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Study finds B2B Sales Rep Involvement Still Critical to the Buying Process
A recent study unveiled by business-to-business research and advisory firm SiriusDecisions, found that for more than 50% of all buying scenarios, human sales interactions occurred during all phases of the buying process. In complex scenarios, sales rep involvement begins during the education phase of the buying cycle.
SiriusDecisions recently unveiled the findings from its 2015 B-to-B Buyer Study during a keynote address at its 10th Annual SiriusDecisions Summit.
The SiriusDecisions B-to-B Buying Study identifies the three stages of the buying process as Education, Solution, and Selection. It was commonly believed that 67% of the business process occurred without sales rep involvement. That is, customers would conduct research via the internet and social media prior to engaging a sales rep.
According to the report, B2B buyers interact with human sales reps in every stage of the business cycle.”
Another finding that should not be overlooked, “buyers interact with a sales representative from the winning provider organization in all phases of their decision-making process.”
"We found that buyers interact with representatives during every stage of the decision-making process at least half the time, and that the type of decision – or buying scenario – greatly impacted the number and types of interactions," said Jennifer Ross, Senior Research Director, SiriusDecisions. "Just because buying behavior is done digitally does not mean that sales representatives are no longer required to instigate or facilitate a buying process.”
Making a phone call is a great way to engage - Sales dialing automation makes it better
A phone call is a great way to exchange information between a buyer and a seller. It is easy to do, does not cost much, and can jump start the buying process. Inside sales reps should not be shy about contacting prospective buyers as early in the sales process as possible.
Sales dialing automation makes the telephone process even easier and more cost-effective.
Other blogs on this topic that may be of interest:
- Why Sales Interactions (with Humans) Still Drive the B2B Buyer's Journey (Brainshark)
- SiriusDecisions Summit 2015: The Un-Death of B2B Sales (Jennifer Harmel)