10 B2B sales trends you need to know in 2023
Sales & Marketing | 5 min
Although inflation dynamics are outpacing economists' forecasts, transaction prices in the B2B sector are receding into the background. Managers deciding on purchases, are not looking for suppliers, but for partners who will be predictable during the course of cooperation and who can bring real value to empowering customers.
When a crisis chases a crisis or even overlaps one on top of the other, having a well-prepared sales force is one of the most important goals for companies. One of the most important truths is that the sales process should be aligned with the customer's buying process.
So we at ICAN Research decided to find out how B2B purchasing processes have changed during the pandemic and where they are headed in times of inflation. We asked decision-makers from large and medium-sized companies what is most important to them in the purchasing process, and what expectations and challenges they have in this area. Based on the interviews, we have prepared a summary of the top 10 trends for 2023. We present them below.
Top 10 trends for 2023
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"Gatekeeper", or with whom to build a relationship in sales
In the sales process, the role of the "gatekeeper," the person who collects offers and prepares recommendations, is growing. Key decision makers want to make faster decisions, so they place more trust in their managers by choosing the solutions they indicate. Therefore, it is worth paying more attention to identifying the "gatekeeper" and building a relationship with the actual decision-maker.
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Decline in customer loyalty
Our research has shown that loyalty to customers and business partners is declining compared to the pre-pandemic period. The purchasing process itself is no longer just a review of the offerings of regular suppliers, and is beginning to take on the characteristics of market analysis. A growing challenge will therefore be to maintain an ongoing relationship.
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Professionalization of counseling
Salespeople increasingly need expert support in the sales process. Business customers want to know more about the products they buy, their manufacturing processes, their unique parameters, but that's not all. They still need to know how to use and implement them optimally.
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Partnership the basis of cooperation
The traditional relationship-based approach to sales today is not enough to build lasting partnerships. The ability to build partnerships requires delivering tangible, tangible benefits, a sense that it's not just about closing the sale, but supporting the customer in succeeding and surviving difficult moments. The key in a partnership is a good understanding of the business, real support for its development and predictable terms of cooperation. Price is in a secondary position.
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Quality is not enough
Despite inflation, decision makers are willing to pay more for higher quality, but a better product is not enough these days. Quality today builds innovation, customers expect products and services that are ahead of current market offerings. The role of R&D in the battle for customers is therefore growing.
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Speed more important than low price
In times of high market volatility, speed is increasingly important. This requires more agile sales processes. Long fruitful negotiations or cheaper delivery are increasingly less important than instant contract execution or fast product delivery.
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Platformization of transactional sales
B2B sales platforms are no longer mere e-commerce, but an elaborate environment for commercial cooperation. It's not just about fast transaction processing, but about its personalization, about payment and delivery processing tools and about product offerings. While a broad product offering is still key, other "extras" are increasingly important. Such platforms offer many opportunities to support the customer's business, share knowledge, expand services, provide digital tools.
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No room for "slip-ups"
Ease of cooperation with a supplier is one of the most important differentiators of the best business partners. However, one should be careful, because with increasing demands it is easier to slip up. Respondents stressed that it only takes 3 difficult situations to part with even a good supplier.
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More than a product - support the customer
The value proposition in B2B is evolving towards the ability to build customer market advantage. It increasingly requires offerings that go beyond the product itself: digitization of processes, collaboration, analytics, education, including upgrading the competencies of business partners, and operational support in crisis situations.
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Simple processes in customer service
After-sales service is under time pressure. It's all about getting things done faster and faster. Decision makers and "gatekeepers" do not accept elaborate comment and complaint processes. They are more likely to use the platform than a hotline or a phone call to a supervisor.
Summary
Speed, quality and simple purchasing processes - this is how the expectations of decision makers in B2B can be summarized. It's not low prices that count, but additional values beyond the product itself, such as human contact, partnership or substantive advice and support. Companies are not just looking for vendors, but professional business partners.
About the study
The survey was conducted among 200 B2B customers from medium and large enterprises. Half of the respondents were managers and the other half were gatekeepers - people operationally responsible for running purchasing processes.
Interested in company or market diagnostics? Check out our offer
We will examine your company's B2B sales processes and compare them to your customers' buying processes to help you streamline buying paths and get more closed deals. We'll also identify key decision makers and their needs and expectations, so we can work with you to create a competitive value proposition for your company that offers customers what they really need.
We will examine for you the factors that affect building long-term relationships with your B2B customers. We will identify solutions to increase your share of the industry's key customer portfolio. We will examine the decision center and describe your customer's purchase path, which will provide you with valuable insights and knowledge, including where the barriers to sales may lie, how to overcome them and how to better respond to your customers' needs. We specialize in researching SME clients as well as large companies and corporations.
We'll examine key trends in your industry, so you'll know which developments to focus on and which solutions to invest in and which not to. You will use the knowledge you gain to build winning strategies, develop your offerings and identify new customer segments. You will also learn which competencies of salespeople are currently key and worth developing in order to build an expert image of the company in communication with customers.
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