With the caveat that we do not yet know how patterns will change in a few years, business-to-business sales practices during the Covid-19 pandemic have been forced to change. The big issue is whether the changes are permanent, and if so, at what level.
While not all B2B sales situations are the same--varying by size of transaction, importance of transactions and degree of routineness or uniqueness--many professionals have said they have confidence in socially-distanced modes.
At least early in the pandemic, sales professionals were fairly optimistic about socially-distanced sales practices, and most believed the practices would stay in effect for at least a year after the pandemic ends.
Like it or not, most B2B sales activities had to shift to virtual formats during the pandemic. Very few professionals reported the older model of sales teams visiting customers was still in place.
Many professionals also believe that remote sales have worked as well--or better--than the older face-to-face model.
Video and chat seem to have been widely adopted as the channels to replace in-person visits.
Perhaps surprisingly, 70 percent to 80 percent of B2B decision makers said they prefer the remote interactions, or digital self service, where that is appropriate and possible, to visits from sales personnel.
One might suppose those findings are true when suppliers and buyers already have established relationships. Indeed, only 25 percent of sales professionals reported that the remote modes were “much less effective” or “someless less effective” with current customers.
What might surprise you is that the same percentages were reported for prospecting for new customers. Just five percent of respondents suggested remote selling with prospects was “much less effective” than in-person approaches, with 20 percent saying remote prospecting was “somewhat less effective.”
If sales professionals continue to hold those views after the pandemic is over, it is reasonable to expect rather wholesale change in many sales practices on a permanent basis, with less reliance on business travel for sales presentations or after-sales consultations. It is unclear whether there might be a shift to greater reliance on inside sales, but that seems a possibility.
It is conceivable that in some industries, there also will be less demand for attendance at business conventions and trade shows. On the other hand, it also is possible that the traditional value of trade shows--ability to meet with lots of potential customers in one location, with one sales trip--will remain highly valuable.
It also is likely that attitudes could change over a few years, especially for support and prospecting with large accounts. While remote sales might be kept in place for “tactical” functions, “strategic” functions might still call for face-to-face sales calls.
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