Optimum Sales – Review of the 2000 Study
In March 2000, when I was working at Mercuri International, I collaborated on a European study where the opinions of CEOs and sales directors of B2B companies were sought regarding their vision of what sales management would focus on in 2005.
The main conclusions we obtained were:
- At this moment, customers have a greater diversity of product purchases and can do so through different methods and sales channels. Our disruptive vision back then was, ““Companies that adjust the sales method to the purchasing method in the stages of information, decision, and use will become preferred suppliers since the product itself is losing importance. The presence in different sales channels will be levers for sales growth.
- Customers want unique solutions to their problems. In light of this conclusion, we suggested, “Companies must assume that each of their customers expects a unique solution to their problems; it’s no longer about selling volume but about selling value, providing knowledge, if they don’t want to compete in the price market.”
- The sale will be multi-level. With each client, there will be more than one client. “Companies must be able to incorporate complementary commercial teams where top management must also get involved in business development.”
- There will be a selection in the client portfolio. “As competition increases and price competition dynamics develop, companies will establish relationships with a high level of partnership with their clients where value becomes a driver of purchase, therefore they will not be able to sell to the same number of clients.”
- Internet and e-commerce will revolutionize sales. 33% of those interviewed stated that commercial teams should modify their work systems as personal selling would be reduced to specific moments, with telecommuting and telemarketing (at that time, the first videoconferencing platforms were beginning to be used) taking over. Our vision was, “Commercial teams should be equipped with technological tools and training to skillfully tackle digital sales.”
With a 20-year perspective, we can realize that the vision of the executives who at that time gave us their opinion was not so misaligned with the current reality in B2B markets.
At this moment, it is true that almost all markets are hyper-competitive and that products are sold through different channels. They also got it right that customers are looking for solutions tailored to their problems and no longer buy products, and that buying committees are a reality. (There are more than 6 decision-makers per company). Companies have segmented portfolios and we don’t want salespeople to spend their time on clients that don’t provide the desired return.
Now then, the only area where we still have work to do 20 years later in Spain is the digital transformation of sales teams, which, as we saw in the study on the state of digital transformation of sales teams in Spain (Link) that Optimum and Cege presented in December 2020, companies are in a very initial stage.
Looking back and considering the new future commercial development environment, if companies do not start taking steps towards the digitalization of their sales teams, it is very likely that markets will begin to exclude them from their purchasing decisions.
Whether it’s with a Digital Selling project, Corporate Social Selling, or Sales Enablement, we can’t wait another 20 years to incorporate sales methodologies into B2B teams.
| David Galve | General Director www.linkedin.com/in/davidgalve |  |
