Digital evolution in sales: making sense

BY 2025: 80% OF B2B SALES INTERACTIONS WILL TAKE PLACE VIA DIGITAL CHANNELS.

BUYERS ARE SUFFERING FROM INFORMATION OVERLOAD: BUT THAT’S NOT THE REAL PROBLEM; THE CORE ISSUE IS MAKING SENSE OF THE INFORMATION.

MAKING INFORMED TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN VENDORS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES IS DIFFICULT: 55% OF CUSTOMERS SAY THIS IS PROBLEMATIC BASED ON THE INFORMATION THEY ENCOUNTER.

INFORMATION FROM SUPPLIERS APPEARS TRUSTWORTHY, BUT CAN BE CONTRADICTORY: 66% OF BUYERS REPORT.

AI WILL HELP SELLERS BECOME “SENSE-MAKERS”: SALESPEOPLE CAPABLE OF GUIDING BUYERS THROUGH THE MAZE OF INFORMATION NEEDED
TO MAKE CONFIDENT BUYING DECISIONS.

A SENSE-MAKER HELPS CUSTOMERS RATIONALIZE ALL THE INFORMATION THEY ENCOUNTER: THIS HELPS THE CUSTOMER PROCESS THE SENSE-MAKING SALESPERSON’S INFORMATION MORE EFFECTIVELY VERSUS THE COMPETITION.

AI WILL ENABLE SALES TEAMS TO DO THIS AT SCALE: IT WILL ASSIST BY UNEARTHING RELEVANT INFORMATION, SUGGESTING CONVERSATIONS TO HAVE, AND PROVIDING CONTENT TO SUPPORT SALES ACTIONS.

THE ABOVE FACTOIDS ARE BASED ON GARTNER RESEARCH, INCLUDING A SURVEY OF 1,174 B2B BUYERS.