News

Week 2 : The world of B2B sales, a dream world!

Reps : “Hello dear customer, we have solutions that will help you solve your problems or accelerate the achievement of your goals.” Client : “Wow! Great! I want it.

Once we’ve got them firmly attached, because we’ve used arguments that are directly related to their reality, and we’ve used the right approach according to the personality types of our interlocutors, we’ll be able to unleash the storm of good news.

Reps : “As far as delivery is concerned, dear customer, we have deadlines between 3 and 18 months, if all goes well, and there is a good chance that we will have to stagger deliveries, but we will notify you at the last moment. Also, versus your forecasts, and a chance that we are known for our operational efficiency, we have to tell you, that this week, we have a 22% increase on our prices, of course excluding delivery costs, because now we are F.O.B. factory.”

OK, I’m in the caricature, but all that to say that for several years the life of sales teams is increasingly complex and the economic situation has turned our business into a real puzzle. According to a study conducted by Hubspot® in 2021, among the sales forces of the largest companies, the respondents declared that their role has become significantly more complex over the last 5 years. The sales function, in addition to the reality of COVID, has changed significantly. Customers are looking for partners more than suppliers. Supplier selection processes are increasingly long, complex and multiplayer. That’s not really good news when you’re the lead supplier, because you have to do even more, and even less good news when you want to take over from a competitor.

To all this, I add technology, “SalesTech”. In 2022, it’s no longer an asset, but a basic ingredient to perform. We are not only talking about CRM, but also about artificial intelligence (Pitchboy, Pricefx, Introhive,…), predictive software (Toucan Toco, Atman Co, Touch & Sell,…), tools dedicated to the management of the sales process (eg. ), tools dedicated to key account management (Arpedio), strategic customer management tools (Venturi), Adaptive Learning to better train your teams (Area 9), tools dedicated to prospecting (Outreach), without forget the video conferencing tools that allow for more dynamic and immersive meetings… when you master them!

That’s all well and good, but let’s look at the impact on our sales approach. First of all, the notion of consultative selling is no longer a distinctive element, but a basic one. Becoming a partner to our clients requires account management that brings value to the entire organization, at every stage. We are seeing a specialization of positions (inside sales, key account manager, customer relationship manager, developer, negotiator, etc.).

Now, are your sales teams riding the wave, which is more of a swell by the way, or are they going to drink the cup again on the next wave?

With that said, here are our three recommendations that will ensure you have sales teams that will have a positive impact, in the short and medium term, on your performance indicators related to the sales function:

  1. Make sure that your sales team will be able to sell 100% of the increases, for this they must be skilled in negotiation. Train them as soon as possible in the art of negotiation. Halifax Consulting’s DEAL® method guarantees not only immediate ROI, but also a great ability for your team to protect your margins and terms.
  2. Define sales processes that are designed to create a true customer intimacy relationship to become indispensable to them. For this, take inspiration from the management of large accounts.
  3. Time is precious in sales, so make sure your reps are optimizing it by dedicating it to paying customers and high-potential prospects.

I hope I haven’t discouraged you too much by presenting what’s going on in the sales world, but our job is to tell you what’s going on and more importantly, to prepare you for it. If you want to know more about how the Celsius Solutions team can help you regain control or accelerate the achievement of your objectives, contact us and we will be glad to discuss your reality in order to identify your improvement/transformation projects for your sales function.

The world of B2B sales, from dream to reality!