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If for the successful sale of an ordinary product it is enough to use classical marketing methods - advertising, participation in conferences, then the question of how to sell complex equipment remains open for many. To sell IT products or high-tech machine tools, you need to know the specifics of these industries and much more.

In this article, you will learn:

  1. How to start selling complex equipment
  2. How to sell sophisticated equipment while keeping the competition apart
  3. Strategies for selling equipment over the Internet

How to sell sophisticated equipment and where to start

First you need to carefully study the product.

  • First, you need to familiarize yourself with the technical specifications.

If the product has features unknown to a wide range of potential buyers, then in negotiations with the client this will become an extra trump card. You need to be as technical as possible - so you will always find what to answer the buyer's arguments about the identity of your product with the one offered by a competitor.

  • Secondly, it is necessary to determine the beneficial aspects of the product for a particular client.

By calculating the possible savings for the buyer or his profit from sales, it will be easier to negotiate with the person.

To sell sophisticated equipment wisely, try this method. Put yourself in the shoes of a client, for example, the CEO of a company who decides to purchase equipment similar to yours for his organization.

Get used to his role and start looking for the manufacturer of the product you need. Create a special mailbox. In negotiations, imagine yourself as a little-known, but a real company. Collect commercial offers from potential sellers.

After that, analyze all the data sent to you (the easiest way to do this is using a pivot table). Compare the terms of delivery offered, service, consumables and, of course, the quality of the equipment.

Think about which of the sellers would you sign a contract with? This tactic will allow you to see the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, as well as understand exactly what the strengths of your own firm are.

It will become clear what additional offers from your side can be of interest to those customers who are likely to conduct the same market analysis.

Another important point. Many entrepreneurs who decide to sell sophisticated equipment are afraid of competitors: there are many of them and they are incredibly strong. Is this really so?

In this area of \u200b\u200bbusiness, sellers rather than goods compete. Knowing well the technical characteristics of the equipment, you can prove to the buyer that there are no absolutely identical products in your field and the features of your products will bring him considerable benefit.

And perhaps the most important thing: you should decide to whom you will sell this sophisticated equipment. There are two types of customers looking for this technique. And each of them needs its own approach.

1. First type of clients- customers who already have these devices and are well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the equipment.

You can negotiate with such clients only knowing the characteristics of your products perfectly.

The technical nuances of operation can be found on specialized forums. Many people using this equipment are willing to share information. Another option is to look into the production of those of your customers who have previously purchased such products, and ask the technologist for advice.

2. Second type of clients- people who are just planning to start their own business and looking for the necessary equipment in advance.

When selling complex equipment to such buyers, one should remember that these people are unlikely to be familiar with all the intricacies of its operation. Therefore, it is worth bringing them together with a specialist in this matter.

The peculiarity of working with a client here is that a person does not yet understand what difficulties await him, and therefore has a poor understanding of the importance of service.

You should explain how the equipment should be maintained and how often it will need to be done. Be sure to make it clear to the client that by concluding a contract with your company, he will save himself from many problems in the future.

How to sell sophisticated equipment by differentiating itself from the competition

Only by understanding the advantage of your conditions and products over competitors, you can convince the client to work with you. Attention needs to be focused on several points.

  • The price of a similar product from competitors.

If it is lower, then why? Can't you make a discount too?

  • Distinctive features of the goods sold by competing firms.

Try to find out from buyers - both your own and those who have contacted other companies - about the advantages and disadvantages of these devices. Or try to find this information on special forums.

  • Service maintenance.

How much does it cost to competing companies? What guarantees do they provide? What is the difference between your service? What can you offer a client that your competitors don't have?

  • Operating price, which means the amount of funds required to maintain and service the purchased equipment.

If you are selling complex and expensive equipment that is not easy to replace, then this indicator plays a very important role.

But the fact of the low cost of equipment can also be turned to your advantage, proving to the client that in the event of a device breakdown it will be easier to buy a new one. That is, no investment in repairs and forced downtime while waiting for the elimination of defects. Even spare parts will remain.

  • Business characteristics of the product.

They are no less important than technical characteristics. The client will only buy equipment that is profitable to use. That is, such things as line maintenance costs, the amount of products dispensed, time, etc. must be calculated.

If technical data is more important to engineers, then owners are primarily interested in profit. Show the customer that the business performance of your product is superior to your competing products in most dimensions, and the contract can be considered concluded.


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  • Compatibility.

It is profitable to sell complex equipment if it is compatible with the equipment of those brands that potential customers use. Otherwise, it will not work to attract the attention of buyers to your company.

Suppose, in addition to Russian-made machine tools, the market offers expensive European equipment and cheap Chinese. How to interest the buyer with your own, domestic technology? You need to proceed as follows:

  1. Tell the target audience about the existence of your product.
  2. Offer customers a service to replace consumables or worn parts. At the same time, indicate that your company will do it much faster than competitors, since their production is located in another country.
  3. Provide evidence (including visual) that the quality of your equipment is quite comparable to European. Whereas the offered price is lower and the service is better.

To increase sales of complex equipment, you can offer the client some additional services. For example, you can take on a number of related operations.

