Abstract
B2B selling continued to evolve, and the number of approaches and methodologies created over time illustrates how B2B sales continued to change and are never permanently fixed on a single approach to sales. There were several breakthrough approaches to B2B sales between 1950 and 2018, leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over that 68-year timeframe, some very successful methodologies were developed for the B2B seller to use. In particular, the personal relationship of the seller with their customer was finally realized and valued. All the changes, improvements, and new methodologies in B2B sales, prior to 2019, continue to illustrate how B2B sales is a moving, changing, and continuously searching-for-answers profession.
TopB2b Selling Before 2019
In the second half of the 20th and the earlier part of the 21st century, B2B selling continued to evolve and the number of approaches and methodologies created illustrates how B2B sales continued to change and never become permanently fixed on a single approach to sales. There were several breakthrough approaches to B2B sales between 1950 and 2018. Over that 68-year timeframe, some very successful methodologies were developed for the B2B sale. Among these were:
TopTransactional selling followed the long tradition of the peddlers and traveling salespeople who concerned themselves purely with making the sale. The goal was to simply get an agreement to buy, collect the contract or purchase order, and to satisfy a customer’s immediate need. There was little attention paid to repetitive selling, adding on to a sale with additional value, or worrying about future sales to the same customer.
Over many years, B2B sales leaders came to realize that selling was more complex than just the transaction that closed the sale. (Burns, 2003) argued that
Partly because the variables in the process of causation—human motivations such as people’s wants and needs; the ambitions of leaders and rulers; the nature and interaction of agency and of situation; the mysteries of creativity, conflict, and power—are too complex and variegated to lend themselves to simplistic explanations or monocausal analyses. (Burns, 2003, p. 21)
This complexity of the human condition led him to conclude that there is more to a relationship than a single act, a transaction.
To change is to substitute one thing for another, to give and take, to exchange places, to pass from one place to another. These are the kinds of changes I attribute to transactional leadership. But to transform something cuts much more profoundly. It is to cause a metamorphosis in form or structure, a change in the very condition or nature of a thing, a change into another substance, a radical change in outward form or inner character, as when a frog is transformed into a prince or a carriage maker into an auto factory. It is change of this breadth and depth that is fostered by transforming leadership. (Burns, 2003, p. 24)
With time, the idea of a transformational sale took root in many sales organizations. These organizations realized that another sale to an existing customer was more valuable and usually easier and less expensive than finding a new customer for every transaction. Transforming the sales process into a relationship building process became precious and the goal. Transformational selling promised to convert unknown prospective buyers into long-term, relationship-based customers. Much of this approach was based on the establishment of a personal relationship between the salesperson and the decision-maker or buyer. Again, B2B selling evolved and changed.
TopPersonal Selling
An extended discussion of personal selling techniques can be found in Chapter 2: B2B Versus B2C Selling. Suffice it to say that personal selling remained a key component of all the later sales methods. The relationship established by the B2B salesperson with their customer—in particular, their buyer or decision maker—remained a key ingredient in sales success. It was a cornerstone of transformational selling.
Later methodologies realized that there was more to achieving success in B2B sales than the personal relationship. Each of these later methods focused on skills, knowledge, approaches, and ways to influence, direct, or motivate the customer.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Internet: The internet is a global network of interconnected computers and computer networks that communicate using a standardized set of protocols. It allows for the exchange of information, communication, and the sharing of resources and services (OpenAI, 2023 AU20: The in-text citation "OpenAI, 2023" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Strategic Accounts: Strategic accounts, in a business context, refer to key customers or clients that hold significant value to an organization. These accounts are often strategic in terms of revenue, long-term relationships, or their potential impact on the overall success and growth of the business (OpenAI, 2023 AU22: The in-text citation "OpenAI, 2023" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Transformational Relationships: Transformational relationships are deep, meaningful connections between individuals or entities that go beyond transactional interactions. These relationships involve mutual growth, support, and positive change, and they often lead to transformative experiences for those involved. In a business context, transformational relationships may refer to partnerships or collaborations that drive significant change or innovation (OpenAI, 2023 AU23: The in-text citation "OpenAI, 2023" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).
Recruitment: Recruitment is the process of actively seeking and attracting individuals with the required skills and qualifications to fill job vacancies within an organization. It involves sourcing, screening, interviewing, and selecting candidates for employment (OpenAI, 2023 AU21: The in-text citation "OpenAI, 2023" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ).