Do you know how your customers shop now?

The multiplication of communication and interaction channels has broadened access to the offer as well as the expectations of purchasing managers.

In addition, your shoppers themselves have evolved according to their shopping experience as consumers.

As a result, their behavior is more consumer-like. There is no longer a simple cold sales call: customers expect the salesperson to be well-informed about your business and even about their own individual profile, especially if the buyer is a millennial.

These are other aspects in which the purchasing process has changed:

More social

They are exposed to the same social media dynamics and opinions that influence individual consumers. The equivalent of the Facebook “like” button also applies to B2B sales.

Your customers may “like” or “dislike” a potential offer long before talking to a salesperson because of the information they already have online via bloggers, or comments from other users in specialized channels.

More in real time

More than 50% of all B2B purchases take place on digital platforms. Your customers (over 73% millennials) increasingly demand real-time digital interactions supported by tools such as product configurators and price calculators.

More modular

The rules of the game are also changing when it comes to closing deals. With so many avenues of influence, it is not uncommon for two-thirds of B2B deals to be lost before a formal RFP process even begins.