{"id":43064,"date":"2012-10-21T09:43:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-21T16:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/customerthink.com\/b2b_sellers_wake_up_adopt_buyer_experience_management_or_get_pink_slip_from_customer_2_0\/"},"modified":"2012-10-21T09:43:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-21T16:43:00","slug":"b2b_sellers_wake_up_adopt_buyer_experience_management_or_get_pink_slip_from_customer_2_0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/b2b_sellers_wake_up_adopt_buyer_experience_management_or_get_pink_slip_from_customer_2_0\/","title":{"rendered":"B2B Sellers, Wake Up! Adopt Buyer Experience Management, or Get a Pink Slip from Customer 2.0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nThe traits in a salesperson that executives find valuable and strategic, namely focusing on solving a problem (13%) and on driving an end result for them (8%), were the least common traits perceived by buyers.<\/b>  —Forrester Research\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The B2B sales profession is in denial<\/i>. That’s the overwhelming conclusion I’ve reached after watching the painfully slow response of B2B Sellers to the rise of customer power. Instead of truly engaging as buyers expect, Sellers—the combined marketing and sales organizations—are tweaking 50-year-old selling approaches and loading up technology to optimize internal processes. This inside-out approach is a recipe for failure. <\/p>\n

More than 10 years ago, during the dot com boom, I was researching how the Internet was disrupting distribution channels. “Disintermediation<\/a>“—a clunky way to say “cutting out the middlemen”—meant that technology resellers and other partners had to find new ways to add value to the customer beyond “pushing boxes.” Some did but many others didn’t change fast enough, and closed up shop. <\/p>\n

Now the middlemen at risk are B2B sales professionals<\/p>\n

During that time, I felt that field sales reps were a bit smug, believing that it was the “other guys” that should worry about being displaced by technology. I wrote articles pointing out that disintermediation could happen to anyone<\/i> if they don’t add enough value to justify their existence in the customer’s supply chain. <\/p>\n

\nNow the middlemen at risk are B2B sales professionals. Today’s customers doesn’t need them, until it’s time to discuss product features and negotiate price. As any successful B2B sales rep knows, the only thing worse than not getting an RFP is being surprised<\/i> by one. Because then it’s too late to build a relationship, influence requirements and gain a preferential position. <\/p>\n

\nCustomer 2.0 to Sellers: “We’re Just Not That Into You”<\/b><\/p>\n

\nIn the past few years B2B buyers have followed consumer trends, leveraging the Internet and social media. Industry experts estimate that 50-80% of the B2B buying process is now being completed without<\/i> sales involvement. Quite literally, sales reps are being cut out<\/i> of critical early stages of the purchasing process, because buyers have found more effective alternatives.<\/p>\n

\nLet’s dub this empowered, don’t-call-us-we’ll-call-you buyer, Customer 2.0<\/b><\/i>.<\/p>\n

\nEmerging technology buying is at the upper end of that range, according to Christine Crandell of New Business Strategies<\/a>. In a recent study of Fortune 100 companies, Crandell found that tech buying has changed a lot in the past five years. In a simplified form, the process looks like this:<\/p>\n