Sales and marketing teams have work to do as B2B goes omnichannel

McKinsey’s latest B2B Pulse Survey (November 2021) points to a rapid and irreversible shift to an omnichannel approach in B2B selling, with customers buying face-to-face, remotely and online; but many sales and marketing teams are not working together on this new reality. 

Why it matters

Over the past 20 months, e-commerce and remote video conferencing have become an integral part of B2B sales, but it’s about more than just shifting more transactions online. What B2B customers want is nuanced – and so are their views about the most effective way to reach them, according to consultancy firm McKinsey.

Key findings 

Some interesting statistics relating to the report include: 

• 94% of respondents regard today’s B2B omnichannel sales model as being at least as effective as the pre-COVID-19 model (up from 65% in April 2020).
• B2B customers regularly use ten or more channels to interact with suppliers (up from just five in 2016).
• E-commerce has overtaken in-person selling as a sales channel: it’s now at 65% compared to 53% earlier this year and 32% rank it as the single most effective channel. 
• Buyers are increasingly willing to spend big through remote or online sales channels: 35% are ready to spend $500,000 or more in a single transaction (up from 27% in February 2021).
• 80% of buyers are ready to shift their allegiance if performance levels aren’t met; they also demand real-time customer service, transparency online about product availability and pricing, and a consistent purchasing experience across multiple channels.
• 59% say they will buy from a supplier only if they’ve met in person at least once before.

The sales and marketing disconnect

More than half of McKinsey’s respondents said their sales teams either don’t fully utilise, or, worse, ignore content created by marketing. The consultancy advises stronger relationships at a senior level and more exchanges of personnel at a functional level in order to build greater understanding of roles.

Sourced from McKinsey