BNET published an article today written by Geoffrey James titled, “The Future of B2B: Like It or Not.” James is highly qualified to write and forecast B2B trends having “sold and written hundreds of features, articles and columns for national publications, including Wired, Men’s Health, Business 2.0, SellingPower, Brand World, Computer Gaming World, CIO, The New York Times and (of course) BNET.”
The article is a series of 10 predictions concerning the future of B2B. James wrote this 10 years after he made his first set of predictions which were a great success. I found his 10 predictions very interesting and thought they would be great to share with you.
James’ 10 B2B in 2020 predictions (without descriptions):
10: Entry-level Sales Jobs Will Be Extinct.
9 : B2B Selling Will Be Specialized.
8 : The Road Warrior Will Be an Endangered Species.
7 : Sales Technology Will Dominate Selling.
6 : “Dress for Success” Will Be Irrelevant.
5 : All B2B Marketing Will Be Measured.
4 : All B2B Advertising Will Be Quantified.
3 : Traditional B2B Advertising Will Wither.
2 : Trade Magazines Will Disappear.
1 : B2B Marketing Groups Will Be Downsized.
Click here to read the full article.
Through my previous experience selling tier-2 enterprise software, I have already seen signs of predictions No. 8 and No. 9 coming true. Technology is advancing quickly in B2B, and many tools are available to help eliminate a large percentage of travel expenses associated with the sales cycle. Some of these technologies include video conferencing and Webinars.
Finally, I would like to call attention to prediction No. 3. James believes that the majority of B2B leads will come from online environments and direct mail. Assuming this is true, what are you doing now to ensure your organization will be prepared for this shift? Have you begun to establish a strong online presence? What’s worked for you thus far?
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