Digital-First and Hybrid Selling Strategies Are Now the Standard in B2B Sales

Digital-first and hybrid selling are essential strategies for B2B sales professionals in today’s landscape. These approaches have gained significant importance due to shifts in customer preferences and the need for remote engagement. It has been documented that 86% of all buyers (92% of Millennial and Gen Z buyers) prefer to be sold virtually.?

Changing customer behavior does not bode well for companies that have not changed their sales training or approach. More traditional sales methods like cold calling and direct emailing are becoming less and less effective with this new generation of purchasers. The average email open rate across all industries is only 19%, which lends credence to the idea that email is not the way of the future. While most businesses have a digital-first selling strategy, few implement it, resulting in millions of dollars of lost revenue and opportunity.

Digital-First Selling

Represents a strategic shift from analog sales processes to hyper-automated, digital-first customer engagement. This approach acknowledges the permanent changes in buying preferences, with increasing numbers of B2B sales interactions occurring in digital channels.?Research from Gartner?predicts that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur through digital channels. B2B sales teams must adapt to this digital transformation by embracing new tools and channels to engage customers effectively. Digital-first selling enables sales professionals to align their sales activities with customers’ buying practices and preferences and empowers them to provide a seamless digital experience throughout the customer journey.

B2B salespeople are transitioning their prospecting efforts to social media like LinkedIn to reach out to and make initial contact with potential customers. By providing relevant content that generates interest and starts conversations, salespeople can more readily obtain the information necessary to give the buyers the most needed information based on where they are in their buying cycle in a highly personalized way.

Utilizing this method allows them to guide buyers through the journey on their terms while being able to make live contact where needed to answer questions, provide demonstrations, and discuss terms of service.

Hybrid Selling

This sales strategy combines various channels, including social media, video, self-service options, and e-commerce, to serve customers throughout their discovery and purchasing journey. It enables B2B marketers to cater to customer demands for more channels, convenience, and personalized experiences. Companies can achieve broader and deeper customer engagement by adopting a hybrid approach, leading to increased revenue. Research by McKinsey shows that hybrid sales can drive up to 50 percent more revenue compared to traditional sales models, and this sales method will become the dominant approach in 2024. Customers today expect a mix of different touchpoints, and hybrid selling allows businesses to meet those expectations effectively.

The Result

The combination of digital-first and hybrid selling allows B2B marketers and salespeople to leverage the benefits of both approaches. Hybrid selling encompasses multiple channels, including digital channels, to reach customers where they prefer to buy. By adopting a digital-first approach within the hybrid model, B2B marketers can enhance their virtual selling strategies, diversify digital selling tools and channels, and engage digitally oriented customers effectively. This integration allows for a broader reach, increased customer satisfaction, and improved sales performance.

Now more than ever, an established presence on LinkedIn has become necessary for anyone in B2B sales. Producing informative and relevant content is the best way to attract new clients, grow your network, and create new opportunities.

It all starts with having a solid profile that gets found in search results and conveys your authority and expertise in your industry.

If you would like a copy of my free e-book, "Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile for Success," DM me your email address and mention "free e-book," and I'll send it to you.