How to shorten B2B Sales Cycles - Broadley Speaking

How to shorten B2B Sales Cycles

How to shorten B2B Sales Cycles

Sales Directors often focus on traditional tactics like cold calls and in-person meetings, overlooking the substantial value that sales-led marketing can bring.

This is usually because marketing is seen as something that may look impressive on paper but doesn’t seem to directly impact core business goals like profit or customer retention. However, sales-led marketing is far from “vanity marketing”—it’s a strategic approach, curated by the sales team, to generate leads, convert interest into action, and ultimately support closing new business deals when it’s time to pick up the phone.

Why is Sales Led Marketing important?  Well, research indicates that 84% of buyers initiate first contact with sellers themselves, and they do so when they’re already 70% through their buying journey.  In addition, those few who are contacted by sales early rarely engage any sooner than those who reach out first.

That’s why, in today’s B2B environment, content is crucial. It nurtures leads, addresses objections, and guides prospects through longer sales cycles. This is imperative, because if businesses haven’t engaged buyers during the first 70% of their digital journey, they only have a 16% chance of winning the deal. Why? Because buyers typically consider 4 suppliers, but 84% of the time, they choose the first supplier contacted.

To shorten sales cycles and boost conversion rates, your business needs to be that first supplier.  So, how do you do it?

Not got much time?  Here’s our article’s key takeaways:

Buyer Behaviour isn’t shifting it’s already shifted

  • Modern buyers prefer to control their journey, conducting independent research and interacting with digital content over sales reps.
  • By the time buyers contact sales teams, they are already 70% through their buying process.
  • 83% of buyers initiate first contact, and 84% of deals are won by the first vendor contacted.

Early engagement is essential

  • Sales teams need to engage buyers earlier in their journey, using content marketing and digital engagement to gain an advantage.
  • Intervening early gives companies a chance to shape buyer decisions before they are far into the sales cycle.

Supporting Your Champions  to Sell Internally is Critical

  • B2B decisions typically involve around 9 stakeholders. 
  • It’s imperative that you help your main contact advocate for your solution internally

A Hybrid Sales Model is the most successful

  • Sales is increasingly omnichannel: Where marketing handles early digital engagement, and sales teams focus on high-value interactions, businesses can achieve 5 x growth than competitors.
  • Telesales has evolved, with cold calls becoming less effective and warm calls driven by marketing insights now far more productive.

B2B sales have Changed

  • Marketing now plays a leading role, with content creation, lead nurturing, and marketing automation becoming critical to driving sales.
  • Technology and data-driven insights enable marketing teams to track buyer behaviour and prioritise warm leads for sales outreach, making effective use of sales team’s efforts.

Sales and Marketing Alignment

  • Companies that integrate sales and marketing efforts see a 20-25% boost in productivity.

By educating prospects on your value and positioning your team as experts, content can drive sales long before the first conversation happens. Without it, sales efforts often fall short, as buyers now conduct research and gather insights well before engaging with a salesperson.

Content marketing doesn’t just support sales—it accelerates it by building trust, establishing authority, and keeping prospects engaged. At Broadley Speaking, we know that combining content marketing with direct outreach is the key to overcoming long B2B sales cycles, especially in industries where complex, high-value products or services lead to longer decision-making processes.

Here’s how you can close deals faster:

1 – Build Trust from the Start
In B2B, trust is everything. Instead of jumping straight into a sales pitch, we create educational content—like branded marketing emails, social advertising content, blog posts, landing pages, and case studies—that show your expertise from day one. By providing value upfront, you position your brand as a trusted advisor, not just another vendor.

When this is done during the early stages of the buying process, your brand, solution, and values are placed in front of your prospects before they have selected their chosen vendors, increasing the likelihood of your brand being the first business they consider.  And remember, 84% of buyers choose the first vendor they contact.

This trust-building content becomes an essential part of the initial direct outreach strategy. Using data informed decisions and a clear insights dashboard, the sales team is able to prioritise the warmest leads, bringing in early wins whilst sales-led marketing continues to nurture slower burners.

And, rather than starting with a cold pitch, our team leads with valuable resources that are relevant to the prospect’s industry or challenges. This makes the outreach more engaging and positions your brand as a credible resource from the outset.

2 – Maintain Engagement Throughout the Cycle
Even after a successful appointment, long sales cycles often lead to periods of inactivity. To prevent momentum from stalling, we personalise content that speaks directly to your prospect’s pain points. Whether it’s sending a tailored case study or industry report after an initial meeting, this content keeps the conversation going.

While the sales team focuses on direct communication through calls and emails, we follow up with multi-channel engagement—using articles, or personalised insights that nurture the prospect and keep your brand top of mind. This ensures that the relationship stays warm without overwhelming prospects with constant sales outreach.

3 – Help with Internal Buy-In
On average, B2B decisions involve 9 stakeholders. To make it easier for our main contact to sell your solution internally, we create shareable content—like brochures, eBooks, or one-pagers—that clearly communicate your value proposition. These assets simplify the internal approval process and help your contact align key decision-makers with your solution.

In tandem with direct outreach, this content becomes an essential tool for overcoming barriers within the prospect’s organisation. Your contact is no longer alone in advocating for your product—they now have the tools to do so effectively.

4 – Address Objections Early
Concerns about pricing, ROI, or implementation can derail a sale. That’s why we use content to proactively address objections before they become roadblocks. Whether it’s through a case study showcasing ROI or objection-handling, we make sure your prospects have the information they need to make an informed decision.

When a prospect raises a concern during outreach, our team quickly follows up with supporting content to tackle that specific issue. For example, if a prospect hesitates over budget, we may send a breakdown of long-term cost savings or a real-life success story. This reduces friction and helps the deal move forward.

5 – Align Content with Sales Conversations
As our sales team engages with prospects, our content supports and extends those discussions. We create follow-up materials that reinforce key points, helping prospects clarify details and move closer to a decision. This might include feature deep dives —anything that strengthens the message delivered during the sales call.

This alignment ensures a cohesive journey for the prospect, where the direct outreach seamlessly integrates with relevant content that answers their questions and builds confidence.

6 – Close with Confidence
When it’s time to close, content reinforces your solution’s value. Whether it’s a pricing breakdown, or success stories, the right content can provide that final push prospects need to commit. Our marketing team works with our sales team to ensure the content used at the closing stage addresses any final concerns and highlights why your solution is the best fit.

7 – Maintaining Momentum
In long sales cycles, it’s easy for conversations to stall. We keep the momentum going by sharing valuable thought leadership, industry trends, and new research. Even when direct outreach is paused, content keeps your prospects engaged, showing that you are invested in their success—not just the sale.

Final Thoughts

By nurturing and warming up prospects, you can make direct outreach more precise and successful. Content marketing plays a crucial role in keeping prospects informed, engaged, building trust, and addressing their concerns throughout their sales journey. This integrated approach ensures your sales team is well-equipped with the tools and support needed to close deals faster and more efficiently.

If you’re ready to speed up your sales cycles, contact Broadley Speaking today. We’ll work with you to develop a robust strategy that combines content and outreach, driving real, measurable results.