ARE YOU READY FOR THE DIGITAL BUYER?

Are you ready for the buyer-centric sales processes shifting from analog sales process to digital sales channels?

Companies across all sectors were already investing in technology and digital transformation before the global pandemic reared its head in early 2020. Manufacturers were no exception, with many of them putting software, hardware, automation, robotics, and other technologies to use on their plant floors and within their distribution networks. The pace of adoption accelerated when shutdowns, quarantines, and the need for social distancing surfaced along with COVID-19.

Now, the same manufacturers are scrambling to get even more systems in place to support these shifts. And while the impacts are felt across their operations, manufacturers have been particularly strained by the upticks in both B2B and B2C e-commerce sales. No longer comfortable with the in-person selling environment, more customers are using screen taps and mouse clicks — versus brick-and-mortar visits and face-to-face sales calls — to procure everything from operating supplies to raw materials to basic necessities.

To meet customers’ new buying preferences and succeed at virtual selling, company sales leaders must adopt a digital mindset.

Gartner research predicts that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels. Chief sales officers (CSOs) and other senior sales leaders must accept that buying preferences have permanently changed and, as a result, so too will the role of sellers. B2B buying behaviors have been shifting toward a buyer-centric digital model, a change that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to keep up with this transition sales leaders need to:

• Understand that 33% of all buyers desire a seller-free sales experience.?
• Facilitate complex buying decisions and help buyers in this process in a digital manner.
• Increase their sales team's digital skill sets.
• Create agile and adaptive sales technology roadmap.
• Understand that the digital interactions between buyers and suppliers will break traditional sales models.

“ Sales organizations must be able to sell to customers everywhere the customer expects to engage, interact, and transact with suppliers”

Gartner defines the future of sales as the permanent transformation of organizations’ sales strategies, processes, and allocation of resources, moving from a seller-centric to a buyer-centric orientation and shifting from analog sales processes to hyper automated, digital-first engagement with customers.?

“As baby boomers retire and millennials mature into key decision-making positions, a digital-first buying posture will become the norm,” says Cristina Gomez, Managing Vice President, Gartner. “As customers increasingly learn and buy digitally, sales reps become just one of many possible sales channels. Because of this, sales organizations must be able to sell to customers everywhere the customer expects to engage, interact, and transact with suppliers.”

In short, are your sales team, sales process, and sales channels ready for the "Digital Buyer"?

TOBB Trade Center, helping businesses grow, providing a trusting and reliable bridge between American and Turkish Businesses. TOBB Trade Center, your gateway to Turkish Companies and better sourcing.

https://www.tobb.us/home