The pressure of hitting overall sales targets is unrelenting. While the basics remain, reps need to continually hone and expand their skills. Then they must develop a grasp on how the marketplace is changing in terms of buyer expectations, technology, and sales processes. These trends reward an extra level of creativity and insight from sales teams who are able to identify new opportunities with existing and new prospects. The best performers learn from their successes and failures – they understand why they gain or lose business, cementing long-term client relationships.

1. Top B2B Sales Trends for 2014
What You Need to Know and
Do to Meet Your Sales Targets

2. Changing Landscape
The pressure of hitting overall sales targets is
unrelenting. While the basics remain, reps need
to continually hone and expand their skills.
Then they must develop a grasp on how the
marketplace is changing in terms of buyer
expectations, technology, and sales processes.
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3. Trend #1
Provide Insights – Understanding your
client’s business is not enough.
 Take time to get to know your clients, but also
communicate the improved business
outcomes that will occur post-sale.
 Position yourself as a subject matter
expert, articulate knowledge about the
business challenges, then articulate a solution.
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4. Trend #1 continued
Provide Insights –
 Partner with clients to identify industry trends
or likely future directions.
 Utilize consultative selling – help to identify
disruptive trends and then assist the client in
retaining or obtaining leadership positions.
www.negotiators.com
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5. Trend #2
Facilitate the Close – Instead of forcing
the close.
 Buyers are actively educating themselves on
specific vendors and offerings.
 Salespeople will only be allowed to participate
if they educate themselves about the
customer and are responsive to their needs.
www.negotiators.com
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6. Trend #2 continued
Facilitate the Close –
 Buyers internalize three questions to “qualify”
the seller:
• Do you know about my business?
• Do you care about my business?
• Have you demonstrated curiosity about my
business?
www.negotiators.com
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7. Trend #2 continued
Facilitate the Close –
 A lack of genuine curiosity shows you do not
care and your knowledge will not be
current, deeming you unable to provide
meaningful insights.
 Understand that the buyer controls the “buy
cycle” – position yourself to provide plenty of
guidance and support and you will facilitate
more sales and generate more revenue.
www.negotiators.com
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8. Trend #3
Mobile Technology – Accessibility
strongly impacts the sale.
 Prospects are communicating with you via
mobile devices and also finding you this way.
Source: The Search
Agency State of Paid
Search Report for Q4
2012.
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9. Trend #3 continued
Mobile Technology –
 “Always on” selling can save time and money
• But to be effective, reps must readily transition
from desktop to tablet to mobile device.
 This does not negate the need for in-person
and telephone skills, but communications
must be equally impactful across all media.
www.negotiators.com
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10. Trend #3 continued
Mobile Technology –
 Speed of response can be as important as the
quality of communication.
 Acting “in the moment” ensures questions are
still in the forefront when the buyer receives
the answer.
 “Always on” can burnout your team, schedule
downtime to maintain a quality level of
communications.
www.negotiators.com
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11. Trend #4
No Decision – Is your biggest competitor.
 It is common to see more sales lost to a lack of
decision than to competitors.
• Choosing to keep things the same even when
change would be beneficial
 You must convince your client that the risk of
no decision is greater than the benefit of the
status quo.
www.negotiators.com
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12. Trend #4 continued
No Decision –
 Identify critical risks that the status quo brings
for your client’s business and when they will
have impact.
 Do this early to build credibility and gain buyin.
 Engage and communicate at an organizational
level (C-Level) where the risks will have
impact.
www.negotiators.com
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13. Trend #5
Vertical Expertise – Increasing levels of
insights are required.
 Communicating in a prospect’s terminology
and metrics provides a unique selling
advantage.
• It is not just about knowing acronyms, prospects
can spot shallow knowledge a mile away.
• Many B2B sales professionals come from the
vertical or sector which they are serving.
www.negotiators.com
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14. Trend #5 continued
Vertical Expertise –
 In the end, domain expertise enables a seller
to define the client’s value in the sales process.
 Value is created when the measureable impact
of a defined business outcome is greater than
the cost to obtain the impact.
 Authoritatively express that value in context of
the business and competitive landscape.
www.negotiators.com
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15. Trend #6
Clients are in Control – And better
informed than ever before.
 Today’s buyers come to the negotiation table
armed to the teeth with information on all
solutions.
 The rise in available assimilated information
enables clients to know and demand more
than ever before.
www.negotiators.com
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16. Trend #6 continued
Clients are in Control –
 The 2014 seller knows that they do not get to
create the buying discussion.
• In most cases they simply get to influence it once
the buyer’s research is well along.
 The web is now a conversational forum, not a
steady stream of seller-centric, one-way
messaging.
www.negotiators.com
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17. Rewards
These trends reward an extra level of creativity
and insight from sales teams who are able to
identify new opportunities with existing and
new prospects.
The best performers learn from their successes
and failures – they understand why they gain or
lose business, cementing long-term client
relationships.
www.negotiators.com
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18. Learn More
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19. About K&R Negotiations
K&R Negotiation Associates, LLC, is a consulting firm specializing in
structuring and negotiating business transactions around the world.
K&R’s clients include Fortune 200 companies such as IBM, EMC and Xerox, as
well as smaller companies such as Aricent, Bristol Technology (now part of
HP), Priceline, SEI and others.
For more information, please visit www.negotiators.com.
K&R Negotiation Associates LLC
4 Island Hill
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Voice 203-431-7693
Fax 203-431-1945
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