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Embracing Technology and Empathy Will Drive Success for Your Post-COVID Era B2B Sales Strategy to Maintain a Healthy B2B2C Experience.
Even when we think we offer only B2C journeys for our consumer customers, we need to realize that our clients are also customers and that adapting our B2B sales strategy in the post-COVID era is required. In many cases, we may need to pivot our current B2B business model by building relationships virtually, listening to clients as customer needs and concerns, and combining technology and human touch in a successful B2B selling process. Expectations are higher than ever for brands and retail firms to deliver a personalized product experience. Personalized product and merchandising customization is highly emotional and requires empathy, engagement, and skilled marketing and strategic knowledge to launch and maintain. Personalized marketing uses customer interests and behavior to personalize the buying journey from start to finish.
According to McKinsey, only 20% of B2B buyers want to return to in-person sales experiences. Since COVID, most buyers have learned they are not limited to reaching out by having video conference meetings during the sales and fulfillment stages, nor are they limited to buying online. The attention to a new B2B sales journey process is the baseline for your success with B2B2C sales.
Embracing a Customer-Centric Approach is Crucial for Success in Today's B2B Landscape.
Adopting customer-centric practices is no longer a luxury to remain competitive in today's market. By putting all clients and customers at the core of your operation, you can gain valuable insights, build positive relationships, and ultimately improve your bottom line.
Promotionally wise, your B2B audience today is almost like your B2C audience. They are motivated by free versions, free goods, free trials, and DIY demos. It is important that remote human interaction be concurrent with technology at every stage of their B2B lifecycle.
- 63% of millennials (who make up the majority of B2B buyers today) prefer live chat over any other channel.
- 70% of the B2B buyer journey is complete before they come in contact with your sales team (This means "Leave me alone while I research" is important, and your site, videos, and documentation must be impeccable). B2B buyers still want human support, but it's not the same as before COVID.
- 60% of B2B buyers state they want more communication during their research stage, while making the purchase, and in the post-purchase phase too. (This means "Leave me alone so I can research, but be there for me when I have questions" ).
To succeed and leverage product personalization, it's important to improve the B2B sales process, include data technology, and build strong relationships and engagement with end customers in the B2B chain.
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