Sales, as we know it, is evolving at lightning speed. Quite a few of the common ways of selling are outdated and creating gaps between you and your buyer. Today, the most successful sales organizations are embracing omnichannel strategies, hyper-personalization, and hybrid sales models to meet buyers where they are.
If you’re in sales, marketing, or leadership, understanding these trends is crucial for staying ahead of the competition. Let’s dive into how these strategies are reshaping person-to-person sales interactions—and what you can do to keep up.
In today’s digital-first world, customers don’t engage with businesses through a single channel. Typically, they start with digital interactions via social media, chatbots, and webinars. Person-to-person interactions (emails, texts, virtual, and in-person meetings) come later but are still parts of the decision process. Since 2021, Salesforce and others have found that 94% of B2B buyers use multiple channels throughout their buying journey, and they expect seamless transitions between them.
Interacting with your buyer has grown beyond just what happens between the individual seller and the buyer. From the moment your buyer interacts with a chatbot to the live conversation, there are expectations that the information and feel will fit the buyer and their organization.
Buyers no longer respond to generic sales pitches. This has shown up in quite a few sales performance surveys, and buyers express irritation when they have to sit through a presentation that doesn’t relate to them. They expect tailored recommendations, relevant content, and a consultative approach rather than a hard sell. Gartner and 6sense continue to report that more than three-quarters of B2B buyers expect personalized interactions based on their previous engagements.
One of the consistent behavioral changes that started even before 2020 is the B2B buyer looking for an experience that fits them. This means sellers have to shift their mindset from only selling from a “pain point” perspective to discerning if their buyer is making their decisions to mitigate actual or perceived loss or to maximize opportunities and advantages. By shifting from a “product push” mindset to an advisory role where sellers actively listen to a prospect’s needs, you are more likely to understand and personalize the message and experience for your buyer. Complementing real-time information obtained in person-to-person interactions with sales enablement tools can clarify the buyer’s intentions, aspirations, and concerns. This creates segmented experiences based on your buyer’s industry, company size, or buying stage.
The pandemic accelerated digital transformation and many companies have found success in remote selling. Forrester ( https://www.forrester.com/bold/) found that “more than half of large B2B transactions (valued at $1 million or more) are projected to be processed through digital self-serve channels, such as vendor websites or marketplaces.” But in B2B sales, particularly in complex or disruptive technology, in-person interactions still hold immense value. The solution? A hybrid sales model—a mix of digital and face-to-face engagement.
According to several buyer behavior surveys spanning the last 5 years from Bain and Company as well as others, the majority of sales interactions are hybrid. Buyers seem to prefer a combination of virtual meetings, self-service options, and, less frequently, in-person engagements. Some of our clients have reported being more efficient and able to reach out to more of their buyers than when they were in-person only. In many cases, this has reduced the number of touches needed to close deals as well as the cost of acquiring new customers.
This trend overlaps with the personalization trend. The first step is to identify and understand your buyer’s engagement preference. Some may prefer digital-only, while others require in-person touchpoints. Since the digital sales experience is preferred by B2B buyers, it makes sense to invest in virtual selling tools — AI-driven prospecting, personalized video messaging, and interactive demos enhance online interactions.
It is worth noting that setting and forgetting sales conversation skills is a thing of the past. Virtual selling requires a different skill set than in-person meetings, so continuous learning is essential. Look for opportunities to train your team for both environments. Consider how you leverage in-person meetings strategically. They can be powerful tools to seal deals, build rapport, and differentiate from competitors. Our clients often report that their buyers are surprised by the way the conversation is geared towards their goals, aspirations, and concerns without relying on stock presentations or generic sales tactics. The well-crafted sales conversation can be the glue for growing sustainable customer relationships.
Omnichannel strategies, personalization, and hybrid models aren’t just buzzwords—they’re the future of sales. Today’s buyers are digitally empowered, and they expect flexibility, relevance, and consistency. Sales leaders who embrace these trends will create deeper relationships, close more deals, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.
The key takeaway? Sales is no longer about just making a pitch—it’s about meeting customers where they are, understanding their needs, and creating a seamless, personalized experience across every channel.