B2B Customer Acquisition: The role of human engagement in a world of digital-first enterprise marketing


The responsibility of moving a prospective buyer along the early stages of their journey now sits with marketing teams.
With millennials now moving into decision making positions, how should sales teams adapt their efforts?
Millennials don’t want to engage with sales immediately when making a B2B purchase. They are technologically savvy and happy to conduct a lot of the purchase research themselves online, so the sales process is a completely different experience for them when compared to older generations. A real example of this is cold-calling a millennial buyer with no understanding of who they are creates a negative impression with the individual and makes them unlikely to do business with your company. Because millennials complete a lot of the buying journey before their first sales meetings, the responsibility of moving a prospective buyer along the early stages of their journey now sits with marketing teams. They need to create digital campaigns such as whitepapers, landing pages and webinars that offer buyers a variety of content and real value, which they can access when it suits them best. When done correctly, this will give the sales teams much warmer leads to book first meetings with as they already understand the brand that they are engaging with and believe that your company could help them to solve a particular problem.



Sales and marketing teams can only deliver this by working together and taking advantage of the data that is available to them.
Does the responsibility of closing a sale still sit solely with sales teams?
It is more important than ever that marketing and sales teams are in sync with each other. Modern buyers expect a personalised and seamless buying experience. Sales and marketing teams can only deliver this by working together and taking advantage of the data that is available to them. Buyers educate themselves before interacting with sellers, which is why digital marketing across a range of channels is so important to a modern sales strategy. By analysing the data of how different types of buyers interact with different types of content, marketing can share valuable, personalised insights with their sales teams about what particular problems a buyer is facing and therefore how they can best sell to them. But not every sale requires the involvement of a sales person. We are increasingly seeing demand for digital only buying experiences. Over the last two and a half years, all of us have spent more time online through working remotely and have become used to attending virtual events. When you combine this with the fact that younger decision makers have grown up in a digital environment, it is easy to see the importance of offering unique, personalised digital buying experiences. The best experiences give buyers the opportunity to ask questions but without ever feeling like they are being sold to.

What is the role of a modern sales person?
Buyers prefer confident and efficient sellers. To achieve this, a salesperson not only needs a deep understanding of their industry, but they also need to build a strong level of trust with their buyers. This trust can only be built through direct interactions with the buyer and cannot be rushed. A longer sales process that has a higher chance of winning the sale is more valuable than a shorter sales process with a lower chance of winning the sale. Modern technologies can help salespeople to manage longer, more complex sales journeys so that the buyer still receives a smooth and efficient experience. As they collect more data over time, these tools can also help salespeople to understand how different personas of buyers need to be treated throughout the sales process. Whilst adopting new technologies and selling in a different way might seem daunting, when done correctly they present significant opportunities to sales teams as they can engage with more buyers at any one time than they previously could. To make sure that the personalised experience stays consistent even when speaking with larger numbers of buyers, marketing teams and leadership teams within businesses need to ensure that their sales teams feel supported and receive regular training.

SecurityHQ is a Global MSSP, that detects, and responds to threats, instantly. As your security partner, we alert and act on threats for you. Gain access to an army of analysts that work with you, as an extension of your team, 24/7, 365 days a year. Receive tailored advice and full visibility to ensure peace of mind, with our Global Security Operation Centres. Utilize our award-winning security solutions, knowledge, people, and process capabilities, to accelerate business and reduce risk and overall security costs.
Share this page
Get in touch
Share this page
