According to Corporate Visions, Inc., survey results reflecting the responses of more than 700 business-to-business (B2B) marketers and salespeople from around the world, regarding their level of
confidence when it comes to having key customer conversations, showed a disconnect between where salespeople feel pressure and how well their companies prepare them for these critical
conversations.
38% of B2B marketers and salespeople around the world identified conversations in which they create opportunities from the status quo as their most valuable in helping them
reach quota, followed by effective executive conversations, and conversations in which they achieve successful competitive differentiation. Notably, the conversations in which they must demonstrate
financial justification and master purchase negotiations are rated the least valued.
B2B
Salespeople’s Most Highly Valued Conversations (Impact on Marketers and Salespeople to Achieve Quota) |
Conversation | Highly Valued by % of Respondents |
Creating opportunities from status quo | 38% |
Effective executive conversation | 16 |
Achieving successful competitive differentiation | 14 |
Showcasing compelling product presentations | 13 |
Demonstrating financial justification | 10 |
Mastering purchasing negotiations | 9 |
Source: Corporate
Visions, July 2014 |
Ironically, notes the report, sales people say they feel most adequately prepared for the conversations they value least:
- Showcasing compelling product presentations… 63% feel prepared/13% value most
- Achieving successful competitive differentiation… 54% feel prepared/14% value most
In one example, nearly 40% of respondents identified “opportunity creation” conversations as having the highest impact on helping salespeople achieve quota, but only half feel
adequately prepared to create new sales opportunities with the content and training provided to them by their organizations.
After the opportunity creation conversation, salespeople ranked
having effective executive conversations as the next most integral factor to helping them achieve quota. The entire list of conversations rankings looked like this:
- Creating
opportunities from status quo… 38%
- Having effective executive conversations… 16%
- Achieving successful competitive differentiation… 14%
- Showcasing
compelling product presentations… 13%
- Demonstrating financial justification… 10%
- Mastering purchasing negotiations… 9%
When asked what causes
the greatest amount of pressure for sales reps, respondents indicated that they experienced the most tension during the following conversations:
- Demonstrating financial
justification… 26%
- Mastering purchasing negotiations… 25%
- Having effective executive conversations… 24%
Tim Riesterer, chief strategy and
marketing officer for Corporate Visions, concludes that “… what is surprising… is how grossly unprepared reps are when it comes to having the three most critical conversations in
the customer buying cycle… effective executive-level conversations… financial justification for what they’re selling… and a negotiated price that ensures maximum
investment… “For more from Corporate Visions, please visit here.