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Warm personal relationships in B2B sales are still important

Gert-jan de Rooij | 17-06-2021

Shake hands firmly, drink a cup of coffee together and catch up while really looking into each other's eyes. I've missed them this past year; those physical contact moments with (potential) customers. Yet, this shift to more frequent online contact would have already started even without corona. Simply because an increasing part of the purchasing process takes place online. Sometimes you don't see each other once during the entire buyer journey. Yet I am convinced that that personal relationship remains important in B2B sales. Curious how you experience that!

Spending hours on the road, having lunch with relations, catching up at a trade fair; it seems like a while ago. Due to extensive digitalization, potential and existing customers are increasingly conducting their own research during their orientation phase. And so the average B2B lead only reaches you when more than 80% of the buyer journey has already been completed. Previously you were there as an account manager purely for sales and closing deals, but nowadays your role is increasingly that of a helper.

'The average B2B lead only reaches you when more than 80% of the buyer journey has already been completed'

Personal relationship in the Top 3 trends

That helping role is certainly no less fun, it just requires different skills. Because once you have a conversation with your prospect, it is more about the content and you can show that you really know everything about a product or solution. That makes you a lot more relevant to your lead. And whether that conversation is via a video call or in front of each other over a cup of coffee; it's still personal! From our recent benchmark study Sales of the Future, in which more than a hundred B2B companies participated, also shows that this personal relationship remains as important as ever. According to 69% of participants, the importance of the personal relationship and the growing attention to personalization in B2B has the most impact on the sales strategy. Followed by the aforementioned shift of the purchasing process to online (63%) and the fact that prospects are increasingly better informed due to better access to information (50%).

Opportunities of personalization

What I like about change is that it also offers new opportunities and possibilities. Especially in the field of personalization. As a modern seller, you must make full use of your opportunities during that important orientation phase and therefore be regularly present in the online search. This can be done, for example, by networking via LinkedIn and sharing relevant knowledge there. After all, B2B buyers often look at online references, read reviews and are looking for inspiration and valuable information. That's where your transformation from salesperson to trusted expert with a clear vision comes into play. Because as a credible advisor you first ensure trust and loyalty and then a (repeat) purchase or referral. And whether you do this with a personal email or a targeted chat via LinkedIn; that does not matter. As long as you sincerely show that you understand your prospect or customer's challenges and can help them. I think it's a great starting point for a long, warm relationship!

Download our trend report

Curious how your sales team can best prepare for the future and what skills and technologies a modern team needs? Then download our trend report Sales of the Future. You will also immediately learn from a select group of leaders who have already picked up the trends and developments of modern sales and are reaping the benefits.