This week, Kati McDermith, Brand Ambassador for MNI, hosted the #USAMfgHour chat on Twitter with a fun American-made mystery trivia theme. The result was a fun hour full of surprises, insights, some truly funny moments, and possibly a new invention...?

You know you have a great product that manufacturers in the U.S. will want. After hearing your presentation, a decision-maker will know it too. But before you can make your pitch, you need to enter the inner sanctum, which means getting past the gatekeeper in B2B sales. Navigating around that obstacle presents a daunting challenge. The following tips will put you on track to leap the hurdles and reach your goal.

As the pandemic shaped business communications, email has emerged as the #1 marketing channel for ROI. Consider that email marketing generates $42 for every $1 spent and that 78% of marketers in 2020 said email is essential to company growth, compared to 71% in 2019.



As more and more marketers get on board with email, you are competing with many other companies for your recipient's attention. That means timing is of the essence: not only when to send that email--but perhaps even more relevant, when not to send that email. You don't want to pour everything you've got into a perfect email only to have your message ignored.

Strong closing skills can make the difference between a successful sale and a lead that doesn't convert. Successful B2B salespeople understand it takes a strategic approach to provide that final push a lead sometimes needs to make a purchase decision.



With multiple obstacles, including information overload, budget limitation, or a complex buying journey, strategies for closing sales in B2B can help a prospect make the right decision without being too pushy.

How many times have you been on an automatic answering system and had to repeatedly enter the same information? Worse, if you reach a live representative, you're forced to give it all again. In this frustrating and infuriating situation, you may even be tempted to give up.



Buyers using an unintegrated multichannel process experience a similar waste of time and effort. Omnichannel selling addresses this severe obstacle to closed deals by giving you multiple ways to contact manufacturers in the U.S.

The B2B marketplace is almost unrecognizable. Spurred by the pandemic, sales are rapidly evolving, making it imperative for you to keep up with the changing landscape. Even before the pandemic, B2B buying was becoming increasingly digital.



Gartner reports that customers spend only 17% of their time face-to-face with sales teams. Worse, that 17% covers all suppliers. Sellers share that small slice with their competitors.



Strong sales depend on gaining back access to decision-makers. That means using new techniques and strategies. Fortunately, you can find help from sales and marketing experts. The B2B sales books highlighted here will guide you toward success in the new sales world.

Customer experience is everything. It's a significant differentiator for B2B sellers, and it's one of the keys to unlocking loyalty.



However, understanding how the experiences you offer shape the way buyers make decisions can be challenging. As a B2B marketer, you need to use a customer journey map to visualize this aspect of the buying process.

It's the beginning of a new year and time to anticipate the B2B sales and marketing trends that will shape 2022. While some of these trends have defined the B2B landscape for years, there are some significant shifts to plan for. Explore 2022's biggest trends, including the latest in account-based marketing, third-party cookies, the B2B buyer's journey and more.

Our customers know MNI's industrial B2B data is the most accurate in the industry and many have wondered: how do we do it? Over the course of our 100+-year history, we've perfected a system that delivers high-quality, comprehensive company profiles to our customers. Today, we're presenting a new infographic that visualizes how company data is collected and perfected by real people for unmatched accuracy. Take a look!

As manufacturing companies scrambled to adjust to greater and greater challenges, our most popular stories on IndustrySelect for 2021 reflected the efforts of sales, marketing and business development professionals to stay abreast of new developments, improve communications with their valuable manufacturing clients, and discover new opportunities.

In marketing, as in many other disciplines, the first question is, "where do I start?" Frequently, marketers start where their strengths lie or feel comfortable.



Database marketers start with data, creative types start with creative, etc. Frankly, that's why so much marketing misses the mark, and does not produce the desired results. My advice to marketers is that micro-segmentation is the "head" position. If we get it right, the relevancy of our communication will follow, break through the clutter, engage the individual and start the sales/buying process.

You researched for days, met with potential vendors for months and pitched database providers to your boss more than you really wanted to and you finally have your new list of leads!



Now what?



I am often met with the question from new IndustrySelect users and I say, there are basically three options:

With Google ending support for third-party cookies sometime in 2023, marketers and salespeople need to rethink the way they generate and target leads. The answer to the coming cookiepocalypse is to focus on first-party data.

Your company has put the work into your B2B email marketing campaigns. You have segmented your customer lists and then segmented some more. You know where each potential buyer is in the purchasing process. And you've refreshed your marketing materials and updated your contacts. You were ready to push the button to start emailing -- but then Apple iOS 15 came into the picture. These changes will greatly impact your ability to track your efforts.



But don't panic. You've faced more devastating changes to your marketing strategy and survived (a.k.a. COVID-19). You completely re-tooled the way you did business, and you can survive this change as well.

B2B marketers can learn quite a few refinements from their B2C brethren. For the most part, B2C marketing techniques rely on personalized ads. B2C marketers do so by tugging on the consumer's heartstrings. B2B marketers, on the other hand, rely on convincing an entire company to buy their product.



Let's take a closer look at what B2B can learn from B2C.

As manufacturing month comes to an end, I am wrapping up this spooky Interview series with a look into the brains of a Freight Broker!



When I drive around, I am constantly amazed by the cool things we move in our country. Even with supply chain shortages, our freight movers are always on the job. I would like to shed some light on the industry as it pertains to brokering of freight services. I am sure we will all learn something.



