B2B businesses must pull their socks up to adopt a culture more prepared for digital environments, according to Harvard Business Review

In a recent article in Harvard Business Review, sales digitalisation experts Prabhakant Sinha, Arun Shastri and Sally E. Lorimer state that the integration between digital technology and B2B sales teams is essential to achieve an improved customer experience in today's environments. And they argue that this is only possible if a robust support system is built for the digitalisation process.

The article sets out to analyse those key points of digital transformation, without leaving aside one of the aspects they consider most fundamental: people.

So then, let's see, what changes must a B2B business implement for its success in digital environments?

Key points of digital transformation in B2B

The experts who authored this article, who are also part of the board of directors of ZS, a technology consultancy with extensive experience and global impact, determine in this publication, firstly, that there are certain specific elements that are key to the digital transformation of any B2B business. These would be:

• A foundational digital platform
• Data analytics
• Tools that provide a holistic view of sales

They also add a final factor, which they highlight as being just as important as all the others:

• The transformation of sales culture 

According to this team of professionals' research, the proper functioning of a digital sales strategy requires constant adaptation of the systems that drive companies' day-to-day operations. In other words, adapting to change is no longer a bonus, it is an imperative.

We can state that the experts, both the authors of this study and the leaders of other international companies in the B2B technology sector, affirm that it is important to carry out this paradigm shift in business culture in order to take sales to the next level and be able to offer what they call: a «superior» customer experience».

So then, let's answer the million-dollar question: how do we transform B2B sales culture?

A new sales culture

Technology-people connection

As the authors point out, today's B2B buyers use different channels in their day-to-day lives. This includes email, text, marketplaces online, informational websites, social media, webinars… and, of course, also the company's sales team. For an optimal customer experience, two factors must be met: that these channels are coordinated and that they all add value to the consumer.

On the one hand, the digital channels bring extensive advantages to companies, as they involve lower cost, greater flexibility, 24-hour availability, they are easily scalable… As stated in the article: «tracking is easy» and with this «personalisation is possible».

And, on the other hand, salespeople are essential for other aspects of sales. As the authors highlight, only salespeople can «discern non-verbal emotions, intentions and the customer's level of engagement», which allows them to «identify opportunities, even if they are latent, and propose tailored solutions». In the end, it is in their hands to maintain a Customer Journey coherent and for the customer to feel accompanied.

Often, it is the person who can truly capture the customer's attention amid the sea of digital content that most people browse daily.

For this reason, the experts consider that the key to success in sales would lie in a «harmonious union» between digital and human channels. In fact, the correct application of new technologies should free the sales team from certain repetitive tasks and allow them to focus their more human efforts more efficiently and valuably for sales.

Change of mindset

These digital tools for sales offer companies what these experts call the «backbone», which translates as the «backbone», the base structure that gives stability to any digital sales strategy.

For experts, the success of the strategy starts with this backbone, but only if it offers real support to salespeople when they go out to sell. To do this, this solution must be more than a representation of traditional media, such as a digitised catalogue. It must offer salespeople information about customers in a broader and more integrated way than they had before.

But, although a technological structure is important, the study shows that it is not enough. A deeper transformation is needed to leave behind some persistent habits of traditional B2B interactions.

A «cultural» transformation that involves changes in issues such as employee profiles, the roles established in teams, sales management practices… In general, the study published in Harvard Business argues that it is key - and necessary - a more adaptive business culture.

Undoubtedly, the change of mindset - or mindset– can be one of the most complex parts of a sales improvement process. But as studies show, and most experts seem to agree, it is a process worth starting.