Long Sales Cycles: How to Build Marketing That Lasts

Long sales cycles can sometimes feel like endless marathons, spanning months, quarters, or even years. 

How do you keep momentum and ensure success when the payoff is so far down the line?

On this episode of B2B Business Class, host Robb Conlon sat down with Sarah Willis, Founder and CEO at ESI Partners, to unpack the intricacies of marketing and selling in environments with extended sales cycles.

Sarah emphasizes that in these long-haul scenarios, success hinges on building relationships and understanding that transactions are rarely "one and done."

The Data-Driven Approach to Executive Buy-In

When executives are focused on immediate ROI, convincing them of a long-term strategy can be challenging. 

Sarah's advice? Data is your best friend. 

By analyzing past sales cycles and understanding the different decision-making steps, marketers and sales professionals can provide a realistic timeline. 

“In my experience, executives have a good understanding of what their sales cycle is when they’re really honest with themselves and they know their business,” Sarah states. 

A common pitfall in long sales cycles is failing to identify all key stakeholders. 

“Understanding the buyer journey… and understanding who all the decision makers are in the purchasing decision is extremely important.” Sarah warned. “Somewhere along the way, we didn't understand that there was really this other person or this other role within the decision-making process that wasn't identified.”

Tailoring Messages for Diverse Audiences

When dealing with "heavy metal B2B" industries that move slowly and involve complex, high-value products like industrial machinery, audience segmentation is crucial. 

"It's important to understand who all of those audiences are, and then what is their pain point, and how is my message going to address their pain point?" Sarah advises.

The goal is to craft congruent messages that tie back to the unique value proposition, but emphasize what matters most to each specific decision-maker. 

”If it's a CFO, they're likely worried about cost and how this is going to impact their business financially,” she cited as an example. “So I need to position my message regarding how my product or service is going to help them meet their financial goals.”

Aligning Departmental Silos: Marketing, Sales, and Operations

A foundational principle for Sarah is ensuring that everyone involved in the sales cycle is on the same page. 

“You need to get close to and understand the sales process and how the company executes it and how it delivers its service,” she explains. “Without that understanding and getting that alignment, you’ll be in a vacuum and your chance to miss is pretty high.”

This involves actively engaging with sales teams, listening to their objections, and even joining sales calls as a “fly on the wall.” 

Sarah recalls instances where seemingly “old-school” tools, like a trifold brochure, were exactly what a sales team needed on the front lines, despite initial marketing reservations.

“Don't dismiss it," she cautions. “Go back to [your] founding principles. Talk to your sales team, talk to your operations team, and ask, ‘How does the sales process work? What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it?’”

Even if you're a junior team member and can't physically join a sales call, Sarah recommends asking your supervisor for opportunities to engage remotely, perhaps by listening in on a phone conversation. 

If you position yourself as someone eager to learn, understand, and support the sales and operations teams, she argued that any reasonable executive will take notice. 

“Honestly, if you're interested enough in what they're going through and [show] that you're trying to help them be successful, that should be exciting to them. They should welcome that.”

For more insights from Sarah Willis, you can listen to this episode of B2B Business Class on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.