Mega trends such as AI and big data do not stop at B2B sales either. According to the study “The Future of Sales” published in 2020 by the market research company Gartner, almost two thirds of B2B sales units will turn away from intuitive selling in favor of data-supported sales.
Agile B2B sales organizations will probably not miss any opportunity in the coming years to take advantage of the structural changes in B2B sales. This is especially true for development-related technology sectors - such as SaaS.
Not all B2B sales teams manage the rapid shift without losses. For example, some of the companies surveyed by Gartner did not achieve their sales targets due to the complete elimination of face-to-face meetings in 2020.
In order for these organizations to also benefit as soon as possible from the new opportunities of the digitized, data-driven, hyper-automated B2B landscape of the post-pandemic, new skills and technology-based methods are required. We list some of these methods in this article and explain their importance for B2B sales. It can be said in advance: All the important methods and technologies of future-proof B2B sales are based on well-structured data.
Digital Mindset
B2B sales teams who want to continue to meet the increasingly well-informed customers on an equal footing must meet the new purchasing preferences with regard to digital buying. The internalization of a digital mindset will soon no longer be just a key to optimal success, but a necessity for survival.
Data Driven Selling
With a digital mindset, data-driven selling moves automatically and necessarily at the center of B2B sales decisions. In the post-pandemic, highly digitized B2B sales environment, actions are based more and more on the evaluations and recommendations of algorithms. Intuitive selling based on gut instinct, on the other hand, is becoming less relevant.
Artificial Intelligence and AI Guided Selling
B2B sales teams with a digital-first and data-driven approach are aware that the constant implementation of new technologies in the sales process is essential in order to remain competitive.
In addition to technologies such as audio and video hardware that improve the customer experience, AI-based applications in particular are the number one guarantee of success in the B2B sales of tomorrow. One of the main goals targeted with AI is hyper-automation and the resulting increase in efficiency. In this context, sales experts speak in particular of “AI Guided Selling Software”. With the help of this, the skills of sales staff are combined with artificial intelligence. In order to optimize sales cycles, the AI Guided Selling Software permanently and automatically evaluates available data from sales processes and on this basis makes specific recommendations for action. AI-supported sales software helps sales reps with algorithms-based evaluations in closing deals as efficiently as possible.
Multi- and Omni-Channel-Management
In the digitized sales cycle, B2B sales teams often serve countless potential customers at the same time. And that in a growing number of communication channels that all follow their own rules. Sellers are expected to create positive customer experiences at all contact points at all times. This can only be achieved with well-functioning multi- or omni-channel management. By helping sales teams to close deals at any time and from anywhere via a variety of channels - whether by video call, chats in messenger services or via email contact, it increases the efficiency of B2B sales.
Personalized communication
The personalized customer approach has always been one of the most important success parameters in B2B sales. With the abandonment of analog structures, it is often made more difficult in new sales models. Many companies face difficulties in ensuring a personalized customer approach even in digitized sales processes across all channels and organizational units. Conversely, personalized interactions with customers in the digital context have positive connotations and are particularly valued. To ensure this, the use of the right technologies and methods is crucial. AI-guided selling software, for example, often makes personalized communication with customers much easier in the digital environment.
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