In 2012, the global research and advisory firm Forrester Research reported that with regards to B2B sales, business customers are now fully in the driver’s seat and those with products and services to sell have much less influence on buying behaviors of what they enjoyed a decade or two ago. The sales process has evolved and we have entered the era of the buying process.

Historically, business owners, professional service providers, and sales professionals would strive to present us as “trusted advisors,” who hoped to guide clients through the sales process and influence their choices, ideally for mutual benefit. But now that the purchase process is in charge, we say goodbye to all that.

Your organization’s sales approach to B2B customers must evolve in response to the new reality, because what once was will never exist again. Get in the habit of your customers making decisions about your products and services largely without your involvement.

According to Forrester, clients now routinely discuss and shortlist product and service needs in consultation with their own team of trusted advisers, which may include unknown third-party “experts” they find on websites like Yelp and Angie’s List. The distance they will advance in the buying process varies by industry, but the report indicates that between 65% and 90% of customer research is completed without your help. By the time the customer is ready to make a purchase, for the most part, only their price quotes and delivery date will be needed.

As you may have guessed, customers prefer to be in control. Distrust in sales practices that are sometimes perceived as unpleasant, combined with access to technologies that allow them to fairly easily investigate product and service needs once identified, are the driving forces behind their independence. Many B2B customers are wary of being manipulated into paying for updates and add-ons that do nothing for their goals.

To thrive in the buying process realm, accept that your marketing strategies will play a more prominent role in the sales process, responding to the customer’s desire for information. Marketing messages must resonate with target customers and media platforms must be carefully selected. Also remember that traditional media may still be important to some clients, so the relevance of the press release should not be discounted.

Create marketing campaigns that will create and sustain demand through highly targeted messages and narratives designed to persuade target customers that your solutions will be effective and will always include compelling calls to action. Choose media and platforms that target customers follow and trust, to allow their information to be discovered and backed up.

Content marketing will keep its influence, spread across your website and social media platforms that are important to your customers. In your writing, be sure to include motivating factors that drive customers to research your products and services while evaluating potential solutions, as well as the benefits they will receive, frequently asked questions, and ease of buying from you.

Okay, so marketers will still think they are bigwigs! What will the sellers do? How will B2B sales professionals generate billable hours or sales in the buying process era? Will the sales team be reduced to simple order takers?

Otherwise. We will apply our well honed communications expertise to identify networking opportunities and build relationships. It’s wonderful that marketers can generate great content that showcases the organization in internet searches, but at least in my city no one hires a stranger, regardless of cleverly written content. When the decision maker is unfamiliar with the organization, there is often no sale.

In the age of the buying process, sales professionals will focus on presenting themselves to the public live by moderating or speaking on panels; teaching workshops; participate and speak at business association meetings and generally become the public face of the brand. Networking will balance the equation, the yin to content yang, as you meet potential clients and referral sources and build relationships. The B2B buying process is a difficult task for those who sell to survive, but we are determined to succeed and will accept the challenge.

Thank you for reading,

Kim