{"id":779,"date":"2022-03-09T21:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primaressource.enconstruction.website\/en-b2b-sales-adapted-way-decision-makers-buy\/"},"modified":"2023-04-18T15:01:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T19:01:48","slug":"b2b-sales-adapted-way-decision-makers-buy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.primaressource.com\/en\/b2b-sales-adapted-way-decision-makers-buy\/","title":{"rendered":"Has B2B sales adapted to the way decision-makers buy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"La<\/span><\/p>\n

If our daily shopping habits are any indication, and also based on what is so frequently written by digital marketers and many software companies in the martech environment, then purchase habits have changed dramatically.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2011, CEB (now Gartner) published a statistic that is still widely known today: the average B2B decision maker has already done 57% of the buying process before contacting a supplier. At the time, this statistic created a bit of a concussion and the end of sales teams was already announced.<\/span><\/p>\n

By 2022, we see that not only are B2B sales teams still alive, but sales representatives are also the 3rd most sought-after professionals in Canada (source: Randstad Canada)<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, we are in the age of instant information, social media and online shopping, but is this the only reality for B2B buying and selling?<\/span><\/p>\n

2 realities and 2 types of B2B purchases<\/span><\/h2>\n

It is essential to discuss the different purchasing contexts in the B2B world. There are 2 categories of purchases:<\/span><\/p>\n

Transactional<\/a> purchases<\/span>: navigate to a website and buy<\/span><\/p>\n

Non-transactional purchases<\/span>: require speaking with a representative <\/span><\/p>\n

For transactional purchases, sellers have been eliminated and to that extent, sales have changed dramatically!<\/span><\/p>\n

The role of salespeople in non-transactional purchasing <\/span><\/h2>\n

For non-transactional B2B purchases, vendors still have an important role to play<\/span> – for now and for many years to come. <\/span><\/p>\n

While decision-makers do their research on Google, visit websites, learn about products and services, and even get a feel for pricing, salespeople have a role to play in creating value in the buying process<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, salespeople who simply regurgitate the same information that prospects can find online still exist. The problem is that they don’t add any value to the prospect and this category of sales representatives will not last long. <\/span><\/p>\n

It is imperative that vendors add value by being that value themselves<\/span>, and in that respect, one of the responsibilities of the vendor has changed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The way buyers find sellers has changed<\/span><\/h2>\n

When the onset of the pandemic forced everyone into the virtual selling lane, the buying options became more plentiful than ever, as the company 3,000 miles away was suddenly no further away than the one down the street.<\/span><\/p>\n

While search engines are a key part of finding solutions to business problems, decision makers are just as likely to find a reliable source of information on an expert blog, via LinkedIn or Facebook. <\/span><\/p>\n

These habits fuel the digital marketing view that “outbound” selling is dead and that “inbound” is the only way. However, a combination of touch points and omni-channel is the way to go<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inbound marketers generate a lot of interest and leads to follow up on, but the quality of these leads is variable, as not everyone who downloads a tool is necessarily ready to buy anything. These leads, which are so important to B2B companies, can become a distraction when passed on to salespeople without a qualification process<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Time for a relaxing break: watch Sales Feed’s video<\/a> illustrating what happens between sales and marketing.<\/span><\/h3>\n
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