or colleagues to compare your efforts or results to.

As the past two years or so has taught us, building an international network is essential for business as we know it today. Whether your goal is to take your business international or not, there is still something to be gained by making contacts in your industry in different countries. Read on to discover how you can make the most of networking in the second of this four-part series from networking expert Ingor van Rooi.

Twenty years ago, leaders looking to increase the success of their sales and marketing teams focused on improving efficiency. Today, the key to success is productivity. This article will discuss how managers can build a productivity mindset and inspire their teams to be more productive so your company can reap the benefits through higher profits and longevity.

When it comes to conducting business, nothing is more important than relationships and there's only one way to build them: by making contacts and networking. Harvard Business Review recently posted an article that encourages people to learn to love networking because it is a necessity in today's world! Read on to discover how you can make the most of networking in part one of this four-part series from networking expert Ingor van Rooi.

It might still feel like summer outside, but if you take a peek at your calendar, you can see that we're closing in on the end of the year. For salespeople and sales prospects alike, this quarter is different from the rest-- it offers significant sales potential to break through goals, but only for sales teams that are prepared to crush sales targets in Q4.

Lead generation is critical for the long-term success of any business. The sales team is the one-on-one approach to getting the word out about your business and what your company can do to help their business become better. But when the sales rep develops the opportunity, and begins to work in the sales cycle, what happens to lead generation? Are appointments continuously being set for a robust sales funnel?

How many times does your first contact result in a closed sale? Unless you were born under an incredibly lucky star, not many. So let's discover why a single call won't complete the transaction and investigate some B2B follow-up strategies.