20% of US B2B sales jobs to go by 2020; only “consultants” to thrive

7th July 2015 |   Journal Of Sales Transformation

Forrester Research forecasts that one million US B2B salespeople will lose their jobs to self-service eCommerce by the year 2020. Its report Death Of A (B2B) Salesman estimates that, of the 4.5 million US workers employed in B2B sales and sales-related professions in 2012, just over 20% of all B2B salespeople will be displaced.

Author Andy Hoar explains: “While B2B buyers overwhelmingly prefer to research and, increasingly, buy products and services via a self-service website, B2B sellers still force buyers to interact with their salespeople as part of the purchase process.”