How to Find New Customers and Increase Sales in B2B

Your guide to sustainable B2B growth

Finding new customers and increasing sales - it's the core challenge for pretty much every B2B business out there. Whether you're in consulting, run an agency, or work at a growing SaaS company, sustainable growth depends on getting these two things right.

You're likely here because you're looking for more than just quick fixes. You want solid, actionable strategies to consistently bring in new business and get more revenue from the customers you already have.

This guide dives deep into exactly that. We'll cover expert-backed strategies for finding those ideal B2B customers and proven methods for boosting your sales revenue. We'll also explore how using the right tools, especially a smart CRM, can make executing these strategies much smoother and more effective.

Let's get started. 👇

Lay the Foundation: Know Your Target

You can't effectively find customers or sell to them if you don't know who they are. Rushing into outreach without this clarity is like sailing without a map: you'll waste a lot of energy going nowhere fast.

Why ICP & Buyer Personas Matter

First things first: define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This isn't just a vague idea; it's a clear description of the type of company that gets the most value from what you offer. Think about:

• Industry
• Company Size
• Location
• Maybe even the technology they use

A great way to build your ICP is to look at your best current customers. Who are they? What makes them successful with your solution?

While the ICP defines the company, Buyer Personas define the people inside those companies involved in the buying decision.

B2B decisions rarely involve just one person. You need to understand the different roles (e.g., the finance person, the technical expert, the end-user, the decision-maker), their specific job responsibilities, what keeps them up at night (their pain points), what they're trying to achieve (goals), and what motivates them. Get input from your sales team (they talk to these people!) and marketing (they do the broader research) to build accurate personas.

Think of your ICP as a filter. B2B sales takes time and resources. Focusing only on prospects that fit your ICP ensures you're investing that effort where it has the best chance of paying off.

Do Your Homework: Prospect Research

Once you know the types of companies and people you're targeting, zoom in on specific prospects. Before you reach out, do some digging:

• Check their company website.
• Look at key people's LinkedIn profiles.
• See if there's any recent company news or announcements.
• Understand their industry trends.

This research isn't just about ticking a box. It's fuel for personalization.

Generic outreach falls flat in B2B. Knowing a prospect's specific situation, challenges, or recent activities allows you to tailor your message and make it relevant.

It helps you frame your solution not just as a product, but as an answer to their problem. This shifts the first conversation from a pitch to a value-driven dialogue.

Find New Customers: Proactive Prospecting

With a clear picture of your ideal customer, it's time to actively find and engage them. A mix of approaches usually works best.

Master Cold Emails: It Still Works

Yes, cold email still works in B2B, but only if you do it right. Forget generic blasts.

Success hinges on:

• Personalization: Reference your research! Mention something specific about their company, role, or a recent achievement.
• Brevity: Keep it short and scannable, ideally under 150 words. Many people read emails on their phones.
• Value Focus: Don't just talk about yourself. Focus on a potential problem they might have and hint at how you can help.
• Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): What do you want them to do next? Suggest a brief call, point them to a resource? Make it easy.
• Systematic Follow-up: Most responses don't happen on the first email. Have a plan for polite, value-added follow-ups.
• Good Data: Make sure your email list is accurate to avoid bounces. Tools like a good email finder can help.

Personalized emails get significantly higher open rates. Using email automation tools or sequences within your CRM can help manage this process efficiently, ensuring consistent follow-up without manual effort. You can use email templates (incl. in Gmail) to streamline this further.

Make Cold Calling Count

Cold calling can feel tough, but it can be effective for quickly qualifying leads or reaching high-value prospects.

Preparation is key:

• Do your research beforehand.
• Have a brief script or agenda; know what you want to achieve.
• Be prepared for gatekeepers.
• Be persistent: it often takes multiple attempts.

Interestingly, studies show simply opening with "How have you been?" can significantly boost success rates compared to a standard pitch opener.

Leverage LinkedIn for B2B

LinkedIn is essential for B2B prospecting and lead generation.

