Bridging the Buyer-Seller Gap [Research]

In 2024, it's time to shift our sales approach from being seller-centric to buyer-centric. The current training methods often fall short by emphasizing aggressive tactics like "sell me this pen," turning salespeople into cold, mechanical figures that buyers avoid.

To change this, sales teams must build empathy — understand the challenges buyers face and see what it's like to be in their shoes.

So we decided to ask B2B buyers and sellers (~200 people, ~95% being in executive leadership positions) what’s their typical experience like, including the challenges, priorities, and buyer-seller relationships.

This ebook contains the key takeaways to help you tweak your B2B sales strategy to the realities of the modern world.

Key takeaways

• Most buyers prefer autonomy and tend to conduct their own research rather than rely solely on information from salespeople.

• While product features are a top priority for B2B buyers, their experience in the process is also important.

• Issues with cost, communication, and buyer experience are significant dealbreakers in B2B buying.

• B2B sellers face significant challenges, including difficulty reaching buyers and building internal champions.

• The main reasons for losing winnable deals are lack of consensus among buyers and absence of an internal advocate.

• Successful deal closure is typically indicated by buyer engagement and relationships with internal champions.

• The most common salesperson’s missteps include inadequate discovery and failure to engage multiple stakeholders.

Join our CRO Alper as he discusses the common pitfalls salespeople make and best practices to match buyer expectations with our guests: Christina Brady, Hannah Ajikawo, and Lisa Travnik.

Watch on-demand