As we have mentioned in previous blogs B2B customers today are very clear about their expectations from suppliers, which includes convenience, personalised experiences and more touch points across various channels. So in this blog we want to discuss how you can move away from traditional B2B sales and across to a hybrid approach, to suit the modern day customer and continue to grow your business. Forbes says that hybrid B2B sales will be the norm by 2024, so now is the time to really embrace it and make the necessary changes in your business.
- Convenience
Remote B2B sales took off during the pandemic out of necessity, and now as a result, customers have come to expect a remote-first approach, so businesses must continue to adapt. The great thing about remote B2B selling is that not only does it make the buying process easier for the customer, but sales reps can reach more people in the same amount of time remotely, without having to travel to meet in person. It’s important not to abandon in person meetings completely though, as some customers may prefer it and there’s certainly no replacement for sales reps being able to pick up on body language and build up a rapport and trust. The hybrid method offers the best of both worlds, the convenience of remote selling, with the ability to meet face to face. By offering your potential customers convenience in their busy work lives, your business will stand out again competitors.
Buyers expect the entire buying journey to be convenient and seamless. Make sure your website is keeping up with their needs by offering live stock features, up to date product information and a smooth check out process.
With in person sales switching to a more digital approach, personalisation is absolutely key. Why is personalisation so important? Because it’s what B2B buyers are asking for, they expect it as a consumer and this is now spilling over into their work lives as well. Moving across to digital B2B selling has so many benefits, including being able to reach more potential customers than ever before. On the flip side though it also means that your competitors can too, so you must offer the same level of personalisation as you did before, through creative, attention grabbing tailored messages to each business and each person in their different roles.
B2B buyers are using more and more channels throughout the buying journey and they feel comfortable doing so, due to the rise of the Millennial workforce. These decision makers expect more channels to be available as customer service platforms than ever before, therefore sellers need to not only offer these channels, but ensure they use them effectively to interact with customers. It’s important that for any customer or potential customer switching between different channels that the process is seamless and the content and level of customer service matches up, whether that’s your website, app, email, phone, in person, social media channels and so on.
If you haven’t already, now is the best time to implement a hybrid approach to your B2B sales, and your website is a great place to start. If you want a feature rich, B2B ecommerce website that will transform your sales process and compliment your hybrid model perfectly then please get in touch with us at GOb2b.
