BY Jessica Helinski
As time goes by, smart sellers revisit and refresh their sales strategy. Like many other aspects of sales, strategies should evolve along with buyers, technology and other factors impacting the industry.
What B2B trends should drive sales strategy changes?
Shifts in buying processes and outside influences should inspire change in every seller’s strategic approach. Specifically, there are a few trends that are significantly impacting sales success. And sellers are already reporting struggles.
Approximately 37% of sellers say connecting with the person in charge of budget is a top challenge, according to SalesFuel research. This isn’t surprising considering that the number of individuals involved in the buying process is growing.
The era of a single decision-maker is over. In fact, even for small purchases, SalesFuel found that over 30% of buyers say that six or more individuals are included in the purchase decision.
Larger, more senior buying committees can complicate consensus, according to SalesGlobe. Reps must adapt their sales strategy to better engage with and sway buying groups.
I encourage sellers to turn to “stakeholder mapping” when faced with multiple decision-makers. Adding this to your strategy can help you successfully navigate buying groups by identifying each stakeholder, appealing to each, and ultimately homing in on who has the ultimate budget control.
And you must remember that, “Quality research is vital.”
“Use reliable sources, including company websites and LinkedIn, to confirm each stakeholder’s position and potential role in buying.”
Influenced buyers
Another trend that should drive changes to sales strategies is the impact of outside influences on buyer decisions.
“B2B buyers now utilize broad information networks that extend beyond vendor content,” SalesGlobe notes.
“They seek input from industry peers, third-party analysts, social media, and consultants.”
Specifically, as SalesFuel found, buyers do the following before meeting with a new vendor:
- Conduct online research of all the various suppliers/vendor options — 36.5%
- Discuss the problem/goal with peers, an outside consultant or industry expert — 34.7%
- Hold discussions with internal stakeholders affected by the problem or goal — 33.6%
- Solicit internal recommendations on potential solution providers — 25.4%
Clearly, buyers are heavily influenced by many voices before even engaging with a seller. In response to this shift, sellers must adapt by meeting buyers on their preferred, mainly digital, channels and streamlining the buying process.
These suggestions can help you expand your reach and boost social proof. By creating content that is easily discoverable and showcasing reviews, sellers can build credibility before the first meeting.
Self-service preferences
While still not as prolific as other trends, there is a slow shift toward self-serve purchases among B2B buyers. While self-serve is offered for various parts of the purchase process, some buyers even prefer no engagement with sales.
20% of buyers say they prefer to have no human interaction when making business purchases. When looking just at Gen Z buyers, the percentage rises to 25%.
Sales strategies must evolve to meet preferences of this growing group, which clearly consists of young adults. SalesGlobe suggests that sellers emphasize their value as consultants.
“Sales reps’ roles will shift toward offering complex consulting, with less emphasis on simple order processing, which customers can manage independently.”
Make it easy for buyers to self-serve while ensuring expert guidance is available the moment it’s needed. Balance seamless digital access with true consultative value to adapt to these emerging preferences.
As these shifts continue to reshape the B2B landscape, sellers who evolve with them will be best positioned to succeed. Now is the time to modernize your sales strategy to keep up with these trends.
Photo by Rodeo Project Management Software on Unsplash
