B2B sales cycles are longer and more challenging than B2C, but there are things you can do to speed up and optimise yours.
One of them is using urgency to give customers a reason to buy NOW. You must avoid a common pitfall, though, because it could cost you their trust.
So, we’ll show you how to create urgency in B2B sales ethically.
The psychology of urgency: why you need it for your B2B sales funnel
Creating urgency is an effective tactic in B2C too, but it’s even MORE important in your sector.
As teased before, B2B comes with additional challenges, like more complex buyer personas, multiple stakeholders, a higher emphasis on ROI, and longer funnels, lasting +100 days on average.
So, why does urgency work so well?
Because it taps into one of our strongest emotions—fear—compelling prospects to take action now so as not to miss out (for example, on a discount or additional bonus). No wonder 60% of sales are driven by FOMO marketing!
Only use ethical urgency, though!
Urgency should always be real. Unfortunately, many B2B professionals and businesses use fake urgency and scarcity.
For example, they tell their email subscribers there are only 5 strategy sessions available in December… but then they let +10 people book one. Or they promote a “24h-only discount” on a sales page with a countdown timer that refreshes itself every day.
So, fake urgency might get you customers, but if they find out you lied to them? You’ll lose their trust and damage your reputation.
That’s why we’ll only show you ethical ways of using urgency in your B2B sales funnel, and remember: always keep your promises.
How to create urgency in B2B sales: 9 proven methods
You can use urgency at every stage of your B2B funnel: to grab the attention of new potential customers, ask for an initial commitment, compel them to follow through with their first purchase, and even ask them to recommend you to their peers.
And guess what? ScoreApp, our quiz-building platform, can help with every single one of them!
1. Offering limited-time lead magnets
You could have an evergreen lead magnet and a separate one that’s only available for a set amount of time.
Whether it’s a free eBook, webinar, or a different type of resource, make a clear and compelling promise to your target customers, emphasising its ‘end date’.
For the best results, consider going beyond downloadable PDFs and other traditional lead magnets. They’re so generic, static, and overused that they only convert at 3-10%. Quizzes, on the other hand? A whopping 30-50%!
So, for example, an SEO agency could launch a limited-time ScoreApp quiz for small business owners, leading with “For this week only, you can get a FREE report showing you exactly why your website isn’t appearing on Google and how to fix it.”
2. Creating time-sensitive content
Share thought-leadership content around the latest trends, compliance updates, or other timely topics in your industry.
Your audience will want to find out more so as not to fall behind, especially to competitors.
For example, an accountant could target business owners who’ve just switched from being sole traders to limited companies, creating a guide on how to prepare for their first Company Tax Return.
Instead of sharing it with everyone, though, they could use ScoreApp to collect their audience’s email addresses and ask them a handful of strategic questions (like “What’s your annual turnover?”) before sending them that guide. This will allow them to segment their leads and nurture them in a more personalised and effective way.
3. Limiting your number of available slots or resources
When something is always available and easy to access, it loses its perceived value.
Instead, create urgency by only offering a selected number of sessions or items within a set amount of time.
For example, a small SaaS company could proudly announce that “We only offer 5 demos per month”. If a client was on the fence about booking one, they’d be more inclined to do that ASAP so as to avoid missing out and having to wait four whole weeks.
With your ScoreApp quiz questions, you can go more in-depth by uncovering what each lead values the most. Then, through your personalised email sequences, focus on the most relevant limited service or product for them.
4. Using personalised deadlines
Urgency is a great tactic, but it still won’t work if you’re attaching it to something your leads don’t care about.
So, focus on their biggest problem or goal, and offer them a personalised incentive or deadline.
The best and easiest way to do this is by segmenting them. Your ScoreApp quiz lead magnet will do this automatically depending on their answers (like “If you had a magic wand, which of these problems would you get rid of first?”), and you’ll then get to tailor your email sequences accordingly.
Even better? Include a discount code or offer based on when they signed up for your quiz or opened a certain email, like “We reward action-takers. If you snatch your [product] within the next 72h, you’ll get to enjoy 40% off.”
5. Highlighting customer results
Most B2B customers value ROI, and yours might be craving another benefit too, like saving 20h a week.
Whatever it is, inspire trust and urgency at the same time by showcasing how you’ve already helped other clients obtain those results.
You can do that with reviews and case studies, using them on your website, in your marketing, in your email sequences, and even when talking to a prospect during a sales call.
With ScoreApp, you can uncover each lead’s biggest challenge or goal, segment them accordingly, and then show them the most relevant case study, like “Here’s how we boosted this team’s efficiency by 30% with our [product].”
6. Offering time-sensitive discounts or pricing
Early-bird discounts and special offers are PERFECT to create FOMO. If your customers don’t take action right now, they could end up paying a lot more for the exact same thing.
An excellent strategy to do this is through an exclusive waitlist for an upcoming product or service.
Use ScoreApp to build one, gauge interest, and really get to know your audience with the right questions. Then, create hype through your automated email sequence until it’s time for your big launch, including an unmissable subscriber-only discount.
7. Using expiring bonuses
Urgency isn’t always about saving money. You can offer different, non-monetary benefits to your customers (only if they take action before your deadline, of course).
For example, if someone purchases a bundle of skincare products this month, they’ll receive a free makeup pouch. Paying for your 6-month group coaching programme upfront? They’ll also get a complimentary 1:1 session with you.
With your ScoreApp quiz, you can personalise these bonuses around what each lead values the most.
8. Including limited-time upsell opportunities
Is someone about to buy from you? Or maybe they’ve just gone through a purchase? That’s prime time for an upsell!
But to really compel your customers to take action, make it exclusive, limited, and personalised.
For example, if someone is about to buy your online course for graphic designers, include a pop-up promotion: if they upgrade to the “course + a 1:1 session with you” package, they’ll get it for only £400 instead of the usual £800.
With your ScoreApp quiz, you can use each lead’s results to make them a relevant upselling or cross-selling offer.
9. Offering exclusive referral incentives
You can use urgency after your main B2B sales funnel, too.
Once someone has become a customer, turn them into raving fans and ambassadors through a referral programme with a limited-time incentive.
For example, you could offer them a monetary reward, like a voucher or discount, or a different type of bonus, like a freebie or a session with you.
Either way, include clear instructions, and make it a breeze for customers to refer you. Otherwise, they’ll give up.
With ScoreApp, if you create an onboarding quiz (to personalise the entire experience for each customer), you could add a question to uncover what incentive they’d value the most. Then, set up an automated sequence with a referral request and that very bonus. Genius, right?
Create urgency in your B2B sales funnel with ScoreApp
B2B sales cycles might be longer, but when you use scarcity strategically (and ethically), you’ll compel more prospects to take action NOW.
With a ScoreApp quiz funnel, you can use urgency in a more personalised and effective way, focusing on what each lead values the most.
So, start shortening your sales cycle and boosting your conversions: create your ScoreApp quiz today and for FREE.
