Ecommerce has been transforming sales for several years now, especially those focused on the end consumer. After the pandemic, B2B interactions have also undergone a major transformation. Ecommerce has burst forcefully into interactions between companies, and B2B sellers now need new capabilities to respond to their customers' needs.

The path that B2B must take according to Mckinsey

According to a recent article by the global consultancy McKinsey, to ensure excellence in the coming years, B2B companies will have to adopt three fundamental changes:

• Become promoters of omnichannel
• Adopt a mindset of creating value for the customer
• Facilitate constant change in the way of organising and managing

To adapt to this new context and increase sales, it will be essential for B2B sales teams to carry out a major process of reskilling.

In this article, we present how sales teams should renew their capabilities to improve sales in the near future.

1. Omnichannel: the new reality

According to McKinsey research in recent years, today's average buyer uses ten or more channels during the sales process. This includes everything from in-person or remote interactions to digital self-serve.

purchasing processes. Sales teams will need to be able to manage the large amount of data involved in activity across different channels, and to discern what information is useful for improving sales and generating more leads.

To do this, the adoption of appropriate digital solutions is becoming increasingly necessary, especially Artificial Intelligence, which offers very good opportunities for sales:

• Automation of tasks that allows sales teams to focus on customer service
• Detection of opportunities and the best time to carry out sales strategies
• Personalised recommendations for each customer

2. Creating value: the customer experience at the centre

In the current context in which buyers have great autonomy to find out about products and also purchase them on their own, the seller's role remains fundamental, but it is transforming.

The changes of recent years show us that sellers must adopt a more consultative role, and no longer so focused on closing the sale. McKinsey surveys show that today's buyer is hybrid: they want the conveniences of new technologies, but they do not give up human interaction.

Salespeople must make value propositions tailored to customers' needs, relying on new technologies to do so optimally.

In general, it is about moving from a product-centred interaction to a customer-centred interaction. Promoting engagement over the quick sale.

3. Constant change in management

Surveys carried out by McKinsey also show that it is essential that there is transformation in management teams:

• 65% of sales directors believe that the speed at which changes occur has increased in recent years
• 85% believe that adopting new agile working methods will be necessary to ensure success in the coming years

The key lies, as McKinsey points out, in the “agile mindset”. For sales teams to carry out this reskilling that we mentioned, management capable of resolving challenges and adopting solutions quickly is required.

In this sense, it is worth moving from a way of working with long, complex projects, which require several months, to one of daring to try rapid tests; dividing projects into small parts so that action can be taken in one or two weeks.

It is about from management adopting a new sales philosophy so that the sales force does likewise.

Digital adoption

As we have seen, digital tools can be of great help in carrying out this transformation necessary to ensure success in B2B.

However, the acquisition of digital solutions is only useful if they are actually used. The key to B2B sales in the near future lies in committing to digital adoption. That is, it is not about having as many tools as possible, but rather intuitive solutions that the sales team wants to use.