A sales candidate was searching for a sales job and came across some sales job postings that required b2b sales experience and had asked me what does b2b sales experience mean. So what the heck is b2b and how do you go about getting it? Well, b2b is an acronym for “Business to Business” and in this case business to business sales.
WHATS THE DIFFERENCE?
B2B sales is different than B2C which stands for Business to Consumer, so the main difference is the target audience for your products or services. The call points are different and sales approach is different for each target. For example, a B2B sales professional selling to a business will need to get past a gatekeeper, and find the decision maker. Depending on the person with the buying power within an organization, a B2B sales rep will need to identify that person and get in front of him/her to sell their product/service, which is provided by their company. Selling directly to consumer, you will be dealing with different buying cycles and the decision making process will be different.
A B2B sales professional might sell professional services such as healthcare, software, support or consulting. The selling in the B2B market space is different than B2C but there are also transferable selling skills that blend with both, so if you don’t have specific B2B sales skills, don’t count yourself out just yet. It is your job to identify the skills you have to match the needs of the hiring company.
WHY WOULD A COMPANY ASK FOR B2B EXPERIENCE?
Any job opening is looking for the best candidate with certain skills and experience to hit the ground running the quickest and to bring results fast. For a person with previous B2B sales experience, the sales manager will not have to train them on the differences on how to sell the product or services. So not all sales experience is the same and for higher priced or more technical products such as software, experience goes a long way because not only will experience mean the person will be effective much quicker but also come with a list of contacts that they have done business with in the past with established relationships.
If you are interested in a B2B sales job or want to see the different job offerings, take a look at the following link to view the current B2B sales job opportunities in your area: B2B Sales Jobs
Leave a Reply