Today, implementing sales enablement is indispensable because buyers expect their commercial interactions to mirror their day-to-day, personal experiences in today’s digital and mobile universe.
The proliferation of digital — and in particular, mobile devices — has turned the buyer/seller relationship inside out. Cisco estimates that the number of connected devices worldwide will reach 50 billion by 2020 — amazing when you consider that earth is home to 7.4 billion people. That’s about 6.7 devices per person!
High-school students, faces buried in their phones, are cliché, but people of all ages are using their various screens to choose their adventures. The number of adults 65 and older who say they have a smartphone has risen 24 percentage points (from 18% to 42%) from 2013 to 2016.
All this screen gazing adds up to billions of hours of gaming, consuming social media, reading news sites and googling potential mates, at any time and from anywhere. But numerous studies reveal that one of the most popular pastimes online is shopping. Woe to sellers who fail to serve up the goods in the form of informative content that answers customers’ questions about solving their biggest problems — today’s most powerful sales tool.
Additionally, millennials, who make up today’s largest age demographic, have taken over the workforce. As a result, you’re more likely to be selling to buyers who have grown up in the world of digital and mobility, and they have expectations.
This growing cohort of younger B2B buyers are researching products on their smartphones and tablets whenever they can steal a moment: in the airport lounge, on the subway, at a roadside café. They’re comparing competing products and referring relevant intel to other members of their buying teams.
In B2B, it’s unheard of for a single person to handle a big-ticket purchase like a new payroll platform. Although an executive usually approves purchases, everyone from managers and users to technical experts and finance people may be involved. According to IDC, today’s average sale relies on more than eight decision makers. And ask any family that’s bought a car. Having kids and a pooch likely means settling for the minivan instead of the pickup with the hemi.
In summary, understanding buyer behavior always has been tough, but in the absence of sales enablement strategy, it’s wildly unpredictable. Today, implementing sales enablement is indispensable because buyers expect their commercial interactions to mirror their day-to-day, personal experiences in today’s digital and mobile universe.
For more on how sales enablement can help your organization meet the expectations of the modern day consumer, download our brand new eBook: The Essential Guide to Sales Enablement for 2019.
