There's only 3 things you can sell to a business

I have been working on a number of b2b projects recently and what I have discovered is that everything they do with their clients boils down to either one of three things or a combination of three things.

Before I disclose the three things, some wider thoughts...

Businesses like people have needs. And they only buy products or services that meet those needs. But unlike people, businesses are massively motivated by the power of money, either spending it or creating it - that is their raisin d'être. To enable them to make money, they have a number of drivers, which in turn each have a number of supporting elements.

But no matter what sector, nor the size of the business, the need for buying a product or service comes down to one or a combination of these three things which fits with their core supporting elements

1. Sell more
2. Save more
3. Solve more

So quiz yourself the net time pitching to a company to ensure you are able to demonstrate to one or a combination of the three things....

Will this sell more of their products? Will it make them more money? Will they increase their frequency of purchase or their spend per purchase?

Will it save them money? Even if they have to spend more money to get this product or service will it make them more efficient over the long term on the basis of an Internal Rate of Return?

Does it solve a problem better than they can solve it themselves? Does this problem stop them or slow their business down?

And if you don't have an emphatic "Yes" to any of those questions, don't waste their time...