7 strategies to shorten sales cycle in today’s B2B market

You’re not alone.

It is taking longer and is harder to close deals these days, thanks to a growing number of decision-makers and a more risk-averse buyer market — so much so that the strategies that previously worked at your company are now underperforming in today’s erratic landscape.

How do you speed up the sales cycle when there are multiple factors beyond your control?

That’s what we set out to answer in this guide.

Based on our firsthand experience as an outbound lead generation agency — and interviews with several sales leaders — we’ve compiled strategies you can implement to reduce your sales cycle length in this turbulent economy.

5 subtle signs your sales cycle’s about to stall

What signs, besides changes in communication patterns, point to a delayed sales cycle? Here’s what to watch out for before it’s too late:

• Single-threaded relationship. Ideally, you should actively engage with multiple stakeholders. Be cautious if your champion doesn’t formally introduce you to other key players in the buying committee.
• Zero pushback on timeline. Implementing a new solution takes time. If a buyer readily accepts the milestones timeline, they likely haven’t done the work to understand what’s involved. This can lead to frustrating hiccups later on.
• High listening ratio. Quiet buyers indicate low engagement. In an ideal scenario, buyers dominate the conversation. It shows they’re envisioning themselves using your solution.
• Shifts in project language. Watch for changes from present/future tense to conditional tense. These are used in hypothetical situations and hint at the prospect’s uncertainty.
• Sudden technical requests. Buyers requesting extensive documentation or asking compliance questions late in the cycle are technical engagement red flags. These requirements should be completed at the start, before the sales proof of concept (POC).

7 expert-backed strategies to reduce your B2B sales cycle

Even though the buying process often dictates the sales cycle, you can implement strategies from your end to make it as efficient as possible.

Here’s what we recommend.

1. Create a seamless customer experience where every channel complements the next

Relying on a single channel doesn’t cut it anymore.

To stay top of mind throughout a B2B sales cycle, you need to diversify your approach and engage with prospects where they’re most active and receptive.

By interconnecting your multiple touchpoints — cold emails, LinkedIn outreach, paid ads, etc. — in a cohesive omnichannel strategy, you create a truly seamless experience and stand out from competitors:

Building on the map above, here’s what you might do in your omnichannel strategy:

• Personalize outreach based on signals. Craft your outreach based on intent data and behavioral insights. As our co-founder Michael Maximoff wrote on LinkedIn, you need to “understand where [customers] are in their buying journey and tailor your outreach accordingly. The more precise, the better.”
• Ensure consistent core messaging across channels. Every channel has its quirks. As you interact with buyers, tailor your content — while staying true to your brand messaging — to make it more relevant for each individual channel. In other words, no copying and pasting!
• Coordinate follow-ups. Align your emails with your LinkedIn strategy and ad campaigns to ensure a cohesive buyer journey. For example, if a lead clicked a remarketing ad for a manufacturing-specific solution, the sales executive (SE) might follow up with a case study featuring a manufacturing company.

Adding new channels to reach your customers is one thing. Interconnecting them to create a unified and consistent experience is another.

Based on what we’ve seen at our outbound lead generation agency, we accelerated our sales cycle through omnichannel engagement and drove:

• 15%–20% higher conversions
• 20% lower customer acquisition costs
• 15% higher annual contract value (ACV)

2. Collaborate with your audience’s sources of influence

Buyers trust their network more than your SEs.

The numbers prove it.

Forrester reports over 90% of B2B buyers completely or somewhat trust industry peers, while only 29% trust salespeople from vendors.

Instead of connecting directly with buyers, collaborate with influential voices those buyers turn to for education.

To identify these sources of influence, ask buyers directly through surveys and interviews.

Alternatively, use audience research tools like SparkToro to identify them.

For example, if you’re targeting prospects needing omnichannel services, a quick search will show they trust high-affinity accounts like Ann Handley, Rand Fishkin, and Sujan Patel.

Reach out to these folks to collaborate. Run co-marketing campaigns like exclusive AMA sessions or co-create industry research reports to improve your brand’s credibility.

With these influencers’ stamp of approval right off the bat, buyers are more likely to sit up, pay attention, and say yes.