  • Install and configure equipment purchased from you. Experienced businessmen understand that it is quite difficult to assemble complex equipment correctly, it takes additional money and time. If you save the client from such worries, he will prefer your company to others that do not provide such bonuses.

  • Carry out after-sales service. And you can do it both on a free and paid basis. You can, for example, agree on a certain number of free calls per month or offer to service the equipment free of charge for a certain period.
  • Train staff. Simultaneously with the sale of new and sophisticated equipment, it is necessary to offer the client to train his company's employees to work effectively with this technique. This service can also be paid or free.

Even the second option will bring you certain dividends: a buyer who, after a deal with you, will not have any problems and will increase profits, will definitely contact you again.

  • Provide expert advice... By offering the client the best option for the sale of his products, you will raise his loyalty to your company, which means you can count on further cooperation.

When selling sophisticated equipment, the buyer can also be offered the following:


The desire of the buyer is a law for the seller, and if a person wants to personalize equipment, then why not? The main thing here is not to overdo it. Be sure to check with the client how confident he is about the need to make changes to the basic set of equipment.

Where to sell technically sophisticated equipment

The first thought that comes to mind is the Internet. Indeed, on the Web now you can sell anything and buy anything. But there is one problem. How do you assess the potential of a potential buyer? A solid-looking company website is not a guarantee that the company is solvent.

Your manager can contact with a seemingly large potential client for months, but in fact it turns out that he is able to afford equipment only in the cheapest configuration. And this is the best case.

At worst, he will refuse to buy at all. Therefore, you should not trust the Internet 100%, and in general, it is better to use it as an aid. And in order to assess the prospects of this or that potential buyer, you should carefully look through industry reference books and catalogs, visit exhibitions, and read the industry press.

A company that publishes information about itself in expensive industry directories and participates in serious exhibitions (and this also requires a lot of money) can certainly become a worthy client. This company clearly intends to develop further, and without the availability of sophisticated and expensive equipment, this is hardly possible.

Suppose you have a list of companies participating in an exhibition. How to proceed in this case? Just select potential buyers and contact them by phone.

To make communication more trusting, mention meeting with company representatives at the exhibition and praise the company's stand. Take an interest in the results of the event and subtly translate the conversation to the topic of your interest.

Of course, it is better to offer and sell sophisticated equipment to a paying client, and industry news can help in identifying it. Analyze the information about the development plans of certain companies in order to understand whether they are able to purchase high-tech equipment.

Trade magazines are a good source of information you need. For example, managers of a company that sells measuring equipment are looking for new customers through the publication "Gold and Gold Mining". Companies that advertise in this magazine are potential buyers of this type of equipment.

Who to sell complex equipment

Ideally, two people should be involved in the sale of complex equipment: an experienced manager who has an understanding of the features of the product, and an engineer who has all the technical information, terminology and the necessary numbers.

The latter, by the way, must take a basic course in sales theory in order to clearly know what can be said to the client and which topics should be avoided.

To successfully sell complex equipment, you need to have a good understanding of who in the client's company will have to interact with. The purchasing decision is most often made by a number of specific individuals, described below.

Procurement Specialist

This person is unlikely to pay attention to the additional services you offer, the service provided, etc. He is tasked with finding specific equipment, and he is looking for it. If you received an appeal from a purchasing specialist, you must definitely find out who is the initiator of the purchase. For this:

  • use technical terminology in conversation, ask specific questions about the equipment: do your best to achieve so that the buyer would call a technologist for help.
  • call the company yourself, find the right engineer and tell him about your products. Convince a specialist that the request to the purchasing department should be changed, since your company sells sophisticated equipment that is more appropriate for a specific request.

Engineer (technologist)

The cost of equipment for engineers is often not even second, but third. On the second - technical characteristics, and on the first - how familiar one or another equipment is. And it can be quite difficult to convince engineers to switch to new equipment, especially if it is expensive.

No one wants to take another risk: if such a technique suddenly does not suit something, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to change it. Therefore, in order to sell complex equipment to a client, you need to convince the engineer. It's not as difficult as it sounds. Just let him see your devices in action, talk to a technologist who has already worked with the equipment. For this:

  • arrange testing technicians in a special room;
  • agree with the engineercurrently using your technologies, to demonstrate their effect to the client. In the case when the business is just spinning up, after completing at least one transaction, it is important to agree with the buyer about the possibility of a subsequent demonstration of the equipment to other clients.

If you decide to sell new sophisticated equipment, which is still little known in a country or a certain region, then be sure to advertise on the Internet, as many potential customers, having learned about new technologies from the media or other sources, begin to look for more detailed information on the Web.

How to sell sophisticated equipment over the Internet

So that the further text does not raise any questions and you can freely talk about ways to promote in order to sell complex equipment, let's agree on the terminology. For example, not a single specialized publication, including dictionaries and textbooks, still gives an unambiguous definition of b2b marketing.

This term is readily used by various Internet resources, but they do not offer a precise definition, only describing this activity.

Let's try to figure it out. If without unnecessary complications, now the term "b2b" means an ever-growing number of business models aimed at selling goods / services to legal entities, as well as building a dealer network by entrepreneurs in order to resell products to legal entities or individuals (b2c).

