Market Forces that are Disrupting the JanSan Supply Chain (2nd Part)

We're giving you the second part of this report, which provides insight into the forces that are disrupting the JanSan supply chain.  You can read the first part HERE

Voice of the modern buyer

Findings

One of the by-products of the Amazon Effect is a dramatic change in the B2B customer’s expectations of salespeople.

According to Forrester: “By a factor of three to one, B2B buyers want to self-educate versus talk to sales representatives to learn about products and services.”

Clearly, customers don’t need salespeople the way they used to. A recent study asked B2B customers what drives their buying decisions. The findings shed light on the new role of salespeople.

In order of importance, customers do business with companies that:


1.

Educated me with new ideas and perspectives

2.

Collaborated with me

3.Persuaded me that we would achieve results
4.Listened to me
5.Understood my needs
6.Helped me avoid potential pitfalls
7.Crafted a compelling solution
8.Depicted the purchasing process accurately
9.Connected with me personally
10.Overall value from the company is superior to other options

The value of technical expertise has diminished. Product-centric sales are dying. Customers overwhelmingly prefer to work with salespeople that can provide significant business value to their customers through business solutions.

Implications

To remain relevant, the salesperson’s role must evolve from a source of technical information to a business resource... a trusted business advisor whose focus is on improving the customer’s business.

That means developing a deep understanding of the customer’s business and rarely leading with the product.

A lot of work needs to be done. The overwhelming majority of sellers lack the skills required to be successful.

  • When buyers were asked to evaluate the salespeople they met over the past year, only 18% were classified as “trusted advisors whom they respect.”
  • Objective Management Group’s data, drawn from over 1.6 million salespeople and managers, shows that fewer that 1 in 4 salespeople have the ability to successfully sell a modern buyer.

The sales organizations that are outperforming their peers, gaining market share, and posting impressive revenue growth have benchmarked their sales team, identified the performance gaps, and then built training to close the gaps.

The challenge for leadership is to assess, adapt and re-skill their sales team so that they are aligned with the needs of the modern buyer.

Source: Knowledgeworx