Make it work for you:

• Optimize Your Profile: Make sure your personal and company profiles clearly communicate value.
• Find Prospects: Use advanced search filters (or Sales Navigator) to identify people fitting your personas at ICP companies.
• Engage First: Before sending a connection request, interact with their content (like, comment). Build familiarity.
• Personalize Requests: Don't use the default connection message. Briefly explain why you want to connect.
• Build Relationships: Once connected, focus on sharing relevant insights or asking thoughtful questions before jumping into a pitch. Many B2B marketers find success here, and social sellers are often more likely to hit their quotas. Using a LinkedIn CRM integration can help track your lead generation on LinkedIn better.

Combine Your Channels

Don't rely on just one method. The best results often come from combining strategies.

For example:

• Someone engages with your content (inbound signal).
• You follow up with a personalized email or LinkedIn message (outbound action).
• You build rapport on LinkedIn before suggesting a call.

Buyers interact across multiple channels. Meet them where they are.

If this seems like a lot, using the right lead generation software or working with specialized B2B lead generation companies can effectively support these multi-channel efforts.

However, the core sales activities remain crucial. Simply xplore different B2B sales strategies to be inspired and see what fits best.

The Need for Quality Data

Underpinning all prospecting is data quality. Whether building email lists, segmenting audiences, or targeting accounts, accurate and complete information is fundamental. Bad data leads to wasted effort and failed campaigns.

Invest in reliable data sources and tools that help maintain a clean CRM database. This is where a CRM that helps automatically enrich data comes in handy.

Build Bridges: Network, Partner, and Get Referrals

Beyond direct outreach, leverage your connections and relationships.

Connect Through Networking

Building genuine relationships in your industry is vital.

• Attend industry events (online and offline).
• Participate in relevant online communities or forums.
• Use LinkedIn consistently for digital networking.

Focus on providing value and building rapport, not just collecting contacts. How can you help others?

Grow Through Partnerships

Collaborate with non-competing businesses that serve a similar audience.

This could involve:

• Joint webinars or content.
• Bundling services.
• Formal referral agreements.

Partnerships can introduce you to entirely new pools of potential customers.

Power Up with Referrals

Your happiest customers are often your best source of new business.

• Ask: Don't be shy about asking satisfied clients for referrals, especially after a successful project.
• Incentivize: Consider a formal referral program with rewards (discounts, credits).
• Make it Easy: Provide them with simple ways to make an introduction.

Referrals are powerful because they come with built-in trust, making the initial conversation much warmer.

Increase Sales: Optimize Your Process

Getting leads is one thing; efficiently turning them into customers is another. A well-defined and optimized sales process is key.

Tune Your Sales Engine

Most B2B sales pipelines follow similar stages: Prospecting > Qualification > Needs Discovery > Demo/Pitch > Handling Objections > Negotiation > Closing > Onboarding.

Optimizing this process means focusing on:

• Lead Qualification: Don't waste time on tire-kickers. Use frameworks like BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) or CHAMP (Challenges, Authority, Money, Prioritization) early on to ensure you're focusing on prospects with real potential. Implement solid lead qualification criteria.
• Sales Velocity: How quickly do deals move through your pipeline? Identify bottlenecks where deals stall and figure out how to speed things up.
• Conversion Rates: Track the percentage of deals moving from one stage to the next. Low rates at a specific stage signal a problem area needing attention.
• Sales Cycle Length: How long does it take from first contact to closed deal? Look for ways to streamline steps without sacrificing quality.
• Data & Analytics: Use the reporting in your sales tracking software or CRM to monitor these metrics. Data shows you what's working and what's not. Perform a regular sales analysis.

Align Sales and Marketing (Crucial!)

Friction between sales and marketing is incredibly common and costly. When teams work in silos with different goals or definitions (like what makes a "qualified lead"), leads get dropped, resources get wasted, and buyers get a disjointed experience.

Alignment requires:

• Shared goals (often revenue-based).
• Clear definitions (MQL vs. SQL).
• Consistent messaging.
• Regular communication.
• Integrated technology (like integrating the marketing software and the sales CRM).

