The B2B sales process is a lot different from what it used to be. B2B products were deemed too complex and the purchasing process too significant to be done online. So B2B sales mostly happened in person. However, with the immense success of B2C eCommerce, B2B businesses could not ignore the opportunities that the digital world presents.
Digital tools have significantly shortened the product research and decision-making time for B2B buyers. With buyers squarely in control of purchasing decisions, sales teams need new tactics and methods to reach and connect with their customers.
The crossover from face-to-face sales to digital can be daunting for many sales teams. So, it is necessary to equip your salesforce with skills tailored for the new world.
In this post, we’ll look at the benefits of creating a digital purchase process and how you can make that happen for your business. Let’s dive in.
Digital Is Where the Money Resides
Let’s lead with hard facts. eCommerce is taking a bigger share of total B2B sales, as analysts predict a rise from 14% in 2020 to 17% by 2023.
According to a McKinsey study, B2B businesses that use digital tools grow five times faster than their peers that do not. This figure appears to portray the use of digital resources for B2B sales as a singular strategy, but a more recent McKinsey survey of B2B customers provides more context.
While customers love the ease and accessibility of digital sales tools, what they enjoy more is the seamless fusion of digital resources and the human touch. Two-thirds of customers who prefer doing product research online still said they want human interaction. As customers move further down the sales funnel, a fusion of both entities is key to ensuring conversion.
63% of sales practitioners who use online solutions show a rise in revenue. With such a significant influence on the bottom line, embracing eCommerce and successfully using new media has become critical for every organization.
Now, we get it. Technology can be daunting, but it becomes less terrifying when someone who knows the ropes is appointed to assist. Sales representatives can benefit from the guidance of someone who is skilled in the transition from face-to-face to digital sales platforms. Creating pods of digital-enablement specialists is a perfect choice for B2B companies that are just getting started.
Benefits of a Digital Sales Process
Cost Optimization
Running your business online is more cost-effective than the analog way of operating things. Manual orders are expensive to process because they have to go through several stages. On top of that, these processes are manned by people you have to pay. Manual ordering is also prone to errors and mix-ups that can affect your bottom line. This hurts your clients’ impression of your business.
With error handling, feedback, and thresholds, digital shopping platforms reduce or eliminate these costly errors.
Improved Customer Experience
Customer experience is at the core of client retention. Clients want to do business with and refer people to brands that deliver excellent service consistently.
Great customer service is a fusion of many aspects, and digital sales platforms provide resources to optimize many of them—first, communication. Customers want quick responses, and when you’ve got humans on the responding end, things can drag or get overlooked easily. On online platforms, engagement tools such as live chat and chatbots address customer questions in real-time, via the same platform where they place orders. This enhances the buyer experience by encouraging them to access service from a digital medium rather than requiring them to use email, phone, etc.
Also, digital storefronts help you to provide accurate delivery and shipment times, which goes a long way towards strengthening clients’ trust in your brand. B2B eCommerce portals will have predicted delivery and receipt periods based on inventory levels, current processing times, and awareness of possible shipping delays. This kind of detail is not always open to a customer service agent answering a phone call.
Shorter Sales Cycles
Automation enabled by B2B digital commerce will make purchasing simpler and more profitable, resulting in shorter sales cycles. B2B eCommerce platforms enable self-service and are accessible 24 hours a day. This eliminates the inefficiency of calling a sales representative or filling out an order request.
Similarly, digital commerce can simplify non-digital sales processes such as automatically generating bundles, producing quotes, and creating policy-compliant discounts.
Revenue Growth
Ordering from a website is more convenient for more than 70% of B2B customers than purchasing from a salesperson. B2B digital commerce enables businesses to attract new buyers without the limits of location. It also encourages customers to maximize their order sizes and total spend.
Digital sales platforms also make it possible to adopt a personalization functionality. Personalization works by using data about your customers to tailor your website content according to similar characteristics and buying preferences. With B2B personalization on your platform, customers get to see goods related to previous purchases. This encourages upsell and cross-sell opportunities which boosts your revenue.
Competitive Edge
Finally, shifting from a traditional sales process to a digital one enables you to compete in the new market. Millennials and Gen Z employees are rapidly entering the workforce and taking positions with B2B buying organizations. These demographics are digital-savvy and prefer to do their business online.
According to a study of millennial buyers, 73% of 20 to 35-year-olds make major purchase decision-making at their companies. One-third of that number identify themselves as the sole decision-maker in their departments. These people have had tech woven into the fabric of their lives since they were kids. They may not be willing to make phone calls to sales representatives or fill out lengthy order forms.
Successful businesses thrive off of knowing their market and how best to reach them. Without an eCommerce approach to sales, B2B sellers risk losing their existing and potential clients to competitors who have taken the digital leap.
Zobrist Can Help
Zobrist is a leader in the transition from face-to-face to digital sales. We provide total support and solutions that will allow you to transition smoothly.
Our integrated technologies help businesses build and expand their digital commerce footprint, fight for global market share, and increase sales. The trick is automation; instead of handling transactions, sales representations should focus on managing relationships with their clients. The elimination of manual procedures shortens shipping and processing times and increases customer loyalty.
Contact us today to get started with automating your sales process so that you can serve more clients and close deals faster.
