Why There's More Opportunity with B2B Omnichannel

According to a McKinsey study, only one month into the pandemic an astounding 90% of B2B companies shifted to a virtual sales model.

The study also found that “90% of B2B leaders say that this digital model is here to stay and 70% say its as effective as pre-Covid ways of doing business.” This is no longer the “pandemic” way of life, it is the way of life – Omnichannel is the standard.

Buyers have made it clear they “prefer cross-channel mix”. When asked what they prefer out of in-person, remote, and digital self-serve interactions – they want them all. 83% of B2B leaders believe omnichannel selling is more successful to get and secure new business. While it’s anticipated that nearly all companies will be able to get together in person by the start of 2022, “only 15% of B2Bs expect in-person sales meetings to be the norm going forward.”

There are a few pain points that come along with the rapid increase of omnichannel selling. For starters, it’s hard to sell from home when you’re used to being in the field – remote interactions aren’t as intimate, so it’s important to provide a user-friendly and effective user experience (such as virtual demos). Another challenge is just adjusting to the omnichannel way of selling and juggling between in-person, remote, and digital self-serve. To be successful in your omnichannel process, you have to nail the digital sales but don’t neglect the human connection. There are a few key factors, mentioned in the McKinsey article, to be successful in digital sales:

• Speed: One of the main things buyers love about going/ being digital is that everything can be done with the click of a button. They can access information when, how, and wherever they want. It is convenient for any customer and, if done right, very simple.
• Transparency: This helps customers understand everything they’re looking at and the value of the solution you’re selling. It’s helpful to add case studies to your website page – that way they can hear past and current customers’ experiences and it gives them a good comparison.
• Expertise: Be able to answer the technical questions, but also engage with your customers and potential customers. Being available during the buyer journey goes a long way.

• Know your customers: Anticipate and understand their needs – we live in uncertain times, but this is no longer a phase, it is the way of life. Make your customers feel certain about their decision. And with this, do not neglect human interaction. It’s easy to mistake omnichannel with digital, but “It’s about maintaining the human connection in an increasingly digitized world, blending the human with the digital to give customers a seamless, personalized experience, both online and in-person.”

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