Aligned organizations grow faster, are more profitable, and close deals more efficiently.

Remember the Buyer Experience

Your internal sales process directly shapes the buyer's experience. A clunky, slow, or misaligned process leads to frustration for the prospect. Delayed responses, inconsistent messages, or irrelevant pitches damage trust. Optimizing your process is optimizing the customer journey.

Increase Sales: Sell Value, Build Relationships

In B2B, just listing features won't cut it. Buyers need solutions to business problems and partners they can trust. This is central to how to sell in B2B.

Shift to Value Selling

Focus on how your product or service helps the customer achieve their goals or solve their challenges, not just what it does. This means:

• Deeply understanding their business and industry.
• Asking good questions to uncover pain points and objectives.
• Talking about outcomes (ROI, efficiency gains, risk reduction).
• Framing your offering as a solution to their specific problems.

Adopt a Consultative Approach

Act as a trusted advisor, not just a vendor. Leverage your expertise to:

• Educate buyers.
• Offer new perspectives.
• Collaborate on finding the best solution for them.

Build Trust and Rapport

Trust is everything in B2B. Build it through:

• Active Listening: Understand their needs before pitching.
• Empathy: See things from their perspective.
• Transparency & Honesty: Be upfront and clear.
• Reliability: Follow through on your promises.
• Regular, Valuable Communication: Keep in touch meaningfully. Remember, different stakeholders (finance, IT, operations) care about different types of value. Tailor your message.

Personalize Your Approach

Generic doesn't work. Tailor your communication, demos, and proposals to the specific context of the buyer and their company. Show you've done your homework and understand their world.

Nurture Beyond the Close

Relationship building doesn't stop when the deal is signed.

Consistent follow-up, checking in, and sharing relevant insights post-sale are crucial for:

• Ensuring customer satisfaction and success.
• Reinforcing the value you provide.
• Building loyalty.
• Creating opportunities for future business (upsells, cross-sells, referrals). Good account management is key.

Increase Sales: Expand Existing Accounts

Often, the easiest path to more revenue is through the customers you already have.

Why Upselling & Cross-selling Matter

Selling to happy existing customers is far more efficient than constantly chasing new ones. Consider this:

• Finding a new customer can cost 5-25x more than retaining one.
• The probability of selling to an existing customer is much higher (up to 14x) than to a new prospect.
• Expansion revenue (upselling/cross-selling) can significantly boost overall revenue (10-30% or more).
• Small increases in retention can lead to massive profit boosts (a 5% retention increase can boost profits 25-95%).

Upsell vs. Cross-sell: Know the Difference

• Upselling: Getting the customer to buy a more premium, feature-rich, or upgraded version of what they initially bought or considered.
• Cross-selling: Selling complementary or related products/services that add value to their initial purchase.

Strategies for Expansion

Success here requires understanding and relevance:

• Know Your Customer: Dive deep into their business goals, challenges, how they use your product, and their history. Your CRM data is invaluable here.
• Segment: Group similar customers to identify patterns and opportunities. Who buys what bundles? Where are the gaps ("whitespace") in what a customer uses compared to similar peers?
• Timing & Relevance: Make offers when they make sense for the customer. Is there a natural point where an upgrade adds value? Does a complementary product solve a newly emerged need?
• Focus on Solutions: Frame offers around how they help the customer achieve more – solve bigger problems, improve results.
• Use Data: Analyze purchase history, usage data, and support interactions to make personalized, relevant recommendations. Avoid generic pitches that feel pushy.

Increase Sales: Get to 'Yes' Effectively

The final stages are about securing commitment and finalizing the agreement.

Handle Objections with Confidence

Objections (price, timing, features, competition) are normal.

See them as chances to understand and address lingering concerns:

• Listen carefully to understand the real issue behind the objection.
• Anticipate common objections and prepare thoughtful responses.
• For price objections, refocus on the value and ROI your solution delivers.

Negotiate for Mutual Benefit

Aim for a win-win agreement that meets the core needs of both sides. Understand priorities and be prepared to be flexible where possible.

