When analysts revealed earlier this year that automation is likely to negate the need for human B2B salespeople, the industry got a bit of a shock. It began last March when Forrester Research Analyst Andy Hoar spoke at an event and said that as many as 1 million B2B sales jobs are now at risk because of the rise of eCommerce in business-to-business trade. He soon followed with the publication of the “Death of a (B2B) Salesman” report.
Ever since, however, industry experts have been weighing in as to whether B2B salespeople really have to worry about getting the axe.
[bctt tweet=”Industry experts have been weighing in as to whether B2B salespeople really have to worry about getting the axe.”]
New insight published in Channel Pro adds to a growing list of experts that say B2B sales teams and account managers shouldn’t hit the panic button just yet. Instead, the rise in B2B eCommerce simply means B2B account managers will have to refocus.
“Businesses are able to focus salespeople away from basic tasks that can be managed digitally, so they can concentrate on more profitable targets and provide an improved service offering to customers,” said The Change Organization Director Ashley Sterland in a recent interview with the publication. The Change Organization is an independent distributor of IT and hardware for enterprise.
Still, Sterland said, the increase in corporate buyers turning to online platforms to procure and find partner suppliers will bring profound changes in the way B2B sales are done. “The rise of online sales should be the push that companies need to become more customer-focused,” he said. “With the recent economic forces and ever-evolving technologies, the only way companies can survive is to change their processes in order to win, serve and retain their customers.”
Automation can actually help human B2B sales teams tackle this demand for tighter relationships with business clients, Sterland said.
Plus, reports said, B2B buyers would have to know exactly which products and services they want if they are to complete every purchase entirely online without any human interaction, but “in a digital world this is simply not achievable,” the publication stated.
“As much as we like to buy online, there will always be a need for the ‘human touch,’” Channel Pro said.
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