A variety of opportunities are used to promote a b2b site.

contextual advertising

Selling complex equipment with this marketing tool can be quite effective. Advertisements in this case are seen only by those users whose sphere of interest is close or directly coincides with the subject of the promoted service or product.

The most popular services for promoting contextual advertising are Google AdWords, Yandex.Direct and others. They perform best in developed markets. But if your service or product appeared on the market only recently, then a lot will depend on the correctly selected keywords.

Think about what phrases your potential customers could use to describe their problem, and use them mostly. For example, not every person may be familiar with the word "video speaker". It would be logical to replace this term with the phrase "live site", "video presentation on the site", etc.

Promotion in social networks

Here targeted advertising will help you sell complex equipment. She works well on social networks Facebook, VKontakte.

To reach your target audience as much as possible, you will also need quality filters or parsing the right people.

These traffic sources are unlikely to become the main sources of ROMII maximization and will provide a rather delayed ROI return, but they will be very useful as a help.

Search engine promotion

Thanks to optimization, the site reaches high positions in search engines for pre-selected queries.

Companies selling sophisticated equipment often focus on this source of lead generation first. SEO is right for you if:

  1. You have at least three competitors in a group of goods or services. However, special attention should be paid to how soon the funds invested in optimization will pay off.
  2. Competing firms are selling through the site. If it is beneficial to them, then it will bring profit to you.
  3. A specialist will advise you to optimize, to which you have consulted. Estimation of potential traffic in a particular topic is often free.

At a minimum, you will need:

  • search engine reputation (SERM);
  • information directions - description of vacancies and brand, product characteristics;
  • elaboration of SEO-usability of the project structure;
  • search for related directions for different target audiences for organic traffic.

Selling complex equipment and ordering site optimization, you need to be sure that it will pay off. This can be done in three ways.

  • Simulation modeling... Buy traffic from context and see if the data is driving customer requests. Organic traffic is larger in volume and at the same time costs much less - 2-10 times.
  • Analytical modeling... Only an SEO specialist can do this at the proper level.

He will calculate the funds invested by competitors, develop a project structure, calculate the expected traffic volume and base conversion, and lay down usability factors. It is recommended to hold a tender among contractors and assess whether the future results are worth the required investment.

Please note that many contractors can (sometimes even unknowingly) overestimate their forecasts. If the project is not being evaluated by a senior specialist, then the figures given to you are not always justified. An independent SEO expert will help you here, who can check the commercial offers you received.

  • Benchmarking... Try to find out how much money your competitors have invested in website optimization and how much return they got in the end.

In-site marketing

In-site marketing is a fairly new tool, but it develops very quickly. So that the visitor does not leave the resource as long as possible, special tools are used, contacts of a person are collected, individual and beneficial offers are made to the client.

All this makes it more likely to sell the products offered by the company, including selling sophisticated equipment.

The most popular on-site tools are:

  • online consultant (LiveTex, JivoSite, RedHelper);
  • news subscription;
  • the ability to leave applications on the site or the "Callback" button;
  • widgets - smart banners, smart boxes, hellobar and others.

Let us analyze the latter in more detail.

A widget is a complex interactive tool and appears on the site only after the user takes certain actions. A banner, hellobar or pop-up window can inform visitors of the resource about promotions and special offers, or they can contain a form for collecting contact information.

Useful information presented in a new and original form can motivate a person to take certain actions: make a purchase, use the company's services. Today, to create these or those widgets, the online builder WitGet is most often used.

Email Marketing

Selling sophisticated equipment (just like any other product) can be done using email marketing. Advertisements are sent to users' email addresses. Moreover, unlike spam, the client subscribes to this mailing list himself and can easily refuse it - this feature prevents a negative reaction from the user.

A huge plus of b2b email marketing is that the recipient of the newsletter is usually a decision-maker. At the same time, the letter contains news about the service, tells how it is best to use it, etc.

Thanks to this not too complicated approach, the client gradually gets used to the company, begins to treat it more loyally.

Hidden marketing

This method is positioned as a non-advertising way to promote goods or services. In fact, advertising is also present here, but in a hidden form. There is no annoying spam for everyone, there are no ads in plain text offering to buy this or that product.

A person learns about the benefits of a product from the words of another user. And when selling complex equipment, in this case, you need to use not specialized open areas, but social networks, forums and blogs.

To effectively promote your company using b2b marketing, take the following steps:

  1. Make your brand trusted... Show certificates, logos of companies that are your regular customers. Showcase the testimonials of those customers who have already purchased your product.
  2. Create a portfolio... People trust deeds more than promises.

Test period

If you offer your customers a test period (demo access), that is, they will be able to test the service's performance, then in most cases the decision to purchase the product will be positive.

Selling complex equipment and, in general, working in the direction of b2b, it is better to follow this policy. This will save you from the lengthy process of document approval and payment transfer. The test period allows you to interest the client so much that it will be quite difficult for him to refuse to purchase a product.

3 Strategies for Selling Complex Hardware Online

Strategy # 1. Search for new sources of sales

If we consider the path of the goods from the manufacturer to the buyer, then the chain links will look like this: manufacturer - dealer - b2b-client. The latter can be a store, a consumer or a service user. How can the first two links in the b2b niche increase their sales?

