When you think about sales in the B2B market, you probably think about big account sales, executive support, and vice president level influences. However, what about that mass of decision-makers who sit between the business leaders and the executive teams? They are arguably the most difficult people to sell to; they are bombarded with sales content, information, and opportunities every single day. The challenge is how to cut through the clutter and provide the self-service sales experience that buyers demand.

 Customer expectations are shifting dramatically. Today’s b2b buyers want business technology to deliver a self-service experience that increases their speed to value and reduces their total cost of ownership.

In today’s b2b buying environment, buyers have high expectations from a B2B lead generation company when it comes to self-service sales. They expect a fast, frictionless, interactive, and engaging shopping experience when they visit your website. The sales funnel has evolved and with that comes the need for a digital transformation of the sales process.

 

What is a self-service sales experience and why businesses should create one where buyers can make their own decisions?

 

Self-service sales experience: The B2B purchasing experience is changing rapidly. Purchasing decisions are changing from a sales-led process to a self-service process. 65% of decision-makers today take the self-service route to purchase. The idea of self-service is not new but is gaining traction with the boom in B2B directory listing sites.

 

The B2B lead generation company is undergoing rapid transformation as a result of a paradigm shift in the way B2B buyers search for products and services on the web—moving from the traditional one-way information flow to a more interactive and social self-service model.

 Buyers search for information on their own using specific searching criteria to identify what they want, and socialize and share that information across their professional network.

 

Why Self-service sale model is demanded?

 

•  Buyer behavior is changing. This new B2B buyer is constantly connected and highly educated. Their ability to easily find and access information is helping them research, evaluate and buy enterprise software solutions. They are impatient and demand a self-service experience that is easily accessible anytime, anywhere.

• B2B lead generation was one of the first target markets for self-service solutions. Over the last decade, B2B directory listing sites have evolved from static websites for sales prospects to offering next-level solutions for sales and marketing teams that provide a simple, convenient user experience.

 What is the benefit of the self-service sale model in a B2B lead generation company?

Modern organizations are using the self-service experience of portals extensively for their sales activities. They are using it for simple tasks such as: creating proposals, writing reports, creating and editing deals, and taking advantage of other core portal features.

Let’s look at the benefits:

• Reduced cots: A B2B lead generation company has a dedicated customer support team. However, the sales team has to resort to self-service options like chat, email, and forums for the customers. It is time for sales to take over customer support using the self-service tool. As the customers prefer using the self-service tool the requirement for customer support is less. B2B directory listing sites have a self-service feature that provides users with the ability to search for products and services and complete transactions.

• Quick service: The B2B portal is a sales channel that has a wide range of customers. The service provider can tailor the channel to meet the needs of the client. For self-service sales, this means that the sales process can be automated in the portal. B2B  directory listing sites that use the self-service sales model helps to improve business efficiency and save time.

• Customer satisfaction: To improve customer satisfaction, many B2B companies are turning to self-service options. Often, a company's online presence is where sales are made, so it's a good idea to optimize this presence. The self-service selling approach has changed the way B2B directory listing sites where buyers interact with sellers and have enabled companies to communicate and sell to prospects more effectively.

This way, sales are freed up to spend time on larger deals, close more deals and provide better service to existing clients. It is well-known to those in the B2B marketing and sales industry that self-service is the best way to improve customer satisfaction and predictability. When customers are forced to wait on hold or encounter an agent, they are left with a bad feeling which can cloud their judgment of your business. So it reduces the customer churn rate and increased customers on the portal.