“You have to digitize sales, but the seller cannot lose human contact”
Article based on the webinar on the digitization of sales organized by the school, a meeting prior to the ‘ Executive Program in Computer Tools and Applications for Business Management ‘ that will be taught at ENAE from March 5.
What are B2B SALES?
The acronym B2B comes from the English term “Business to Business”, which is defined as sales in which all participants in the transaction, seller and buyer, are companies.
According to eWorldTrade, whether it is a direct face-to-face contact or a virtual contact, the salesperson is a fundamental piece in the company. Companies, on many occasions, have distanced themselves from salespeople and have not valued them.
In times of crisis, the social and economic context produced by covid-19 is causing changes in consumer habits and, therefore, also in the way of selling. The alternative comes hand in hand with the adequate use of technologies that provide tools that support and support commercial work.
These have been issues addressed this Monday, February 22 by Pedro Juan Martín Caste Jon (economist, doctor in Economic Sciences and professor in the Marketing Department at the University of Murcia) and Rocio Rodríguez Herrera (Marketing director of the Stacks company, of the Caged Group, and professor at the University of Murcia) in a webinar sponsored by ENAE Business School on ‘The digitization of sales in the B2B environment’.
Pedro Juan Martín has recognized that the “situation is dramatic” at a time like the present, and has invited to share experiences and opinions, because “nobody has the absolute truth and the objective is to create learning areas”. He has recognized that profiles such as sales managers are not always recognized as “key and strategic sectors”.
Both Pedro Juan Martín Caste Jon and Rocio Rodríguez began by pointing out that technological tools do not make the seller, just as the typewriter or the computer does not make a writer. However, these tools are essential to digitize sales processes and involve all departments of the company with the commercial department.
Technological tools for commercial and sales management
In the opinion of the UMU professor and honorary research professor at the Christiania University College, in Oslo, the commercial or sales departments lag behind other areas in terms of the use of technological tools: And that is why business results are not optimal. These tools would allow, for example, to involve the entire organization in the development of products and services perfectly adapted to the needs of customers. And to the seller himself to know in detail all the characteristics of his product portfolio and the type of client (target) to whom it is directed.
Pedro Juan Martín Caste Jon emphasized the necessary standardization of standards that allow both salespeople and technical and customer service teams to give the same answers to any objection. Saying that none of the professionals linked to the manufacturing and sales processes are ‘loose verses’ that the only thing they achieve is to defraud the customer when the objective is to retain them.
In his opinion, the first step in the B2B sales activity is to discover the needs and identify the new customer to adapt to their demand. And he insists that the belief that “a seller is worth how much he sells” is false, if not for the information he can provide about his products and services.
Adverse effects on sales
In this sense, many companies still lack procedural manuals that include product presentation techniques, argumentation, counter-arguments and how to deal with possible objections. It is even common to find sellers who are unaware of the differentiating advantages of their portfolio products compared to those of the competition.
This is due to the lack of information that production departments should supply to salespeople.
Rocio Rodríguez also valued the opposite process as a negative effect on sales. That is, when the seller does not provide the company with everything he knows about the customers, so it is necessary to digitize all the processes in both directions: maximum information supplied from the technical departments to the commercial ones and from these to those responsible for production.
Both marketing experts considered it essential to record all the useful information for the business : market prospecting and identification of new customers, the sales process (contact, presentation, negotiation and closing of the sale); and after-sales (maintaining relationships, customer support, and handling complaints).
The two professors pointed out another negative aspect that frequently happens in business management. It would be the “zeal” shown by the company directors for the salesperson to visit or have certain information about customers. And even, from some managements it is considered that digitization will allow the vendor to be dispensed with.
Solution
For Rocio Rodríguez and Pedro Juan Caste Jon, the logical consequence of these attitudes is to reduce sales and therefore jeopardize the viability of the company. And they insisted that the technification that will allow is to improve the relationship with the client and increase sales.