In addition to the well-known examples of technological disruption, less conspicuous functions have also changed drastically. One of these silent transformations is taking place within the sales and marketing functions in B2B. With 'account based selling', the sales profession is busy reinventing itself. Shifts in the sales model - from push to pull - and the online availability of more and more information are causing the role of the B2B salesperson to change significantly. In this article I will show you the conditions for successful account based sales.
The role is changing so much that the traditional hospitals mailing list salesperson is threatened in his existence. Forrester research indicates that in the US alone 1 million B2B salespeople will become redundant in the next three years. The impact of online is enormous. 70 percent of orientation on purchases takes place online, and the online share of purchases is growing rapidly.
The added value of sales is no longer in 'selling'. In fact, creating or growing business relationships is not about selling. It is about building trust, relationships and creating value without selling. Customers no longer want someone to 'manage' their account or develop their business. They only want to talk to someone who understands their needs and helps solve their problems.
Customers have changed and their level of knowledge and insights have improved. In addition, a customer has already made many crucial choices before he or she even invites a salesperson to the table. And if he or she does join, it is only on the condition that he or she knows the customer and their problem thoroughly. This focus on the customer is also called account based marketing or account based sales , and is one of the major trends in B2B sales at the moment.