Underused and underrated B2B sales plays you should consider

A B2B sales play is a strategic, coordinated approach to SaaS sales that involves specific steps, actions, and tactics sales reps should use to accomplish their goals. 

For example, sales teams might decide to try upselling to existing customers, re-engaging churned customers, or trying to win business directly from competitors. 

When sales teams deploy B2B sales plays, they’re able to work more effectively. Not only do reps get access to a clear, detailed framework that enables them to navigate common sales scenarios with ease, they also enable reps and customer success managers to deliver a consistent experience across touchpoints since they’re able to work off the same messaging.

When it boils down to it, there’s an endless amount of different pipeline-generating sales plays teams can use to drive more revenue. Some of the top sales plays outbound teams run on include monitoring customer job changes, coupling account-based marketing (ABM) with intent-driven campaigns, manufacturing timeliness by creating trigger events, and trying to expand existing accounts. 

There’s no shortage of other B2B sales plays your team can use to win more business. In this piece, we examine five underused sales plays that can help your team soar to new heights.

Under-the-radar B2B sales plays

Looking to maximize the potential of hidden opportunities, foster meaningful connections with prospects, and ultimately drive more revenue? Encourage your team to test out these five B2B sales plays in the field.

1. Leverage your executive/investor network

Each sales rep’s network is a valuable asset in B2B sales, and tapping into executive and investor connections can lead to unexpected benefits. The better your team understands each executive’s circle of influence, the easier it is to get valuable introductions and endorsements, which can make it easier to gain access to decision-makers. 

Additionally, the involvement of executives and investors can instill confidence in prospects, especially if they have strong reputations in your industry. While this approach requires finesse and a general alignment of interests, it can open doors to conversations that might otherwise remain elusive. 

If you’re thinking about having your team try this sales play, encourage them to invite executives and investors to dinners, 1:1 meetings, and even retreats to show how serious you are about working together. While you’re at it, consider offering ghostwriting services to add value so they get something in exchange for their help.

2. Implement companywide prospecting days

If you’re really looking to supercharge your sales efforts, don’t confine yourself to relying exclusively on your sales team to get the job done. To identify under-the-radar opportunities, consider implementing companywide prospecting days where everyone gets involved. 

As part of LeadIQ’s Customer Zero program, we set aside a day each quarter when the entire company turns into sales development reps and account executives. This can result in some unconventional messaging, which can stand out in each recipient’s inbox (think: Why is a product developer cold emailing me?). As a collective effort, this can lead to fresh perspectives and the discovery of tons of hidden opportunities. On top of this, companywide prospecting days also help promote a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility for business growth, which keeps teams aligned and engaged.

While you’re at it, why not make the day fun and competitive with gamification by rewarding the top non-sales employees who identify the most opportunities?

3. Going after smaller accounts

It can certainly be tempting for reps to spend all of their energy focusing on big-ticket deals, but targeting smaller accounts that might fall just outside of your company’s ICP can lead to surprising outcomes. Not only do smaller accounts have shorter sales cycles, they can also become stepping stones to bigger deals down the road, with reps expanding contracts of already-existing customers. 

While you may not want to make this play a top-tier focus, smaller accounts can add up over time, and they can also set you up for success as the customer’s business continues to scale. At the same time, landing smaller accounts is an easy way to diversify your organization’s client portfolio, reducing your reliance on a few key accounts that constitute a significant amount of revenue.

If your team plans on rolling out this strategy, prioritize smaller accounts where growth opportunities are clear (e.g., a company that just closed a new round of funding). 

4. Have your sellers build their own personal brands

In the world of B2B SaaS sales, building a strong personal brand can make a major impact on success. By positioning themselves as industry experts, meeting prospects where they are, demonstrating thought leadership, and delivering value to folks in their networks for free, sales reps can build credibility and trust, which makes it easier to achieve optimal social selling outcomes. 

After all, sharing insights and valuable content not only demonstrates industry knowledge but also attracts prospects seeking solutions. By encouraging reps to spend the time necessary to build a personal brand — and having them optimize their LinkedIn profiles — your team can become a go-to resource for industry insights and advice, increasing the likelihood of generating warm leads and developing meaningful connections.

5. Content creation with prospects

Content creation isn’t just marketing’s job. In fact, it’s an under-the-radar sales play that can produce remarkable results. Collaborating with prospects to co-create content together — whether it’s hosting webinars, teaming up on blog posts, or producing downloadable gated assets — can make a prospect feel special while showcasing their expertise and strengthening your relationship. 

When your team works with prospects to create content, you’re helping them out, which shows that you care about their company — not just the sale. This pipeline-generating sales play can help your team establish relationships that ultimately become long-term partnerships, as prospects see themselves more as collaborators than targets.

Which underused B2B sales plays will you try first?

For B2B SaaS sales teams, taking the road less traveled can often lead to untapped potential and new opportunities. Whether you’re looking to build a personal brand, leverage executive networks, or orchestrate collaborative prospecting days across your organization, implementing under-the-radar sales plays can have a profound effect on your sales performance.

By embracing the spirit of experimentation, your organization can take its collective sales skills to the next level, building stronger connections and strengthening the bottom line because of it.

To learn more about some underused tactics you can use to win more business, check this out.