First of all, you need to find new partners, and for this to expand the dealer network. There are two ways to go.

The first is to reach out to sellers who specialize in products like yours and offer them your positions. The second way is to conclude a contract with those who, for example, do not sell complex equipment, but have suitable clients. Moreover, the latter are persons with the right to make a decision on this issue.

Everything is simple here:ordering building materials and carrying out construction work are almost always linked. As well as SEO and website development, sportswear manufacturing and various sports clubs. The list is virtually endless. Additionally, you can think about franchising, entering new markets, etc.

To successfully sell complex equipment, you need to be able to interest partners in something. To do this, follow a series of steps.

  • Collect your customer base.

If we talk about a specific case, then you need a list of dealers who work with this product or who are in contact with a warm target audience.

You also need to check the quality of traffic (use Similarweb for this or evaluate the visibility for requests in organic and paid issues). This will allow you to understand the motivation and determine who and how much to offer at the very beginning.

Alternatively, interview your target audience, but they mostly consist of offline companies, the methods of attracting which are somewhat different.

  • Find ways to attract a partner.

Showcase successful cases and testimonials. Make a presentation, send a prospect an email, organize a landing page. Indicate the main points of "win-win partnership", tell us about the values \u200b\u200bof your company. Pay attention to the company's advantages over other suppliers.

  • Develop a scheme according to which you are going to interact with the client.

Offer, for example, to exchange user bases and banners on sites, to carry out joint mailings, to make general publications on social networks, to take part in sponsorship programs together. Possible proposals for franchising, joint vacations or the introduction of employees into the partner's team.

The benefit in any case will be based on the discounts provided or the percentage of sales.

The search for new partners can be safely called a separate type of sales, which occurs mainly through cold contacts. The competition in this type of activity is not too high, but in order to successfully sell complex equipment in the future, it is better to entrust the launch of the process to experienced marketers.

Strategy # 2. Power Position

If you are a monopolist in a niche, successfully sell complex equipment and can even dictate terms to customers, then you don’t need online marketing. True, this situation is extremely rare, especially for "white" businesses. More often than not, you have to fight for a strong position in partnership. How to do it?

There is one rule. If you conduct a mass advertising campaign for a certain product, then not only its sales will grow, but also sales in the corresponding market sector. This rule has an actual subtype, namely: more and more customers are switching to online purchases - most often from organic traffic.

Based on the above, you can derive a not too complicated formula: by investing certain funds (A) in promotion, you get result B at the output, and the market gets C. If you look at the trends, then C may well be more than B.

In order not to lose 100% of this type of income, the site's rating needs to be raised to the top 10, it is necessary to use contextual and aggressive display advertising. Thanks to your advertising campaign, C will increase on the market, and you have every right to take advantage of the fact that conversion rates will be higher than usual.

To use this factor to increase sales of sophisticated equipment, make joint marketing plans with partners, and promote together. More often, the scheme “The manufacturer receives an offer from the dealer” works here, but there are other options: “Manufacturer to the dealer”, “The dealer to the store”.

Collaboration will bring many benefits to participants:

  • Each link in the chain will receive return on any advertising: "Buy online - a type of product - a specific brand - in a specific store." You and your partners can even share online traffic depending on the amount invested.
  • Your position as an organizer is the strongest... The choice of the most profitable strategy largely depends on you. Plus, any supplier likes to work with proactive dealers.
  • You plan in advance the moment of the start, guessing the site's output in the top 3 for key queries, preparing contextual advertising campaigns and media enhancers.
  • You can strengthen the outlets of the lower order... For example, raise your products in the ranking of list pages, negotiate remarketing advertising campaigns, start emailing your products, run contests on social networks, etc.

Selling complex equipment to clients, help them in turn to realize it. Provide blanks, partially pay for partners' undertakings. Concentrate all work from different sites on one contractor or your own marketing department: it is much more convenient to manage an advertising campaign from one place.

  • You can go much further and start partnering with competitors on certain narrow topics.... In this case, several advertising campaigns are launched from each project at once, but the assortment and prices of goods are coordinated.

The margin becomes higher, and the profit increases accordingly. True, these actions are not entirely legal from the point of view of the state's antimonopoly policy, but hardly anyone follows the top ten sites in search engines. This is done not only in b2c, but also in certain b2b niches.

  • Strengthen digital marketing in your sector, thereby increasing the number of online orders and improving the level of sales of complex equipment.

Collaborate with partners: the joint ROMI from advertising campaigns, taking into account overall indicators, will be higher. Ask suppliers to pay for your ad campaign, or at least give you discounts for promoting their products.

Strategy # 3. Monetizing through b2c

No matter how much profit the company receives from clients, no one will pass by the 5-30% bonus earned from the b2c direction. These models and systems are different from those used offline, but online, all this is quite similar to warm orders in b2b.

The amount of such traffic on the site directly depends on the marketing work. The more effective it is, the more such visitors are. There are known examples when more than 90% of the entire audience was from the b2c sector, but in any case it was not possible to monetize this traffic.

How to get the most profit by selling sophisticated equipment? To do this, you need to take care of the following.

  1. Help customers buy your products.

This is not about the sale of an FMCG group with a wide distribution coverage at all points that are possible.

