How can your Sales Reps sell more, sell better, and sell differently in 2019? Let’s explore the business environment and the latest solutions that give sellers an edge over the competition.

B2B buyers’ attitudes are shifting. The vast majority prefer to do independent research to either validate what sales Reps are telling them or, to completely bypass interacting with the sales rep altogether. According to an Accenture study, 94% of B2B buyers conduct online research at some point in the buying process. And these buyers also rely on peer information to influence the buying decision. Influitive data asserts that word-of-mouth recommendations from peers influence over 90% of all B2B buying decisions.  According to Forrester, 59% of buyers prefer to do research online instead of interacting with a sales rep.

Today’s B2B buyers want a comprehensive buying experience. This is a spillover from the consumer space where we’ve all become accustomed to self-service interactions. Now buyers also want the power to access accurate information at any time of the day or night. They expect to be able to create their own configurations and generate sample quotes. They could use this information as the starting point for interaction with a sales rep, or not.  How should your organization evolve? For simple requests, like making a repeat order, businesses need to make the experience as easy as possible and personalized, with the customer’s buying history and product needs. 

Enter Your Secret Weapon – CPQ

To sell more, give your sales reps the assistance that they want when and how they want it.  Serve reps 24/7 with a comprehensive experience that includes configuration and pricing by creating sophisticated workflows that take advantage of lead generation activities, with seamless handovers to CRM processes. Or, offload low consideration purchases or repeat orders to free sales reps to work on more valuable opportunities.

To sell better, B2B buyers must be able to identify what products go together with upsell or cross-sell options, as well as make sure that every order is accurate. This is accomplished with guided selling that prompts recommendations for configurations, and opportunities for upsell and cross sell.

To sell differently, sales reps must have the ability to provide new revenue streams and monetization models with minimal effort. That means activating different channel or partner workflows that may have specific rules and approval chains, and control these workflows with simple point and click configuration. The same configurations can also be used to address specific user groups, regional differences, product availabilities, or any existing customer agreements. Sellers should also have the ability to explore any recurring revenue opportunities available with subscription services where the customer performs self-service activation and maintenance.

The Bottom Line

Organizations face increased pressure to find better ways to serve their customers and lighten the load for sales reps. One of the easiest ways to improve the selling process is to make it as flexible and easy to use as possible. This is where CPQ really shines. As the connecting bridge between front office and back office applications, CPQ helps break down the process silos that often create hidden complexities and unnecessary delays. CPQ enables your sales reps to “Sell More, Sell Better and Sell Differently”.