Article

The Future of B2B Sales in 2021 and the Trends Shaping It

30 April 2021

Ricky Cookson

The future of sales is happening now. The way we sell, our methodology, how buyers buy — it’s all evolving right in front of us. And the future of sales in 2021 and beyond isn’t encompassed by a product or new technology; rather, it’s our outreach. The evolution of sales and the innovations on the horizon are routed in our outbound strategies.

We’re talking about LinkedIn in particular. Not just as a platform for increasing sales but as a medium for influencing your network, elevating your reputation as a thought leader, and empowering your team to follow suit.

It’s also who we’re outreaching to. The future of sales in 2021 is also about the “new” buyer. As millennials and more tech-savvy buyers take over the market, consumer behavior has fundamentally changed in B2B – and we’re really just catching up with behavior that’s already been established in B2C for over a decade.

Buyer Trends and Consumer Behavior
The Role of LinkedIn

B2B Buyer Trends and Consumer Behavior

The B2B landscape has been evolving for a while, but the onset of the pandemic and other contributing factors have launched new buyer behavior into high gear. Millennial buying habits are influencing sellers more than ever — the sale has gone digital in B2B.

Closing a deal isn’t about gaining the interest of a decision-maker; it’s about impacting a decision-making team. The future of sales in 2021 and beyond lie within these trends, understanding them, and creating ideal processes to account for them.

Millennial Buyers are Taking the Reins

The entire millennial generation has grown up with on-demand information and buying opportunities at their fingertips. According to Digital Commerce 360, millennials make 60% of their purchases online, and they’re applying these habits to B2B. 44% say they never want to speak to a sales rep.

Because of this, the future of sales is going to be devoid of “qualification” calls.

Deals are a multi-handshake operation

The days of a one-to-one or one-to-two selling process are long gone, my friends.

Today’s average B2B sale involves an average of seven people at companies with 100-500 employees. That means, as a sales rep, you have to engage with and make a positive impression on seven people to close a deal.

This has been happening for a while. Slowly but surely, the people involved in a sale have grown into a crowd of decision-makers. However, many sales organizations haven’t aligned their processes and sales approach to match that reality. The reason LinkedIn comes up with this topic is that it is the most efficient way to impact the mindset and interest of all seven people directly.

The B2C Experience is Coming to B2B

Looking again at millennial buying habits: the future of sales is in digital experiences. To compound the buying habits of millennials, Gartner reports that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between buyers and suppliers will occur in digital channels.

The Role of LinkedIn in B2B Sales

If you’re on LinkedIn at least once a week, there’s probably a leader in your feed that fits the profile.

In Jake Dunlap’s introduction to the Unmute Influence Tracks, he talks about three main aspects of influencing: Insights, Connecting, and Building a Reputation.

Influencing your industry means providing insights and knowledge in a way that caters to your audience’s preference. That means navigating away from gated ebooks and long-form blogs and giving people free access to YOU as a resource in short-form content on LinkedIn.
Everyone is on LinkedIn. Well, maybe not everyone, but there’s a vast, diverse array of people and industries. People often say, “my buyer isn’t on LinkedIn.” They most certainly are, and they’re coming in waves.

Using LinkedIn to Influence Your Buyers

When we say an “influencer” on LinkedIn, we’re not referring to the typical *takes a selfie* and highlights a lifestyle product. We’re talking about taking your unique insights and knowledge and flipping conventionally outbound on its head. If you’re on LinkedIn at least once a week, there’s probably a leader in your feed that fits the profile.

In Jake Dunlap’s introduction to the Influence Tracks, he talks about three main aspects of influencing: Insights, Connecting, and building a reputation.

Influencing your industry means providing insights and knowledge in a way that caters to your audience’s preference. That means navigating away from gated eBooks and long-form blogs and giving people free access to YOU as a resource in short-form content on LinkedIn.

Everyone is on LinkedIn. Well, maybe not everyone, but there’s a huge and diverse array of people and industries. People often say, “my buyer isn’t on LinkedIn.” They most certainly are, and they’re coming in waves.

Don’t focus on Likes. Focus on building your reputation. Your digital reputation can work wonders for your career as well as your company. Grow your audience, connect with the people you want to engage with, and start giving them valuable information. Jake puts it in the context of a tradeshow. Remember those?

Using LinkedIn to Empower your Sellers

On the flip side, Empower sessions catered to the people who understand the power of LinkedIn and where sales is heading. In other words, company leaders trying to expand opportunities in their organization by empowering their team to do more on LinkedIn.

Jake also covered the power of getting your team on board with a LinkedIn strategy and the ensuing benefits.

Your team’s voice will be bigger than the company’s megaphone every time, so lead by example. Set the tone and build an overarching understanding that activity on LinkedIn serves both the individual’s career and the company’s fruition.
Empower with insights and engage with your teammates’ and employees’ posts. If you took ten minutes to look through your employees’ LinkedIn pages, you won’t see great interaction. Give them a leg up by engaging with them, share your thoughts and encourage them to share theirs. Companies that have leaders empowering their employees to post, connect, and engage will take over LinkedIn.

Conquering the Future of Sales in 2021 with LinkedIn

Skaled started its LinkedIn Strategy practice because we believe in the power of LinkedIn. We believe in the effect it’s going to have on the future of sales in 2021 and the years to come. It’s the best means for meeting the customer where they’re at and where they want to consume information.

Right now is the time to get ahead of 2021 trends by modeling your sales strategy to align with the future of sales. Maybe you’re a passive user looking for a spark to ignite your track to influence buyers. Maybe you’re already there and need a strategy for bringing LinkedIn to the forefront of your organization’s sales. Either way, we can help you.