Empowering Salespeople Through B2B eCommerce Technology

It is only a matter of time before digital interactions between wholesale buyers and suppliers replace traditional sales models. In fact, over 80% of all business-to-business sales interactions are expected to take place through digital channels in the near future. Although sales channels are changing, B2B or wholesale teams are not going away soon.  

Despite the resurgence of face-to-face interactions with customers, buyers have stated that they prefer a cross-channel mix of interactions, including in-person, remote, and digital self-service. 

Wholesale businesses must provide their sales representatives with new tools and channels so that they can better cater their sales efforts toward meeting the purchasing preferences of their customers. Salespeople are moving toward a more digital-first approach without losing the human aspect that is so important in the sales process.  

The following are 4 ways that B2B eCommerce technology can help businesses empower their salespeople: 

Facilitating Access to Relevant Information 

Websites now serve as the primary source of product details and specifications for many B2B wholesalers. It allows customers to compare products, find the best options for their business, and process orders. A salesperson can help customers make the right decisions by directing them to the relevant pages or products on the website, and even go as far as placing the order for them to maximize existing product promotions. 

Besides product information, a B2B eCommerce website will have valuable customer information. Customers can check the status of their orders, whether they placed them themselves or a salesperson did, using their personal dashboard. They can also update their billing and shipping information, reducing non-sales support outreach. 

As a result, customers are more likely to use self-service, and sales representatives are better able to assist them. When a sales representative needs more information about a customer’s order, they can quickly access it online or through their order writing platform since all the order information is synced together. In the absence of such a system, the inability to access data on a product’s status or inventory could cause major order delays and customer dissatisfaction. 

Simplifying Order Placing 

Order taking and tracking are among the most common features of all eCommerce websites. Traditionally, orders were sent via emails and phone calls, which added multiple layers of complexity to data entry and made B2B e-commerce inefficient. This, in turn, made order tracking a major challenge. 

It is easier to keep track of all orders when the eCommerce website serves as the central hub for all transactions, whether customers or salespeople place them. This also helps the salesperson to determine when it’s time to reach out to their customers and place a new order.  

Sales representatives will also be able to close deals faster if they have an online ordering system in place. This can be especially handy when meeting with a customer on the road so they can enter an order on the fly. All of which while keeping everything centralized on the same platform. 

Even if a customer places an order on their own, a B2B website should allow the salesperson to review it and apply any current discounts before they finalize it. As an option, they can recommend additional products that they believe the customer will benefit from. 

Including a Quote System 

To help streamline the order process, sales reps can use a sales quoting system to generate draft orders for customers to review. Customers will then receive the recommended order via email or other means and then convert the quote to an order from anywhere. Before completing the purchase, they can either edit it on their own and resubmit it or call their salesperson to tweak it.  

Sales reps can spend less time preparing quotes and more time selling or assisting customers with a quotation system, which saves time and money. This system also makes the approval process and reporting and analytics simpler. 

In person, salespeople can use quote systems to create a draft order in real time and, if the customer is satisfied, complete the order on the spot. Because of the reduced paperwork, they can process the order faster, which means the customer will receive their goods sooner. 

Guarantee Proper Sales Attribution 

Providing accurate commission reporting and attribution for all sales generated by a salesperson will make them more satisfied with their work. Sales representatives who receive credit for managing their customers and closing deals are more motivated to continue doing good work, which results in happier customers and more sales.  

Whenever a salesperson is assigned to a sale, a modern eCommerce platform can attribute the order to them. When a salesperson is successful in getting their customers to be more self-sufficient online, the platform will still give them attribution for the steps involved and for contributing to more efficient sales. 

For managers, guaranteeing proper attribution is a great way to evaluate the performance of a sales team and figure out where improvements can be made.  

Empowering Salespeople with MarketTime 

Using MarketTime products, trusted networks can conduct commerce more effectively with sales professionals at the helm. We offer a complete wholesale solution to help sales reps save time and grow their business. 

MarketTime, which was designed from the ground up to support B2B commerce, has a variety of tools to help salespeople better serve their client base. Request a demo today to learn more about how MarketTime can help your salespeople.