I bring to you in closing, an interview with a Freight Broker, Pedro Angulo.

One of the best things about working in the manufacturing industry is that so many people are involved in manufacturing at all different levels, it's easy to connect on topics of importance.



We read posts and articles every day about the labor shortage and all the need for workers. Today I am spending some time talking about the challenges in recruiting and talent acquisition with my role model and sister, Terri Lick, Talent Acquisition.

The great Facebook outage on October 4th upset many who couldn't post pictures of their meals or their pets for a few hours. For manufacturers and other companies, the outage was much more devastating.

Have you ever seen a robot in action? Me neither, but my friends at RMH actually design and control (and test) robotic systems for automation! How cool is that?! Or freaky?



I am so pleased to bring to you, another installment of my spooky October Manufacturing Month series. Today, I'll be talking with my friend Jenni Hill, Marketing Manager at RMS Systems.

Many opportunities have been afforded to me amidst this weird pandemic time. My favorite has been meeting and getting to work with professionals in manufacturing. I teamed up with some wonderful companies this year to assist in marketing needs and made some pretty incredible friends as well!



First in a new series for spooky season, a spoof off a popular book and movie (Interview with A Vampire by Ann Rice), I am so excited to bring to you: Interview with an Executive VP of Sales, Ryan Shaw of B&F Fastener Supply.

Planning a new email campaign calls for crafting attention-grabbing subject lines, writing compelling copy and creating clean graphics. But how do you make sure your recipients will see this content? The first step of a successful cold email campaign is about making it past spam filters.

Whether you're chasing down a lead or eagerly anticipating a response from a recent prospect, waiting for a reply that never hits your inbox can be frustrating. If you want to turn a lead into a recurring client, your follow-up tactics are essential. Keep reading to learn the best practices for crafting the best follow-up email responses for non-responders.

It's nearly the end of the quarter, you're ready to close some deals and finish strong. You've got a call scheduled with your star prospect -- you know, the one who you've talked to so often you feel like a member of the family? You're sure her response will be a resounding "Yes, sign me up!" But instead you get:



"Uh...yeah, that all sounds good. Can I just have some time to think it over?"



If you're a salesperson - no matter how good you are - you've heard a client say some variation of that question before, and with manufacturers contending with historic supply chain and labor challenges right now, you're probably hearing this common sales objection more and more. Dealing with prospects who need to "think it over" can be frustrating, but it doesn't have to mean a lost sale if you handle it correctly.



You can overcome this hurdle next time it pops up during your sales pitch by reinventing how you approach this vague response.

Finding quality leads in a sector as niche as manufacturing can be a real challenge. On Thursday, August 12th, MNI hosted the weekly Tweetchat #USAMfgHour and dedicated the hour to discussing the challenges of generating quality leads in manufacturing. The #USAMfgHour Tweetchat was especially revealing, with manufacturers sharing a bounty of insights on data decay, the pandemic's impact on communicating with prospects, lead qualification, top lead generation resources and the pros and cons of lists, and more. Today, we're sharing some of these insightful comments from manufacturers on lead generation in their niche.

When it comes to sales, good marketing is critical. It's even more important that good marketing tactics target your key audience in an accessible way. This is especially important for manufacturers. Indeed, sometimes there are unavoidable obstacles to overcome in a crowded marketplace. Other times, there are industry-related issues such as a technology gap. It is also not uncommon for the chain of command in the manufacturing industry to forgo the use of email. With that being said, a strong and effective sales methodology is how you can avoid these types of issues and keep a successful business.

Welcome to Part Three of our "Common Client Concerns and How to Address Them" series, where we give salespeople and marketers in the manufacturing industry the tools they need to outpace competitors and seal deals.



Last week, we took a look at some winning responses to clients who say they need more time to think over your proposal.



But what about those prospects who are too busy to even take your call?

Even the most experienced salesperson doesn't land every prospect. If you find that your company consistently misses its sales goals, though, you may find yourself facing some tough questions regarding your sales and marketing strategy. Is your sales funnel too shallow? Does your marketing messaging match your sales tactics? Are your salespeople on the same page as your marketing people? Are you reaching the right audience at the right time with the right product? The following suggestions will help you out of your slump and shorten your sales cycle.

Things are starting to go back to normal for the manufacturing sector. More businesses are opening up to their full capacity again after COVID-19. The good news is that many prospects are considering their next step and looking at proposals from vendors. You can stand out in this competitive environment by reaching out to C-level executives directly. However, you'll need to craft a strong C-level manufacturing sales pitch to convince these decision-makers.

"Listen, can I get back to you about this?"



It's a phrase that has killed countless sales. Say it to any experienced sales rep, and you'll probably see them deflate before your eyes.



But do clients who say, "I'll get back to you" just want to let you down easily? The answer may be more complicated than you think. Let's explore what clients really mean when they hit you with this phrase.

The typical buying journey has changed over the past few years. B2B prospects and decision-makers increasingly belong to the millennial generation. They prefer doing research on their own before speaking with a salesperson. Self-directed research on the internet accounts for 27% of the B2B buying journey, while offline research represents 18%. So, it should come as no surprise that you'll often encounter B2B prospects who say they need to do more research.



Are prospects being genuine with this objection? Let's look at the real reasons behind this phrase and how you can respond without alienating your B2B prospects.