At each Sales 2.0 Conference, we can always count on at least one speaker (and usually more) to quote the following statistic based on research by the Sales Executive Board — today, 57% of B2B buying steps are completed before buyers connect with a salesperson.
Image via The Spectrum Group
It sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many B2B companies have not yet adapted to a buyer cycle powered by the digital customer. Recently, the Center for Marketing Research reported that only 28% of Fortune 500 Companies have public-facing corporate blogs – despite the fact that 92% of businesses that do blog see successful results from their efforts. (Tip: Find HubSpot Senior VP of Sales Mark Roberge in San Francisco at our October event if you want to learn more about creating a great B2B blog that generates revenue.)
Starting a blog is not a cure-all for B2B companies that are trying to find ways to stay competitive. But it does tell us that a lot of businesses still have their heads stuck in the sand. Here are three basic questions that sales leaders should be able to easily answer about today’s buy cycle:
- How well can your sales team build relationships with customers via a variety of channels?
- How well does your sales process map to the buy cycle?
- How empowered are your reps to have compelling and relevant conversations with qualified prospects online?
We’re excited to discuss these questions and more on October 22-23 in San Francisco, and to hear the keynote from our conference host, Gerhard Gschwandtner. As he said in a recent blog post, the good old days of selling are over. How well will you adapt?
