Any B2B salesperson worth their salt knows that it doesn’t matter so much what you’re selling as it is the relationship you develop with who you’re selling to. Whether it’s automotive parts or steel cabling, stone veneer or software as a service (SaaS), before the customer signs on the dotted line, you’re selling them on you: both who you are as a person, and who you in a collective sense are as a company.
As B2B public relations experts, we understand the nuances of the business to business transactions that take place. We also understand and craft strategies and tactics that take advantage of your identity as a company to create those relationships and help sell to other businesses.
Two of the most important aspects that any business to business relationship revolves around are trust and credibility. Besides the basic agreement you have with your employees to be credible and trusted sources for your clients, your company (or brand) as a whole must be able to deliver trust and credibility as well.
From media relations and coverage to speaking opportunities and content development, public relations is one of the best ways to share with business partners and prospects the how and why of your company as a whole and what you do to be trusted as a credible business partner. That’s because PR revolves around telling your story through earned media, or media that isn’t paid for or controlled by a brand:
Potential customers are going to look at paid media content and your company’s own social media with an understandably jaded eye. But the Fourth Estate provides a third-party communications connection. Most reporters, especially business reporters, approach their jobs with objectivity, despite notions to the contrary. If they can tell the story of your brand, or a story about your brand, it’s going to be a lot more credible to clients and potential clients than something they read in an ad or on your company website or blog.
Thus, using public relations strategies and tactics to help the media and business reporters tell your stories will, by its very nature, make you more credible and trustworthy.
If you’re struggling to produce Q1 sales leads, or are having issues with trust and credibility with your prospects, public relations can help right the ship. Contact Ripley PR today and we’ll work with you to boost your presence and showcase what makes your company a valuable business partner, regardless of what you’re selling.
