To be successful in the future, sales departments will have to understand that the sales process has taken a back seat to the buying process, writes Carlos Hidalgo. Sellers must understand the perspectives of leads and become subject matter experts, he adds. Finally, sales and marketing departments must understand the importance of working together to generate and define leads.
Source: Business to Community: February 3, 2016 (via SmartBrief on Sales).
There is clearly more work ahead for B2B organizations who are trying to keep pace with the ever-changing B2B buying environment. However, this change cannot be the sole responsibility of marketing if programs are going to be successful. Sales must change and adapt to the needs of the modern buyer or change may happen the hard way, without them.
INSIGHTS: Progressive sales reps will use this article to talk with their customers and establish the actions needed to sustain the business relationships. They can also engage their reselling customers in discussions about how the buying process has changed the way the latter work with downline customers and clients.