The document discusses the shift in B2B sales where buyers are more empowered and have access to extensive information, leading to a need for salespeople to transform from traditional pitch roles to problem-solving consultants. It emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs and adapting sales approaches to align with contemporary buying behaviors. The document highlights the decline in traditional sales jobs and the necessity for sales professionals to focus on creating value for customers.

1. Transforming Your Reps From
Pitch Men To Problem Solvers
New Rules for Sales Enablement Success
Peter O’Neill, Vice President & Research Director, Forrester
Lisa Clark, Vice President, Qstream
May 12, 2016

3. Sharing Today’s Webcast
Twitter
@Qstream
@poneillforr
Hashtag
#ditchthepitch

4. Peter O’Neill
Vice President, Research Director

5. © 2016 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 5
B2B Buyers Are More Empowered
Source: “Winning In The Age Of The Customer,” Forrester Research, Inc., April 6, 2015
“Two years ago we coined the term ‘new age seller.’ The buyer’s journey has changed for the
sales rep. Control has shifted away from the sales person, as sales is no longer the sole
provider of information.”
– Linda Connly, VP Global Inside Sales, EMC
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• Your sales
people
• Google
• Your website
• Peers/colleagues
• Experts
• Your customers
• Brand perception
• Features/benefits
• Brand perception
• Features/benefits
• Alternatives
• Comparisons
• Brand perception
• Features/benefits
• Alternatives
• Comparisons
• Reputations
• Customer opinions
• Prices
Sources of
information
What
buyers
know in
advance
Pre-Web
More Information Puts Buyers in Control
Web 1.0 AOTC
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B2B Buyer Behavior and Attitudes
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B2C B2B
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B2C B2B
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B2C B2B
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B2C B2B
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B2C B2B
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B2B Buyers Conduct Research Online
Source: “The B2B Sales Force Digital Reboot” Forrester Research, Inc., October 19, 2015. Graphic Source: SalesforLife, “The Resurrection of the B2B Salesperson
[Infographic]” (http://www.salesforlife.com/infographics/the-resurrection-of-the-b2b-salesperson/)
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12% of U.S. B2B Sales Will Be Digital
Source: Forrester Research B2B eCommerce Forecast, 2015 to 2020 (US).
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When and Why Do B2B Buyers Want to
Talk?
Source: Forrester/Internet Retailer Q1 2015 US B2B Buyer Channel Preferences Online Survey.
When
expensive
When
complex
When
negotiating
price
Requires
installation
67%
82%
91%
67%
Requires
service
64%
Base: 224 U.S. B2B Buyers and Sellers
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Guiding
Consulting
Educating
Informing
Promoting
Pitching
BiddingOnboarding
Engaging
Leveraging
Marketing (and Sales!) Roles During The
Customer Life Cycle

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Execs No Longer Want Pitch Men
Source: Forrester’s Q4 2013 North America And Europe Executive Buyer Insight Online Survey
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What It Means? A Digital SF Reboot
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1M Less Sales Jobs in 4 Years
Source: “The B2B Sales Force Digital Reboot” Forrester Research, Inc., October 19, 2015. Graphic Source: SalesforLife, “The Resurrection of the B2B Salesperson
[Infographic]” (http://www.salesforlife.com/infographics/the-resurrection-of-the-b2b-salesperson/)
@poneillforr

20. Number of B2B salespeople/$1MM of GDP
has declined steadily in the last 20 years
• 2.08 in 1995
• 1.79 in 2002
• 0.99 in 2013
Source: Race Against The Machine
By Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee

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B2B Seller and Buyer Archetypes
Source: “The Death of A (B2B) Salesman” Forrester Research, Inc., April 13, 2015
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B2B Seller and Buyer Archetypes
Source: “The Death of A (B2B) Salesman” Forrester Research, Inc., April 13, 2015
@poneillforr

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Displacement Impact: By Industry (2012-2020)
Source: “The Death of A (B2B) Salesman” Forrester Research, Inc., April 13, 2015
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High Tech Healthcare Insurance Building &
Construction
Financial
Services
Travel &
Hospitality
Wholesale &
Distribution
Brand Manu
& CPG
Consultants LOW LOW LOW LOW LOW LOW LOW LOW
Navigators LOW MED LOW LOW MED MED HIGH MED
Explainers MED MED MED MED HIGH HIGH HIGH MED
Order Takers HIGH MED MED HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH

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Consultant Salesperson Attributes
Source: “The B2B Sales Force Digital Reboot” Forrester Research, Inc., October 19, 2015
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Salesperson Assessments Needed
Source: “The B2B Sales Force Digital Reboot” Forrester Research, Inc., October 19, 2015
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Empower Sellers To Become Problem
Solvers For The Buyer
“In the past two years, there has been a return to outbound calling. The transparency to get to
the right person, through various data sources and social media, has made it really easy.”
– David Stillman, CEO, Vorsight
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Can You Ever (Re)Train a Sales Force?
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Switch Focus To Customers, Not Products
Source: “Why Buyers Don't Want To Meet Your Salespeople And What To Do About It” Forrester Research, Inc., September 9, 2015
“We have a strong product and that is both a strength and weakness. Five years ago the
product sold itself. Now we need to be more market- and customer-centric.”
– Gilbert Gaeta, Head of APAC Brand Solutions, Google
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Sellers who
are ubiquitous
and customer
obsessed –
Problem
Solvers!
“Help customers
buy, whenever,
however and
wherever they
want.”
– Neil Ringel,
VP of Staples
Advantage”
A Win–Win
@poneillforr

30. Managing Sales Capabilities
at the Speed of Change

31. Case Study
Think like a CXO
Act like a CXO
Speak like a CXO

32. Mobile Sales Reinforcement!
Notification! Challenge! Results! Explanation!1
2
3
4
Leaderboard!5

33. Data-Driven Dashboards and Sales Fluency Heatmaps!

34. Managing Change at Scale
“The whole experience was eye-opening.
Never before have we had this level of
granularity and measurement for a change
management initiative. We were able to
provide visibility all the way up to
the board level on how well we were doing
in the transition to value-based selling.”
Global Sales Enablement
Director

35. Top Performers are Proficient!
In All Aspects of Their Job !
Competition!
Marketing
Materials!
Compliance!
Industry!
Sales Process !
& Tools !
Product!
Messaging!
Selling !
Skills!

36. One-third of reps are not ready…
But which ones
are they?

37. Time
MotivationImportant Considerations
Insights
Convenience

38. Please use the!
chat window to
submit your
questions or
comments !

39. Presentation Title
Subhead Goes Here
Peter O’Neill
Forrester Research
+49 69 959298 39
poneill@forrester.com
@poneillforr
Thank you
Lisa Clark
Qstream
781-214-4528
lclark@Qstream.com
@Qstream