• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, August 23, 2022

Here's a question that B2B email teams should constantly ask themselves: What have you done for your salespeople today? It appears they need help.

Salespeople are losing an average of $210,000 apiece in commissions and bonuses because they are not employing the latest digital sales methods. And companies are leaving $1.6 million on the table per annum, according to Digital Selling: Are you In Or Out?, a study by Showpad. 

 Here's the problem: 86% of buyers now prefer to be sold to virtually. Among their aggravations with salespeople: 

Had issues with persistent sellers not taking “no” for an answer even once it’s been clear—48%

• Persistent calls and messages—47%
• Hassling after a presentation—31%
• Pointed to salespeople not knowing their products—27%
• Salespeople just send too much information over—24% 

Salespeople just don’t get it: 79% of sellers claim they clearly understand digital-first selling and 74% say their firm has a standardized system for it, but only 37% says their sales team fully understands digital. 

What do salespeople need? 

• Better tech and platforms—50%
• Sales or revenue enablement platforms—44%
• Continuous learning—36% 
• Leverage B2C tools (i.e., social media)—27%

Better tech might include automated email systems that can send triggers and notifications, and ping both salespeople and their bosses so everyone sees what is going on. 

 “The role of email in virtual selling is manifold," says Hendrik Isebaert, CEO of Showpad. "It expands an organization’s marketing strategy quickly and efficiently and builds customer engagement. Above all, it provides a tailored means of communication to customers that resonates with their specific persona and addresses their particular business need.”

Social media is now a major factor. Of the businesses polled, 87% see social as instrumental to the future of B2B sales. And 27% would like more support and training.  

Buyers are now making purchases on:

• Facebook—69% 
• Instagram—57%
• YouTube—48%
• LinkedIn—26%

While 71% of sellers believe their firm is investing enough in tech to support sales teams, 53% feel they could use more training in digital sales. 

Of those polled, 20% have little or no training. While 38% of men say they have, only 17% of women have had training. And 2% of men admit they have had none, compared to 9% of females.  

Overall, 36% believe organizations need to offer better coaching and training going forward.. And that number reaches 41% for sellers aged 35-44.

Showpad surveyed 508 technology, manufacturing and finance companies with annual revenues ranging from $2 million to $1 billion. Job titles included practitioners, managers, directors, and executives across sales, marketing and enablement teams.