Why the B2B hybrid sales model is here to stay
COVID-19 has upended how many B2B buyers and sellers interact, and savvy sales leaders are learning how to adapt to the next normal.
The global pandemic has affected practically every part of our lives since 2020. So, it comes as no surprise that the pandemic has forced many B2B businesses to redefine their playbook when it comes to customer experience.
Although the move towards online B2B transactions was already taking place pre-COVID, virtual buying and selling is now the norm rather than the exception. As face-to-face conversations and meetings are becoming a rarity, it is a priority to make buyers feel that they are experiencing the same if not an improved version of the customer service they got before.?
To better understand how both customers and suppliers are reacting, McKinsey has conducted a series of?surveys of B2B businesses?that have revealed a permanent shift in their expectations.?
The pandemic has cemented digital interactions as the predominant path for B2B sales. Even as in-person engagement has reemerged as an option, buyers have made clear they want a cross-channel mix, choosing in-person, remote, and digital self-serve interactions in equal measure.
Despite conventional wisdom saying that big-ticket sales require in-person contact, 20% of B2B buyers said they would be willing to spend more than $500,000 in a fully remote/digital sales model, and 11% would spend more than one million.
Since 2019, self-service has almost doubled in importance to clients. Millennials and younger workers are also working their way up in the ranks of B2B organizations. They are much more likely to expect the type of seamless digital experiences they have become used to from consumer companies from both their vendors and employers.
Mediocre websites and emails no longer make the cut. As the McKinsey 2020 survey highlights, suppliers who provide outstanding digital services are twice as likely to be chosen by buyers as primary suppliers than those who offer poor experiences.?
Before, sales reps would visit customer sites in person to recommend the right solutions, following up with emails and phone calls; now, clients are increasingly doing their own research before contacting suppliers for purchasing and are expecting a seamless experience getting the information they need online and interacting with sales only when they are ready. In fact, 65% of buyers believe their suppliers do not have the means to support them virtually.?
To react to this change in customer expectations, the hybrid sales rep interacts with customers via video, phone, apps, and occasional in-person visits. This appears to be a permanent shift with 64% of B2Bs intending to increase the number of hybrid sellers over traditional sales roles.?
Two significant market changes are driving this transition:?
With labor shortages, cost increases, and a widening skills gap, employers also have to consider the employee experience and flexibility offered to their staff. Investing in new technologies and training to facilitate the new hybrid reality is on leaders' minds across industries.?
While no standard playbook has emerged for handling the massive shift, one common theme holds true: B2B suppliers continue to innovate their sales approaches and pivot resources at speeds not previously experienced in the sector.?