Between endless options, hawkish sellers, and long, drawn-out sales processes, today’s buyers have it rough. According to Gartner, 77% of B2B buyers agree that purchases have become very complex and difficult.
To simplify the buying process, your team must provide buyers with the resources to feel confident in their decision. Arming buyers with information relevant to their needs can empower them to decide if your product is right for them — quickly, and beyond a shadow of a doubt, reducing the time and work necessary for your team to close a deal and measurably shortening your average sales cycle length.
Buyer enablement is a sales strategy centered around providing buyers with the information and resources necessary for them to make an informed purchasing decision. This could include resources like:
A buyer enablement strategy places your buyers in the driver’s seat of their own decision-making process (and allows your team to gather the critical information necessary to close the sale).
Prioritizing buyer enablement with a mix of informational resources and input from your sales team can benefit both your team and your customers. Here’s how:
As the B2B buying process becomes more complex, buyers must take extra time to consider their purchases. Gartner found that around 90% of all buyers revisit decisions or loop back during the buying process — an additional step that stretches out your team’s sales cycles. But access to quality, customized self-guided resources can speed up buyers’ decision-making.
According to the Consensus 2024 Sales Engineering Compensation & Workload Report, the typical demo requires three hours of preparation time. Educated buyers require fewer hands-on demos to make their decision, as they have access to more information before meeting a sales representative, saving your team time and effort.
Plus, 75% of buyers prefer a rep-free buying experience, so fewer demos equals a win-win scenario.
In the 2024 SE Report, unqualified demos were found to directly cause longer sales cycles. Granting buyers access to decision-making resources early improves the quality of leads that reach your team — increasing their odds of conversion.
Unqualified leads can decide not to pursue your product without sacrificing your team’s time, while those who are interested will be better informed on how your product can work for them. Your team, in turn, can pursue high-value deals.
Enabling your buyers starts with implementing the right tools and tactics into your sales process. One particularly effective method of buyer enablement is using interactive video demos, which help buyers self-navigate their buying journey.
Rather than relying on the traditional (and time-consuming) demo process, your team can use interactive video demos to help buyers find exactly what they need before meeting with your team.
Interactive video demos offer a variety of benefits to empower your customers and streamline your sales process, including:
Consensus’s interactive video demo platform is designed to educate your buyers and provide valuable information without burdening your team. By using these digital solutions, you can maximize your team’s return on investment and reduce your sales cycles by 30%.
To learn more about how Consensus can elevate your buyer experience, talk to our team today or watch a demo to see the full benefits of this industry-leading, interactive sales solution.