Define Clear Next Steps

Ambiguity kills deals. Always agree on clear next steps, responsibilities, and timelines. Ask the prospect: "What makes sense as the next step from your perspective?"

Follow Up Post-Close

The job isn't done when the contract is signed. Ensure a smooth handover to onboarding or customer success. Reinforce their decision and set the stage for a strong long-term relationship.

Closing is a Process, Not an Event

Effective closing is the natural result of a sales process built on trust, demonstrated value, and addressing needs consistently. If you've done the groundwork well, the final steps should feel more like a logical conclusion than a high-pressure moment.

You can explore different sales methodologies to further structure this process.

Amplify Efforts with the Right CRM

Strategy sets the direction, but technology provides the engine for modern B2B sales. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is essential for managing complexity and driving growth.

Why B2B Sales Needs CRM

A good CRM isn't just a digital rolodex; it's a strategic tool. Here's why it's indispensable:

• Centralized Hub: Acts as the single source of truth for all customer information (contacts, emails, calls, deals, notes) across teams. No more information silos.
• Boosted Efficiency: Automates tedious tasks like data entry, logging activities, and setting reminders. This frees up massive amounts of sales rep time (some studies suggest reps spend up to 65% of time on non-selling tasks!). CRM automation is key here. Productivity can increase significantly (up to 34%).
• Stronger Relationships: Provides the context needed for personalized communication and consistent follow-up. This improves customer retention (potentially by 27%). Explore the benefits of CRM in more detail.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Offers reporting and analytics for insights into pipeline health, performance, and sales forecasting (improving accuracy by up to 40%).
• Scalability: Provides the structure needed to manage growth effectively.
• Proven ROI: CRM investments typically show strong returns (studies suggest $8.71 ROI per $1 spent, sales increases up to 29%).

However, there's a catch: adoption. Many CRM projects struggle because the system is too complex or requires too much manual data entry. If your team doesn't use the CRM, you get none of these benefits.

That's why choosing an easy-to-use CRM, especially one that automates data input, is critical for success. Many users say they'd trade complex features for ease of use.

You can further explore common CRM challenges and how to approach a CRM implementation in our dedicated articles.

Key CRM Features for Growth

Modern B2B CRMs, particularly those designed for SMBs like consultancies, agencies, and SaaS companies, offer specific tools to power your growth strategies.

Here are the key features that can help:

Automated Data Entry & Enrichment

• How it helps: Automatically capture contacts, logs emails, meetings, and calls from your inbox (like Gmail or Outlook), calendar, and phone. Find company info and roles automatically, enriching your customer database software with minimal effort.
• Benefit: Drastically cut down manual data entry (a major source of frustration and poor CRM adoption). Ensure data is accurate and up-to-date, fueling better personalization, segmentation, and reporting. Free up rep time for selling.
• Links to Strategy: Support accurate ICP targeting, prospect research, personalized outreach, better qualification, and relationship building.

Visual Pipeline Management

• How it helps: Get a clear, drag-and-drop view of your sales pipeline. Track deal value, stage, close date, and next actions easily.
• Benefit: Provide real-time visibility for reps and managers. Spot bottlenecks quickly. Enable better deal prioritization and improves forecast accuracy.
• Links to Strategy: Essential for optimizing the sales process, tracking velocity and conversion rates, managing qualification, and forecasting.

Email Integration, Tracking & Automation

• How it helps: Integrate seamlessly with your email inbox. Send/receive emails directly within the CRM context. Track email opens and link clicks with tools like a built-in email tracker. Set up automated email sequences for follow-ups or nurturing. Use shared email templates for consistency. Send mass emails easily.
• Benefit: Streamline communication. Ensure timely follow-up (nurtured leads generate more sales). Get engagement insights to gauge interest. Save huge amounts of time.
• Links to Strategy: Power personalized prospecting, lead nurturing, consistent follow-up, relationship building, and understand prospect intent.

