How B2B sales can be successful in the digital age
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed B2B sales. Virtual sales have long since become more than just the digitization of traditional sales pitches. It has become a discipline in its own right, requiring new skills, tools, and ways of thinking.
Today’s B2B buyers are digital, informed, and demanding
Modern buyers are better informed than ever before. Even before they speak to a sales representative,
Buyers often find the technical answers to their questions themselves, which significantly changes the requirements for sales.
Challenges for sales organizations
Many sales organizations still work with outdated sales models:
IMPADY as a collaborative value proposition for customers
The Impact Discovery Platform is a collaborative sales environment in which suppliers and customers create value together.
The focus is on:
Advantages of collaborative value analysis
Research has shown that B2B providers who use value platforms can benefit from modern sales tools in several ways.
Advantages for customer projects:
Advantages for sales success:
3 steps to value co-creation selling
Companies typically develop through the following stages of maturity:
- Status quo: Daily “struggle” with CRM, focus on traditional sales presentations and past customer success stories.
- Transformation: Evaluation of modern sales tools, integration of marketing and sales tools, investment in sales training that focuses more on customer problems.
- Value-based approach: Specific and value-analyzing sales tools (ROI calculation) with collaboration options, interactive content, revamped website, customer data strategy, more efficient purchasing cycles, transactional products available online.
Success factors for modern sales representatives
But the personality of sales representatives must also adapt. Successful value sellers are characterized by the following qualities:
- Emotional intelligence: Ability to recognize and correctly analyze customer needs.
- Collaborative behavior: Developing solutions together with the customer.
- Empathy: Genuine understanding of the customer’s challenges.
These skills are also crucial for digital sales in order to build personal relationships and long-term trust.
Recommendations for sales organizations
Conclusion
The shift to value-based selling is not only a technological transformation, but above all a cultural and methodological one. Sales employees who embrace collaborative value creation and genuine customer focus will ensure sustainable success, even in a digitalized sales world.