1) Lead generation will continue to be a top priority for B2B sellers
The trend:
According to a 2021 Gartner study, 49% of sales leaders believe accelerating the early pipeline & lead generation efforts are the most critical elements to their success.
Dave’s take:
Current lead generation tactics are not as effective as they once were & businesses will continue to struggle building meaningful relationships.
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2) COVID & hybrid will continue to disrupt traditional sales
The trend:
A 2020 report from McKinsey found that only 20% of buyers say they hoped to return to in-person sales post-COVID, even in traditional sectors where field sales have dominated.
Dave’s take:
A greater understanding from buyers that they control the sales process, coupled with a growing hybrid workforce means that establishing trust with prospects at the top of the funnel will only become harder.
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3) Buyers (and everyone else) will be online more than ever
The trend:
COVID has supercharged activity online. Openreach data shows that UK internet use more than doubled in 2020. That will inevitably be the case for much of the world too.
Dave’s take:
There’s a big opportunity for sellers to reach buyers who are more engaged than ever in the digital world.
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4) Noise on social channels will continue to increase
The trend:
LinkedIn reported a 60% increase in content creation and a 55% increase in messaging during 2020.
Dave’s take:
Generic marketing tactics will be increasingly met with silence. The sellers who thrive will be the ones who break the mould.
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5) Automation will continue to escalate the noise problem
The trend:
Increased online noise will be compounded by marketing automation, with 61% of companies are now using it in one form or another.
Dave’s take:
Efficiency is an admirable goal. But too many sellers sacrifice quality for volume, which rarely translates to quality.
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6) Contact walls will become more mainstream
The trend:
Tools like Gated are already creating significant barriers for people who’ve traditionally used channels like email to mass-contact buyers.
Dave’s take:
Sellers who rely on mass-marketing approaches will find delivery & response rates continue to plummet.
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7) Lead quality will continue to decline
The trend:
A 2019 report found sales & marketing teams’ rate 84% of leads going through the funnel as low quality, causing slow, inefficient sales cycles with poor close rates.
Dave’s take:
Trends towards automated, mass-marketing will continue to damage the quality of leads entering the funnel. Sellers who thrive will be those with the tightest focus and opt for quality over quantity.