To thrive in the next normal, B2B companies will need to continue adapting to the new economic reality. A survey of B2B sales operations by McKinsey & Company shows the pandemic has accelerated previous trends — omnichannel selling, inside sales, tech-enabled selling and e-commerce. Nearly eight in 10 (79%) B2B companies say they are very likely or somewhat likely to sustain these shifts for 12+ months post-COVID.
McKinsey & Company offers these steps for B2B sellers to pivot effectively.
- Focus on delivering the three things buyers value most – speed, transparency and expertise – from all of your sales channels.
- Optimize your e-commerce channel to give buyers ease and convenience, and make sure all your sales channels are integrated and incented to collaborate with each other.
- Create a pod of digital-enablement experts to help reps migrate face-to-face sellers to digital channels and help sellers use new tools.
- Fix top buyer frustrations with B2B company websites: long ordering process, difficulty finding products, and technical glitches when ordering.
- Re-map your customer decision journey to capture changes in the new normal, and use these insights to inform GTM model adjustments.
- Offer the human touch whenever customers need it with your sales team – whether through inside sales or field sales.
Read the full report, “How B2B decision makers are responding to the coronavirus crisis.”
Click on any of the articles below to read more from our special report.
How COVID-19 could reshape sales
The right kind of help is not what you think
Firing up the revenue engine post-crisis
Group travel is down, but not out
How to sell to leads during and after COVID-19
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