By Jillian Eyl (@MsBiz_Chicago)
If you’re in sales, you’ve experienced what it feels like to walk into the office and face an ocean of rejection. For every prospect who agrees to a call or meeting, another 30 are there to politely (or not so politely) shut you down.
Most sellers do their best to take Nemo’s advice and “just keep swimming.” But selling in 2016 can feel less like swimming and more like treading in a tsunami. This is the case because in today’s current B2B landscape…
Buyers are more informed.
75% of B2B buyers say they research products, solutions, and vendors prior to spending. – SAP
Customer needs are more elaborate.
47% of global sales leaders believe that customers’ needs have grown more sophisticated. – Salesforce
Sales processes are more complex.
Buyers are 37% of the way through a purchase process by the time they reach the solution-definition stage… and 57% of the way through the process before they engage with supplier sales reps. – CEB
With such competition present in today’s selling environment, how long can we expect sellers to keep swimming before frustration and exhaustion pull them under?
Instead of blaming sellers for poor performance, it’s important to dig deeper into extrinsic issues that could be inhibiting performance – after all, awareness is the first step towards change. Are their factors outside sellers’ control that are causing them to flounder? And more importantly, are there any flotation devices you can throw to help them stay afloat in the choppy waters?
To help you build awareness for issues that will plague sales organizations this year, Richardson published its 2016 Selling Challenges Study. One of the most eye-opening parts of the study are the top 3 challenges in uncovering and exploring client needs that respondents expect to encounter in the upcoming year:
Two of these responses – creating value during client conversations and identifying the strategic impact of a solution – are directly linked. And they both require that sellers understand customer’s business needs and find ways to articulate value.
For sellers to overcome these challenges, they need to prepare adequately, ask the right questions, build a sound knowledge-base, and present metrics-based business value. But with today’s sellers drowning in a sea of administrative tasks and “non-selling” responsibilities outside, this can be easier said than done.
Fortunately, though the current sales landscape presents obstacles, sales technology in today’s digital age makes it possible for sales organizations to adapt and excel more than ever before. A plethora of information in CRM, robust analytics, on-demand access to content and experts, and sales enablement tools equip salespeople with the resources and knowledge needed to succeed.
But for sales teams to have access to these tools, sales organizations first need to subscribe to the notion that even the most talented, well-trained sellers will struggle with incessant tidal waves placed upon them by today’s selling environment.
In 2016, the most successful sales organizations will be the ones that are able to identify issues affecting sales performance… and are willing to arms sellers with the sales technology to navigate rough waters.
Interested in giving sellers the content, coaching, and processes they need to better understand buying behaviors and provide value to clients? Check out the 2016 SiriusDecisions Report on the trends and features to look for in sales enablement technology!
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