Your site does not have a "Where to buy?" Section? Does the page only have a list of online stores? Do you display only large chain stores, and there are no regional outlets?

The situation needs to be corrected, the whole country needs to be covered by your stores and dealer offices. It is not too difficult, it only takes a few man-days. Equip the resource with a convenient tool for selecting regions, use a map instead of a list of addresses. It is advisable to indicate the working hours of each point and its phones.

Write down a description of the quickest and easiest way to get to the store, if, of course, these are not small kiosks, but large shopping centers.

Equip the site with standard features: users should easily get directions to the desired point or print a map if they want. Highlight store opening hours.

Submit the applications received on the website to your regional partners selling sophisticated equipment. You can even give them access to the "admin panel" by region, but this is the maximum option. If the order came from this particular territory, then the order is sent to the company working there, after which its employee calls and agrees on the sale.

  1. Conclude an agreement withb2 c- a project working online.

Absolutely not difficult to implement. Consult with a digital marketer and select a customer who has a good online store and online marketing. Agree with the person that he will pay for traffic that leads to the sale of the product.

Methods (without detailing) can be as follows:

  • UTM tags on links. Hide the phone for traffic with your referer behind the "Show" button - track phone and application views in analytics - pay for leads. The amount is usually 10-30% of the average check.
  • Tool on partner site that writes toCRM-system information that the order is from you - with the substitution of the phone number and the amount of "dirty" profit you brought.
  • Referring to any thematic site posted on one or anotherCPA-exchange. Resource employees cope with all the technical difficulties, of course, for the appropriate payment.

Keep in mind: the more thematic your traffic is, the better it converts. If you want to successfully sell complex equipment, then a simple link like “This is our retail store” will not be enough. Better to use the wording "(Section Title) Retail." The same applies to products.

  1. Transfer clients from b2c to b2b.

An example of an article in the blog of our client "SantechStandard"

This system appeared on the domestic market not so long ago. People unite to buy goods at wholesale prices. It is likely that this trend will soon touch on complex equipment and cars.

Your landing pages with a similar monetization scheme will surely be noticed by customers. Of course, you should not expect them to pay by bank transfer, and the delivery will not be one, but more. But you will begin to resolve these issues with your visitors.

There is another option for the trend pooling - crowdfunding. If you start selling complex equipment or any other product under this scheme, then the order will be single, that is, wholesale.

How much profit will b2c bring you? About 3–5 large dealers, but only if your online store takes the first place in the top. Remember that with volumes like one strong dealer, the margin will be several times higher.

Why selling sophisticated equipment over the Internet is difficult, but interesting

Many digital agencies, SEO offices and ad setup specialists are used to working with the b2c segment. And they use the same scheme even when b2b companies turn to them for help. The solution is standard: website + SEO + contextual advertising.

But if you work in the b2b segment, sell sophisticated equipment and hire such people, then very soon you run the risk of realizing: you are paying money for absolutely ineffective work. Traffic is not targeted, leads do not become customers, conversion does not increase. Of course, the question arises: why is this happening?

There are several problems here. Such internet marketing and b2b companies do not give the expected result for a number of reasons.

There are not enough real professionals

There are few of them both on the part of agencies offering their services and on the part of customers. The work of marketers in b2b companies often consists of printing business cards and preparing souvenirs, at most organizing events and ordering advertising. How to really promote a company is almost unknown, and this is often the fault of youth and lack of staff skills.

There are not so many experienced internet marketers for b2b today. Few people know how to sell sophisticated equipment, and why, if you can promote an online store? Everything is simple there: I made changes to the resource, worked a little with advertising and the result is immediately visible.

In the case of industrial equipment, the situation is different, the recoil is often visible only after a few months. This is a long period during which you can move to another position or even lose your job. In addition, this alignment does not contribute to employee motivation at all.

A decision on a deal can take a very long time

The peculiarity of the b2b segment is that the process of concluding a deal can take a very long time: from several months to several years. All this time, if, of course, you want to sell complex equipment to a client, you need to contact a potential customer, not let his interest fade away, and fend off objections that arise from time to time.

In these conditions, it is very difficult to measure the effectiveness of marketing. This means that it is not easy to make the necessary changes to tactical plans.

Segmentation of the target audience is quite difficult

If the direction of the company's activity does not raise any questions (for example, the production of valves for oil pipelines), then it is quite easy to determine its target audience. It is also clear how to communicate with potential clients.

And what if the firm works in several directions? For example, a company producing siding and selling it exclusively in bulk has to work not only with dealers and end customers.

It is necessary to conclude contracts with both construction companies and architects who include this material in their projects. Simple communication like “offered - bought” will no longer be enough here.

Too many decision-makers

If a decision is made by several people and each of them is a specialist in their field (someone is responsible for finances, someone for the project as a whole, etc.), then there are practically no rash actions. The difficulty here is that if you want to successfully sell complex equipment, then each of these specialists must be convinced.

Let's give an example. The secretary of the head office of medical clinics contacted the construction company "Alpha". The company sent a presentation, informed a potential client about its projects, announced approximate prices.

After the secretary received about 40 information packets from various organizations, she transferred all the data to the Deputy General Director. He selected 10 companies, with which he held preliminary negotiations.

