SLS01. It's the 21st century: The B2B Seller Reigns

It's the 21st Century: The B2B Seller Reigns
Mary Shea
Principal Analyst
Forrester
@sheaforr
Renaissance Waverly Wifi: Renaissance_CONFERENCE / HitTheGong
Cobb Galleria Wifi: EVENTS / HitTheGong

The B2B Seller Reigns In The
21st Century
How Engage And Win With Today’s Business
Consumers
Mary Shea, PhD - Principal Analyst
#RM19

© 2018. SalesLoft. All Rights Reserved.
55%of B2B firms are in the
midst of a sales digital
transformation
23%have completed it.
But only
Base: 207 global B2B services decision-makers who focused on sales in their most
recent digital transformation
Source: Forrester Analytics Global Business Technographics Business And
Technology Services Survey, 2017

Introducing
the Business
Consumer

B2B Customers Act More Like Consumers
Anonymous
Emotional
Independent
Transactional
Mutable
Anonymous
Emotional
Interdependent
Considered
Mutable
Known
Rational
Interdependent
Considered
Loyal
B2B B2C B22consumer
Source: “The Birth Of The Business Consumer” Forrester Research, Inc. October 5, 2017

Amazon Delivers A Personalized Experience

68%of B2B buyers prefer to
research online on
their own –
up 15%from 2015.
Source: Forrester/Internet Retailer Q1 2017 Global B2B Buy-Side Online Survey

67%of B2B buyers prefer not
to interact with a sales
rep as the primary
source of information.
Source: Forrester/B2BecNews Q2 2018 Global B2B Buy-Side Online Survey

62%of B2B buyers say they can
now develop selection criteria
or finalize a vendor list —
based solely on
digital content.
Source: Forrester/Internet Retailer Q1 2017 US B2B Buyer Channel Preferences
Online Survey (N = 229)

The Modern
B2B Seller

The reports of my
death are greatly
exaggerated.”

B2B Sellers Face More Complexities
Base: 120 marketing and sales leaders (multiple responses accepted)
Source: Forrester’s Q1 2017 International B2B Marketing Panel Online Survey
Source: “Millennial B2B Buyers Come of Age, Forrester Research, Inc., March, 2017
“What are the top three challenges your ﬁeld sales reps face with regard to
buyer/customer engagement?”
(Select up to three responses)
78%Buyers have multiple stakeholders involved in decision
process with different agendas
49%Buyers/customers are taking longer to make
their decisions
28%Buyers/customers won’t take sales phone calls
from sales reps
26%Buyers/customers want to meet in person less
21%Buyers/customers just want to talk about
pricing/product
16%Buyers/customers that view interactions with
sales reps as “low value”

Six Traits Of The Modern B2B Seller
Engages in
networked
selling
1
2
Embraces
multiple social
channels
3
Shares
new ideas
4
Leverages
digital tools
5
Prefers
collaboration
6
Turns data into
insights

Where Are Your Sellers On The Journey?
• I go to President's Club
every year
• I use tried and true methods
• My clients aren't on social
• If it's not broken - don't fix it!
• Sales is a numbers game
I’m selling the way
I always have
• I’m crushing it!
• I'm comfortable in a digital-first
environment
• I use non-traditional methods
80% of the time
• I embrace cross-channel
networked selling
• I am systematic about integrating
digital into my process
I am a thoroughly
Modern B2B Seller
• I want to get more consistent
results
• I primarily use traditional tactics
• I'm comfortable using LinkedIn
• My customers' expectations
are rising
• I’m trying different approaches
to see what sticks
I know I need to do
something different
• I'm starting to see more positive
results
• My customers respond more
frequently on digital channels
• I use non-traditional methods
20% of the time
• I'm not extremely confident
using Twitter
• I haven't yet systematized
digital into my process
I'm becoming more
digitally adept

I’m selling the
way I always
have
A
I know I need to
do something
different
B
I’m becoming
more digitally
adept
C
I’m a thoroughly
Modern B2B
Seller
D
Interactive Poll
Question: Where are your sellers on the journey?

Future Attributes Of B2B Sellers
Source: “The B2B Consultant Reigns In The 21st Century” Forrester Research, Inc., August 27, 2018.
Empathetic partner Digital adeptness
Flexible and
adaptive behavior
Operational
mindset
Storytelling mastery Advocacy focus

Future Activities Of B2B Sellers
Source: “The B2B Consultant Reigns In The 21st Century” Forrester Research, Inc., August 27, 2018.
Networks within
accounts
Shares deep insights
Leads account
planning and
mapping
Engages in
collaborative
solution creation
Negotiates
data deals
Leverages people
analytics

Enabling More
Meaningful
Interactions

What Buyers Want From A Sales Interaction
Base: 152 business-buyers with decision making responsibility for products/services that require in-person selling
Source: A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Mediafly, August 2016
Helps me learn
something new
77%
Integrates
customized
data/insights
77%
Shows how their
product/service
impacts my business
75%
Pivots meeting to
discuss what I want
to talk about
74%

Buyer Focused Engagement
Personalized Engagement
• Becomes a customer advocate
• Expects highly personalized
interactions
• Wants to engage in custom
innovation and co-collaboration
• Looks to take partnership to the
“next level” – mutual advocacy
Self-Directed
• Conducts research online
• Accesses social networks
• Evaluates peer reviews
• Consults third party experts
• Does not want to be sold to
Ongoing Education
• Attends a capabilities meeting
• Attends industry events
• Accepts virtual or in-person sales meetings
• Wants to understand competitive options
• Wants to know how solution measurably impacts business performance
ENGAGE
ASK
USE BUY
EXPLORE
DISCOVER

Leverage Data To
Personalize Initial Contact
Source: SalesLoft

Create Real Time
Customized ROI
Source: Mediafly

Understand What Matters
To Your Contacts
Source: GrapeVine6

Share Content That
Matches Their Interests
Source: GrapeVine6

Mini Cases:
Global
Companies
That Get It

Baker Hughes
apps its way to a
better work week

IBM Embeds Data Scientists Into Global Sales Teams
Source: “B2B Digital Sales Transformation: Three Global Leaders Share Best Practices” Forrester Research, Inc., August 14, 2019
Range of data science activity
Sales performance enhancement Sales management agility
Improving
sellers’ skills
Accelerating
sales processes
Designing and
managing territories
Optimizing account
coverage

Amway Digitally Enables
their ABOs
Source: GrapeVine6

What Holds B2B
Sellers Back

They don’t want to
invest the time
to learn new
digital tools.

They haven’t seen
the results from
new methods. uploading

THEIR customers
aren’t on Twitter.

They don’t have
time to enter
customer data in
Salesforce.

34
Key Takeaways
• Accept that buyers will continue to evolve
• Place the buyer at the center of all of your strategies
• Understand where your team is on the continuum
• Leverage tools to increase efficiencies and effectiveness
• Commit to change and adapt your teams
• Enjoy the rewards that will come modern sales teams

Mary Shea, PhD
mshea@forrester.com
Twitter: @sheaforr
#RM19

SLS01. It's the 21st century: The B2B Seller Reigns

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Semelhante a SLS01. It's the 21st century: The B2B Seller Reigns

Semelhante a SLS01. It's the 21st century: The B2B Seller Reigns (20)

Último

Último (16)

SLS01. It's the 21st century: The B2B Seller Reigns