Focus on the Hottest Leads

• How it helps: Use engagement data (email opens, clicks, website visits, meeting frequency) to surface insights and suggest which accounts need attention. Quantify relationship strength automatically.
• Benefit: Prioritize efforts on engaged prospects most likely to move forward, ensuring faster responses and focusing valuable sales time effectively.
• Links to Strategy: Support efficient qualification, prioritization, and optimizing resource allocation.

Actionable Reporting & Analytics

• How it helps: Get automated, easy-to-understand sales dashboards and sales reports. Track pipeline value, conversion rates, cycle length, team performance, and revenue forecasts.
• Benefit: Get insights needed to refine strategies, identify weaknesses, monitor performance, and make data-driven decisions. Crucially, when data input is largely automated, the reports are based on accurate, real-time information.
• Links to Strategy: Underpin sales process optimization, strategy evaluation, performance management, and accurate sales forecasting.

CRM: Your Growth Engine

A well-chosen and well-used CRM connects all the dots. It's where your customer data lives, where processes are managed, and where communication happens efficiently. It breaks down silos and enables a unified approach from lead to loyal customer.

Systems like Salesflare, built for B2B with a laser focus on CRM automation and usability, act as that growth engine, minimizing admin work so your team can focus on what they do best: selling.

If you want to make a solid choice, check out our guide on how to choose a CRM and explore different CRM examples for different use cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best way to get new customers?

Companies find new customers through a combination of strategies:

• Defining Targets: Identifying their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and Buyer Personas.
• Prospect Research: Understanding specific company needs and challenges.
• Proactive Outreach: Using tactics like personalized cold email, strategic cold calling, and LinkedIn engagement.
• Inbound Marketing: Attracting leads through valuable content, SEO, and social media (often handled by marketing but providing leads for sales).
• Networking: Building relationships at industry events and online.
• Partnerships: Collaborating with complementary businesses.
• Referrals: Leveraging satisfied existing customers. A multi-channel approach is usually most effective.

What are the best strategies for increasing B2B sales?

Increasing B2B sales involves more than just finding new customers. Key strategies include:

• Optimizing the Sales Process: Streamlining stages, improving qualification, and reducing bottlenecks.
• Value Selling: Focusing on customer outcomes and solutions, not just product features.
• Building Strong Relationships: Establishing trust and acting as a consultative advisor.
• Upselling & Cross-selling: Strategically increasing revenue from existing happy customers by offering upgrades or complementary solutions.
• Effective Closing & Negotiation: Handling objections confidently and reaching mutually beneficial agreements.
• Sales & Marketing Alignment: Ensuring both teams work together towards common revenue goals.

How can CRM help find new customers?

A CRM helps find new customers by:

• Organizing Prospect Data: Keeping track of potential leads and contact information.
• Enabling Segmentation: Allowing you to group prospects for targeted outreach based on ICP criteria.
• Facilitating Personalized Outreach: Storing research notes and interaction history to tailor communication.
• Automating Follow-ups: Using email sequences to ensure consistent nurturing of leads.
• Tracking Engagement: Showing which prospects are interacting with emails or website content, indicating interest.
• Managing Prospecting Activities: Helping reps stay organized with tasks and reminders for outreach.
• Reporting on Lead Sources: Showing which prospecting channels are most effective.

How do you attract high-value B2B clients?

Attracting high-value B2B clients often requires a more strategic and personalized approach:

• Deep ICP Understanding: Clearly defining the characteristics of these high-value accounts.
• Thorough Research: Investing significant time in understanding their specific business challenges, strategic goals, and key stakeholders.
• Value-Based Outreach: Crafting highly personalized messages focusing on solving major business problems or achieving significant strategic outcomes, often backed by strong ROI projections.
• Consultative Selling: Positioning yourself as a strategic advisor and partner, not just a vendor.
• Building Executive Relationships: Engaging with senior decision-makers early and often.
• Leveraging Referrals & Networks: Using introductions from trusted sources.
• Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Focusing coordinated sales and marketing efforts on a select list of target accounts.
• Demonstrating Expertise: Using content, case studies, and thought leadership to build credibility.

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