The owner of a network of clinics has already communicated with only two construction companies. As a result, "Alpha" won, which was given the task of reconstructing a four-story office building for a hospital. But the decision of each of the people in this chain was based solely on their own criteria.

Goals are set incorrectly

B2b companies on the Internet can pursue several different goals: expanding the dealer network, strengthening the brand. Some are working on introducing a new product to the market, others want to reduce the cost of service and customer retention, others want to make the brand more recognizable, etc.

In any case, using the Web only for the sake of increasing sales is not a very constructive decision.

Have you tried many methods of selling sophisticated equipment over the Internet, but the result is far from what you expected? Do not despair, we will fix everything! And our fruitful cooperation will begin with a free site audit.


When a customer buys himself, in fact, it is not a sale, but a request service. But what if the client does not buy himself? And in many markets it has become that way. How to build a system that can generate sales? “Change or Die” - this principle is used by many companies in the basis of the new strategy.

The industrial equipment market is no exception. After all, the majority of companies producing and / or selling industrial equipment used a purely reactive approach in their work. What does it mean?

The model looked like this. The customer's purchasing officer called possible suppliers of the equipment he needed. Where did he get information about suppliers? Mainly from reference materials, advertising media: the Internet, specialized press and catalogs of the suppliers themselves, and later from their own communication experience. The potential client's phone call was answered by a technical specialist in this type of equipment. Together they discussed what equipment can meet the request and be provided, as well as volumes, terms and commercial terms of delivery. After that, everyone went to do their own thing: the consultant prepared an appropriate commercial proposal and sent it to the client, and the buyer continued to call in the hope of a better offer.

I must say that this made sense for the client. Firstly, due to the large flow of buyers, not all equipment could be obtained from the warehouse, some running positions had to wait more than a month, or even three. Secondly, for the same reason, the price of equipment could differ by 30 percent from supplier to supplier. In addition, the services provided by the suppliers also varied greatly - from logistics to service and warranty support.

A fundamentally necessary change in business processes is their reorientation to the client when assessing their own resources and proactivity, that is, the transfer of the initiative to build relationships to the supplier company. Therefore, responsibility for each client should be assigned to a specific manager who will solve all the client's questions and know everything about him.

1. Logistics

It is important to learn how to analyze the assortment, assess the sales potential of each item of equipment, make an adequate stock of the most popular items and a certain stock of potentially running items. This is all the more critical since a supplier company cannot afford to freeze funds in an illiquid product during a crisis. On the other hand, it is necessary to discuss with the production conditions for reducing the production time itself and / or supplying the rest of the equipment on request, so as not to miss a client who is ready to wait. True, for the client himself, there must be a reason why he is waiting. If this is a rare piece of equipment, then the wait is logical. Otherwise, you should consider a lucrative commercial offer: either at a price (which is highly undesirable - except perhaps a "game" with the course), or under additional conditions - installation by the supplier, training at the customer's site, free delivery, extended warranty repair, 24 -Hourly Help Desk and a number of other bonuses that were not available before.

2. Informing the target audience

In no case should you stop informing, which should be optimized, but not reduced. Understand how you can communicate information to the client more actively, how to collect information and optimally reallocate your marketing budget.

Often, the effect is provided by such a method of active dissemination of information as visiting (but not participating!) Industry exhibitions and other events of potential clients. The purpose of the visit is to collect as many contacts and business cards as possible, to talk with the client's representatives. This information can be used further for the target contact. It is best for consultant managers to attend such events, so that they have the opportunity to collect really useful information and call after a face-to-face conversation an already "familiar" specialist from the client's side.

Collecting information about customers can also be carried out by the call center. Just do not force operators to engage in cold sales in any case !!! The result, as a rule, is a bunch of employees, demotivated by the lack of results and a sense of meaninglessness in their work. The task that should be assigned to them is solely the collection of information about the current situation from the client, contact persons, decision-making levels and updating / updating the database. And if the operator accidentally stumbles upon a client with an actual request, then such information should be immediately transferred to the consultant manager.

3. Call Center and Help Desk

Now these are services not only for consulting and receiving calls, but also for increasing customer loyalty due to politeness, efficiency and quality in resolving requests, as well as a more attentive attitude to the needs of the client. In addition, incoming calls can be used to collect additional information (see above).
Why do you need to transfer the call center and Help Desk to work on extended hours - depending on the geography of clients. If the company's equipment operates around the clock at the clients' enterprises, it is advisable to install 24-hour support.

4. Service center for warranty and post-warranty service

Now any service is an additional source of value formation in the eyes of the client. Therefore, you need to conclude contracts for the maintenance of your equipment with other service centers, to develop your centers in places where customers are concentrated.
It makes sense to think about extending the warranty repair by the supplying company.

5. Active visits to potential buyers

Establishing a relationship with a client in person is much easier than over the phone. Therefore, visiting clients on their territory becomes an urgent task. The reason for the visit may be previously established connections, already established connections at a higher level, as well as incoming requests. Previously, such requests were processed exclusively by phone, but now the manager has the opportunity to catch on and offer a visit to assess the situation on the spot - this will identify a much wider range of needs for additional equipment. Do not forget: customers often do not assume that the supplier has not only the items in the price list that they are used to taking.

