The sales process has evolved over the years. The evolution of B2B sales in SMB or Enterprise has trended toward digital-first engagements. In fact, it's been here for years!
Many business managers are still trying to adapt to the digital-first buying experience. The challenge for these organizational leaders is clear:
How do you blend the efficiency and autonomy of digital tools with human interaction into the buyer's journey?
The Hybrid Sales approach stands as a forward-thinking strategic solution for business managers today. This strategy combines the efficiency of digital tools with the irreplaceable value of human interaction. Furthermore, it caters to the diverse preferences of traditional and modern buyers.
In this process, creating a Marketing Qualified Lead via a digital-first interaction that engages, informs, and educates interested prospects is just a step in the buyer's journey. Building a marketing pipeline is great but not as important as a sales pipeline in the revenue generating process.
Through my personal research, data is showing the diminishing need for sales representatives with low-ticket value products and services.
By integrating the right balance of digital marketing with digital sales and human interaction, companies can improve sales efficiencies with agility and precision.
First, you'll need to evaluate your buyer's experience, pain points, and purchasing systems to determine how often an Account Executive should interact with your prospective buyers. You should reverse engineer the buying process - think of yourself as the buyer. Then consider your digital marketing plans, digital sales plans, and integration of live human interactions. Go back to your Ideal Customer Profile and evaluate your sales and marketing systems up through a post close status. Planning should suit to the buyer's journey and overall customer experience after acquisition. Think digital-first and identify the 1 to 2 key moments humans need to be incorporated in your sales cycle.
As direct sales rep interactions are lowering, the quality and accessibility of online resources become crucial. Customers now expect comprehensive product information, user reviews, AI tools, and transparent pricing to be readily available. AI-powered chatbots or Avatars can handle routine queries and provide instant support now-a-days. These digital tools can also guide buyers through the purchasing process. Ultimately providing immediate sales related support with answers resulting in a high quality customer experience.
But, wait a minute…
Consumers say their preferences for interacting with salespeople change depending on what they're buying. Take high-ticket items, for example. Per Hubspot, over a third (37%) of consumers prefer to speak with a salesperson when considering a high-priced purchase, such as a car, big service contract, or significant software investment. When the physical, emotional, or monetary investments are high, the value of expert advice from a human shoots through the roof!
Another driving factor for buyers communicating with a human sales rep is how confident they feel in their purchase. If the product is convoluted — or the consumer doesn't feel knowledgeable enough — they're more likely to not buy until they speak to a human representative.
Where in your marketing and sales process do you see a drop off of buyer engagement?
Obviously, marketing and sales interactions can look very different across many organizations due to various processes, methodologies, products, or workflows. There are variables that can easily change how an Account Executive fits into an organizational Playbook. Make sure you evaluate your
Ideal Customer Profile and Unique Sales Proposition.
One thing is for certain, companies that successfully blend digital sales and marketing best practices with live human touch points will not only meet but exceed customer expectations, driving higher satisfaction, loyalty, and sales revenues.
Hybrid Sales will increase your overall sales effectiveness in the short term and long term no matter the ticket price. Investing in this approach will position your company as a leader in delivering exceptional customer sales and service experiences, ensuring an overall healthier business with long-term success.
Some companies provide customer self-serve demonstrations, pre-recorded demonstrations, or operational explainer videos to their prospects. Some provide a Do It Yourself solution to serve specific market segments. As previously mentioned, some use AI Sales Rep Avatars or bots.
As you wonder about your current sales and marketing strategies, consider how a Hybrid Sales model can be tailored to your unique business needs.
What are all the variables in your business that need to be considered to effectively create your Hybrid Sales system?