Three Reasons Why B2B Hires Fail B2G Teams
Many B2G companies begin hiring for GTM support and find that the hiring market is saturated with B2B candidates. They find someone talented enough, and bring them on board. However, those individuals also bring pre-conceived notions about what works in the marketplace that can harm B2G teams.
Here are three reasons B2B hires fail B2G teams:
B2B prospecting is focused on volume. B2G prospecting needs to be focused on quality.
B2B companies have the luxury of endless target accounts, with frequent employee turnover. They are able to perform call blitzes and volume-based outbound tactics, with mass-email campaigns often spanning 1,000-5,000 contacts to drive results. This simply doesn’t work in the government space.
Each agency operates slightly differently. What's top of mind for a stormwater department isn't necessarily a priority for K-12, despite similar product use cases. Sales and marketing campaigns need to be tailored, narrow, and focused on exactly what the prospect is trying to solve, in their own words. Hyper-personalization is not a nice-to-have in the public sector, it's a need-to-have. If you ruin your brand reputation (or email domain!) with mass outreach, it’s extremely difficult to come back from that long-term.
B2B is sees ROI through financial profit. Government agencies see ROI through risk reduction, public value, and fiscal responsibility.
This subtle difference shows up frequently in positioning, especially with organizations who sell to both the private and public sector. When there is one team supporting both B2B and B2G functions, oftentimes public sector messaging and training is scattered with value propositions and buying signals that don't resonate with their market. The B2B marketer or enabler may not realize the gap, but the prospects will know.
Research from SiriusDecisions indicates that 60% to 70% of B2B marketing content is never used by sales because it fails to reflect real customer conversations and actual buyer objections. All training, messaging, and value propositions need to be tailored to the nuances of the public sector if any results are to be seen.
Procurement differences affect forecasting methodologies.
It’s no secret that government contracts have a longer, more complex sales cycle. But why do we expect them to forecast in the same fashion as 90-day B2B deals? GovTech teams continue to struggle with organizing their sales cycles by B2B rules. From council meeting delays to uncertain bid award timelines, public sector deals don't fit in a private sector box. Teams in that predicament see deals continue to be pushed quarter-over-quarter, with no resolution in sight. Sales processes within the CRM need to reflect the reality of how the market buys and map back to the procurement process to see forecasting accuracy improve.
B2B advice and operating direction has a track record of setting B2G teams up for failure. The results are seen in unsuccessful campaigns, poor conversion rates, unused marketing materials, and forecasting inconsistencies. If this isn't resolved, it can lead to seller frustration and increased turnover.
The solution: partnering with a B2G specialist.
With a B2G specialist, they’ll be able to work with your sales team or existing support team to improve efficiency, because they understand how different types of agencies buy. From school districts to federal bids, B2G teams need someone who gets it.
Bring on help that knows your business.
B2G GTM Support - GovTech specialists.
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