6. Summit meetings

If the client does not stop production, then he must plan funds for the material and technical base. Spare parts and consumables are always needed, because equipment failure does not stop with a crisis. The allocated budget can be spent on different suppliers (as was the case before), but MUST only be spent on your equipment. This is the task of high-level meetings - to agree on a principled mutually beneficial cooperation, and then connect the performers with each other so that they know exactly what to do when the need for equipment arises. The summit tool is very subtle. First, the supplier representative usually has only one chance of a successful meeting. Secondly, the performers must also be taken into account and "gratified", otherwise they can skimp on the management's agreements in the most innocent ways ("equipment does not fit into ours!", "Breaks down", "inconvenient to work" and so on). Third, such relationships require informal support. All of the above assumes that managers from the supplier's side should participate in such meetings, and the preparation itself for such meetings should be carried out in the most thorough way!

Sales of any product can be increased in standard ways - with the help of advertising, participation in thematic exhibitions and conferences, changes in the personnel motivation scheme, etc. But the sale of industrial equipment is a narrow industry with its own specifics. Knowing the features of this area, you can guaranteed to increase sales by at least 20%.

Customer orientation

There are two types of clients that may require hardware. When selling a product, you need to clearly know who you are dealing with.

  • Customers who already have such equipment.Such clients are well versed in its features, they know all the problems associated with its use. To sell equipment to such a client, you need to know well the technical nuances of its operation.

You can find out such nuances on specialized forums by talking with people who use this equipment. If you already have customers who have bought equipment, you can drop by their production facility and talk to the technologist personally.

  • Clients who are just planning to open a business and purchase equipment of the type you sell... Such clients, most likely, do not yet know all the subtleties and nuances of its operation. Your task is to invite them to talk with a specialist who already has experience in operating the equipment.

At the stage of entering the business, the client cannot appreciate the importance of service, since he does not understand what difficulties he will have to face in the future. When buying equipment, many do not even think about how exactly and with what frequency it will have to be serviced. Your task is to convey this information to the buyer. And also explain how purchasing products from you will make his life easier, and what problems it will relieve.

Detachment from competitors

When selling equipment, you need to know your competitors well and understand what they offer the buyer. To convince the buyer to contact you specifically, you need to understand why your conditions and products are better. Pay attention to:

  • The cost of products that are similar to yours... If a competitor's product is cheaper, you should figure out why the price is reduced. Perhaps you can also make a discount?
  • Equipment technical features competitors... Feedback from both your customers and competitors' customers is extremely important - find out what they like, what they don't, what problems and difficulties arise during operation. As a last resort, you can get technical information on specialized forums.
  • Service maintenance... What do competitors offer? What is their warranty period? What is the monthly / yearly maintenance cost? Why is your service better? What interesting things can you offer to the buyer?
  • Cost of operation... The operating cost is the amount of money that the client will have to spend on the maintenance and service of the purchased equipment. This indicator is especially important when selling expensive equipment that is not easy to replace. If you sell cheap equipment, you can play on this too. Prove to the client that your equipment is so cheap that in the event of a breakdown it will be easier to buy a new one. This means that the client will not have to invest in its repair or endure a forced downtime due to a malfunction. Also spare parts will remain.
  • Product business characteristics.The technical characteristics of the equipment are insufficient for its successful implementation. To increase salesability, it is worth calculating its business characteristics, such as line maintenance costs, the amount of products that can be produced per unit of time (day, month, etc.), and the like. Technical characteristics are important for engineers, but for management and owners - figures that confirm the profitability of the purchase. If the business performance of your equipment is better than that of the competition, the customer's choice is clear.
  • Compatibility. If you know that the majority of potential customers use a certain brand of equipment, it is important that your equipment is compatible with it. Then your chances of luring buyers over to you will increase noticeably.

For example:

There are machines from three manufacturers on the market: cheap Chinese, expensive European and high-quality domestic machines of the middle price category. How can a manufacturer of Russian machine tools sell their goods?

  • Firstly, inform potential customers about the existence of their products.
  • Secondly, to offer a quick replacement of parts / consumables that competitors cannot offer due to the location of production in another country (for example, in a maximum of 3 days).
  • Thirdly, to prove and clearly show that the quality of his machines is not much inferior to the quality of machines from Europe, but his service and price are objectively better.

Additional services

An increase in equipment sales can be achieved through additional services. Offer your customer not a “naked” product, but bonus benefits.

  1. Installation and configuration of equipment... The more complex the equipment you sell, the more important is its installation and the initial correct setup. Other things being equal, the client will always choose the company that will solve his installation and launch problems.
  2. Service maintenance... Service can be either paid or free. You can limit the number of free calls per month, or offer free warranty service for a specific period of time.
  3. Training... Selling equipment that is new to a client should simultaneously offer training for employees who will work on this equipment. Training can come as a bonus, or maybe for an additional fee. In any case, you will remain in the black: the correct operation of the equipment will bring the client higher profits, and the absence of problems - moral pleasure. A satisfied customer will certainly come back to you again.
  4. Expertise... If you become for the client not only a supplier, but also an expert in selling his products or building a business, then the features and conditions of selling your product will seem less important to him. His loyalty to your company will definitely increase.

