Top 3 ways to simplify and shorten the B2B sales cycle
Today, B2B buyers are researching, communicating and purchasing online more than ever before. By 2025, Gartner estimates that 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur on digital channels. And recent reports show that B2B buyers use, on average, 10 or more channels to conduct business with B2B sellers.
This means the average B2B sales process is also becoming longer – up to four months on average and between six months to a year depending on the industry and level of product complexity.
That’s why manufacturers are increasingly looking for new ways shorten the sales cycle while also meeting buyer preferences. In fact, 66% of US manufacturers agree that implementing B2B eCommerce is a “high” or “very high” priority. In this kind of digital-first landscape, providing superior buyer experiences has become a central ingredient to B2B sales success. Manufacturers that can meet the demand for seamless digital commerce experiences across all sales channels will win loyalty and grow revenues.
What is multi-channel sales and why does it matter to the B2B manufacturing sales process?
Multi-channel selling is a sales strategy that allows a business to offer its products or services through an assortment of different commerce channels in order to reach and engage customers. These channels can include both online (digital) and offline platforms, for example:
Online channels:
- eCommerce websites
- Third-party marketplaces
- Social media platforms
- Email orders
- Mobile apps
Offline channels:
- Brick-and-mortar stores or showrooms
- Trade shows
- Direct sales
- Phone orders
- Partner or distributor networks
Essentially, multi-channel sales give companies the flexibility and freedom to meet B2B buyers wherever they are – so they can browse, research and purchase products according to their own preferences. In multichannel sales, each channel operates independently as its own touchpoint, however together these channels form a unified network that allows for maximal accessibility and customer reach.
3 ways manufacturers can simplify and shorten the B2B sales cycle with multi-channel sales
1. Streamline the sales process by reducing the steps and friction to buy
For B2B buyers, a better user experiences means a faster ability to make informed purchasing decisions with accurate pricing info and any other relevant content they need to complete their transaction quickly, conveniently and securely. Aleran’s B2B commerce platform gives buyers 24-7 access to the self-service tools buyers need to request a quote, place orders, check status, reorder products, access customer service and more.
For sellers, streamlining the sales process for buyers means expanding market reach, optimizing resources and growing sales. Aleran’s powerful suite of sales order management tools, for example, allow B2B sellers to manage their accounts, customers and orders – all from a single view. Aleran also gives manufacturers the tools they need to easily sync their commerce operations. By doing so they can automate time-intensive sales processes, access critical data from channel partners, scale faster and streamline operations in real-time.
2. Suggest recommended products to make it easy to buy
By leveraging the power of AI with Aleran’s Suggested Selling feature, B2B manufacturers can present and personalize product recommendations to existing and potential buyers based on their buying history, search history, location and more. On average, Aleran customers see an 18% lift in sales with recommended products.
Also, for B2B sellers, pairing suggested sales with multi-channel sales offers the use of automation tools that handle repetitive tasks like order processing, inventory management, and even customer service. For example, an integrated system like Aleran’s digital commerce platform can automatically sync and update inventory levels from your ERP, CRM, WMS or other systems, so that when a product is sold on any channel, consistency is maintained across eCommerce sites, physical stores and partner platforms. This reduces the need for manual data entry, helps prevent stockouts and improves overall operational efficiency.
Sellers can track buyer preferences and purchasing history across all channels, to deliver personalized recommendations and promotions. And self-service options like online customer portals allow buyers to request quotes, place orders, track shipments, or manage their accounts independently, without any direct seller interaction. Buyers gain the convenience they crave along with the ability to make decisions faster.
3. Increase customer satisfaction – happier customers, buy more faster.
Sales to existing customers is usually months less than to new customers – under three months on average versus six months to a year.
What if you could shorten that to days or weeks?
It is possible! Today’s B2B buyers expect seamless interactions across whatever channel they happen to be on. For sellers, that means putting customers at the center of the buying journey with self-service experiences, automated workflows, and personalization tools that support their needs.
Aleran’s digital commerce platform gives buyers consistency across all touchpoints for frictionless and hassle-free customer journeys. Sellers can increase customer satisfaction with fully automated sales order entry and management, self-service quoting for configurable products, product information management (PIM) for B2B sales, 24-7 customer portals and other out-of-the-box features that help create optimal buyer experiences and happier customers.
Bottom line: manufacturers improve B2B sales with self-service options
Are you a B2B manufacturer looking to shorten your sales cycle?
Even if you are an Engineer-To-Order (ETO) manufacturer, it is possible.
Check out our recent blog post – it isn’t as complex as you think.
Ready to learn more? Talk to an Aleran expert today!