3. Launch a social selling program

Traditional outbound no longer works.

Blame it on factors like market saturation, Gmail’s new regulations, and a growing distrust in AI-generated sales scripts.

But 1 tactic Laura Erdem swears by: Outbound social selling.

Erdem, who leads the U.S. sales team at Dreamdata, often creates videos for prospects. In a field where buyers are inundated with generic messages, her hyper-personalized approach adds an instant human touch:

On the Belkins podcast, Erdem explains buyers want to “feel free and entertained in the sales process.” By putting a face to your outreach and making more effort to connect on screen, you build familiarity and create a connection.

Consider using video selling tools like Sendspark to create personalized videos en masse. Just record a video with a placeholder for prospects’ first names, then let the tool handle the rest.

4. Engage with every key player in the buying committee

It’s never just 1 person making the decision.

Focusing too narrowly on your champion risks slowing the sales cycle and, to some extent, losing the deal.

Today, the sales landscape involves multiple stakeholders. To get your message wide in the account, multithread with the key decision-makers below:

• CFO/budget holder: Highlight financial impact (e.g., ROI, long-term value).
• Legal/compliance: Expand on compliance, data security, and contract clarity for peace of mind.
• End users: Spotlight ease of use and efficiency, as well as how your solution improves daily tasks.
• Purchase influencer: Align with broader company goals and illustrate how your solution fits into their strategy.
• Champion/sponsor: Provide case studies and proof points to help them sell internally.
• Blocker: Build a strategy with your team and champion to minimize their influence.

Engaging every key player in the buying committee helps everyone understand the ripple effect across the organization. It creates urgency for your solution and, ultimately, shortens the sales cycle.

5. Get ahead of the economic conversation

Don’t wait for your champion to start the internal conversation.

SEs should take charge and discuss the budget early, encourages Joey Wright, Head of Sales at Dock. Even better is if you can get them to multithread you with the next key player in the buying committee.

Wright recommends asking the following questions on the discovery call:

• Who’s involved in the budgeting process?
• What does the budgeting process look like?
• When will the conversations happen?
• How will the buyer pitch it back? What’s the format?
• What does the buyer need from a business case standpoint? How can you support them with the appropriate resources?

According to Wright, both the seller and buyer should work on the pitch together during the call to “make sure it feels bulletproof.”

Julia Sorokovikova, Head of Sales Operations at Belkins, shares a similar view. She suggests the following questions to understand the buyer’s procurement process:

• What’s the buyer looking for?
• What’s the desired timeline?
• What do they need for buy-in?

With these points in mind, you can set expectations and tailor the sales journey according to the buyer’s needs.

More importantly, explains Brian Hicks, VP of Sales at Belkins, it helps you “create two-way communication with the buyer” and ensures they “view their problem as a top priority, understand the value of your [product or service], and agree it’s the optimal solution.”

As the economic conversation progresses, stay on top of the next steps in the sales journey.

6. Support with strategic incentives

Budget is undeniably one of the toughest objections.

One way to bypass it, according to Wright, is to create incentives that align with the buyer’s growth goals.

For example, if a buyer downsizes down the road, offer a renewal cap or a one-on-one client success manager to build future use cases.

Notice the shift from a cost mindset to a value mindset. When you start the conversation early about how you’ll set them up for success, you show buyers you’re invested in their future trajectory.

7. Deliver quick wins with POCs

POCs are either time sinks or effective catalysts.

Without joint effort, the POC will fail before it even begins.

But when buyers are engaged and their goals are accomplished, you win trust, speed up the sales cycle, and significantly raise conversions.

To ensure it leads to a full contract, says Sergei Dolukhanov, VP of Sales at Banzai, offer a micro POC that focuses on a specific challenge.

Speeding up your sales cycle to close more deals

While sales cycles are largely influenced by the unpredictable buying process, there are strategies to shorten them and optimize efficiency.

At Belkins, we help B2B companies across 50+ industries increase sales-qualified meetings through lead nurturing, sales enablement, appointment setting, and more via a tailored omnichannel strategy.

Our clients typically see 15%–20% higher conversions, 20% lower customer acquisition costs, and 15% higher ACV with this approach.

Book a call today to get started.