In addition to the equipment, you can offer the client:

  • A "sales department" that knows how to sell goods produced with the help of equipment;
  • a customer base in need of products that will be produced using the equipment.

Such data can be obtained from various sources. Alternatively, you can create your own online portal dedicated to the equipment and the product produced with it, which will collect requests for products from different regions.

  • Customization. Customization is the adjustment of equipment for a specific client. For example, adding an extra handle or key on the machine, applying a customer's mark or logo.

Customization allows you to personalize the equipment, adjusting it to the requirements and desires of the buyer. The main thing is not to overdo it when trying to please the client: before agreeing to any changes in the basic type of equipment, check if the client is sure that the additions are necessary - perhaps this is a momentary “wishlist” that is not really needed at all.

Features of the sale of equipment: who, to whom and how?

The equipment should be sold by a manager who has a basic understanding of the product and owns sales techniques, and a technical specialist who can competently explain technical information, who knows the necessary terminology and numbers. Please note that a technician, before "going out" to a client, also needs to conduct basic sales training, he must clearly know what can and should be said and what not.

To increase sales of equipment (used or new does not matter), you need to understand who in the client's company makes the purchase decision. Most often this is done by a purchasing specialist or an engineer (technologist).

  • Procurement Specialist

    • The buyer is indifferent to your service, equipment and other additional services. It is important for him to find the equipment of the given marking. If your company receives an incoming appeal from a buyer, the manager's task is to reach out to the person who initiated the purchase by all means. How to do it?

    • Start asking the buyer highly specialized questions about the equipment so that he himself "sends" you to the technologist.
    • Make yourself a cold call to the client's company in order to get to the right engineer and explain to him that your products are objectively better and the request to the purchasing department should be changed.
  • Engineer (technologist).

    • Engineers are often not guided by the cost of equipment or even technical specifications. They prefer to work with equipment they know well. Moreover, the more expensive the equipment, the more difficult it is to convince them to switch to a new one. Why? Because they don't want to risk it: expensive equipment is not a cheap brush that you can change if you don't like it.

    You can convince the engineer, but for this you should demonstrate your equipment to him in operation and let him talk to a technician who has already tested it earlier. How to organize this?

    • Allocate dedicated space and equipment for such tasks, which is not always possible.
    • Ideally, establish a relationship with an engineer who already uses your equipment and is willing to demonstrate it to your client in action. If you are just entering the market, it is important to make at least one sale and agree with the client (for a discount, additional service, or a separate fee) for a subsequent demonstration.

    When selling equipment that is new for a region / country, try to post information about it on the Internet. If a potential customer starts looking for information about your product and doesn't find anything, chances are they won't risk making a purchase. Lack of brand information looks suspicious these days.

    Work with the client as much as possible. The more problems you close with a client, the higher the likelihood that he will purchase the goods from you and will return again in the future.

    Do you have any questions? Contact us! We will help you increase sales by 20-60% and establish a stable operation of your enterprise

    To achieve success in the market, an industrial enterprise must strictly observe a prerequisite: to stimulate the development of the company and production. This implies, among other things, the timely expansion of the technological park and the replacement of equipment with a more adequate, modern and corresponding to the needs of the market.

    We buy used industrial equipment

    Our organization will help you to modernize your production with the lowest financial cost. You will be able to sell used industrial equipment to us. This will free up significant additional funds.

    We buy a wide range of industrial equipment used, including large-sized, atypical and obsolete ones. In each case, we will evaluate your equipment and offer a unique price. We can consider your offer even if you want to sell used industrial equipment in the form of industrial lines.

    Currently RuSkupka is purchasing industrial equipment used:

    • - metalworking machines;
    • - presses, forging equipment;
    • - forklifts;
    • - rolled metal products;
    • - laboratory equipment;
    • - electric motors;
    • - gas generators;
    • - reducers;
    • - compressors;
    • - non-standard stationary equipment;
    • - non-standard mobile equipment;
    • - hydraulic equipment;
    • - hydrosystems, hydraulic units;
    • - industrial tools and special equipment;

    If you did not find your equipment in the above list, please contact us by e-mail or by phone (see the Contacts section), and we will consider your case as unique.

    Dismantling and removal of industrial equipment

    We practice an individual approach when considering each proposal, since industrial equipment is not in wide demand. You will save yourself the hassle of finding a buyer, because it can be very difficult to sell used industrial equipment. It is even more difficult to find one customer for the entire line.

    In the case of selling small industrial tools and equipment, we are ready to consider both small (usually our competitors refuse to consider them) and large parties.

    We buy used industrial equipment, both domestic and foreign.

    We can independently organize industrial equipment, one cost of these services is negotiated separately and deducted from the cost of your equipment. When selling industrial equipment, you should take into account that dismantling can be quite an expensive procedure, especially in a fire hazardous, explosive production environment or in workshops where it is necessary to remove equipment without interrupting the production process. It is often much cheaper, safer and faster to dismantle this type of equipment using our own specialists. Nobody knows your production better than your employees.

    We are ready to "adjust" the terms of payment, export, terms of the transaction to your needs.

    We help grow your business.

     

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