Your website’s B2B online buying experience should focus on customers, not internal sales teams.
Fact: “We don’t currently have an e-commerce platform that is contributing anything significant to our bottom line.” That is the frank perspective of one dealer spokesperson contacted for this article. Nearly halfway through 2022, and many office-equipment dealerships still haven’t even tried integrating an e-commerce selling presence on their websites.
Anthony Sci, president and CEO of Keypoint Intelligence figuratively scratches his head and wonders why some in the channel persist in their procrastination while others aren’t finding much success. He believes the virtually left-out dealers essentially are leaving money on the table. “Your website should be the hub of your organization,” said Sci. “Customers want the ability to purchase online from you directly, and not offering this capability has a negative impact on margins. If they can’t purchase quickly and easily from you, they’ll go somewhere else.”
As many as “80% of clients conduct internet research before they buy, and many of them may return to a website two to four times,” continued Sci, who has been working for dealers and manufacturers for three decades. His firm provides product information, market research, and lab testing for business-to-business equipment and related software, including a new e-commerce platform.
As painful as it is for more seasoned owners, managers, and sales representatives to hear, the reality is that many online shoppers of a certain age (think millennials under 40) prefer not to talk with another human being. Sci pointed out that, over the past 10 years or so, people of all age groups have grown accustomed to the Amazon.com buying experience: A mouse click/smartphone tap or two quickly gets them what they want. Whatever it is they may need, “consumers have the ability to compare, shop, build it, order it, and chat – if they want to,” he said. Sci admitted that he never imagined 1 million used cars would be bought online, as they have from Carvana since 2012.
Norm McConkey, creator of MPSToolbox, which provides online selling solutions to imaging technology resellers, also acknowledged the generational gap. These days, “the majority of this business are turnover sales of devices being replaced,” explained the B2B e-commerce guru. “Most people in their 30s are like, ‘Dude, I just need a printer!’ They don’t want to deal with a sales rep. Today’s customers don’t fit the traditional model that most reps are used to.”
The Amazon Test
Test whether your e-commerce platform meets consumers’ demanding “checkout-cart expectations” by comparing your user experience (UX) to Amazon, CDW, and Staples, suggested McConkey. “When it comes to product specifications, your website’s pull-down menus and navigation bars need to be functional and fast,” he emphasized. Requiring forms to be filled out impedes the process, he noted, adding that “this is not the place to educate.” Says McConkey, “in most cases, selling printing solutions is not that complicated. We’re talking about, say, an A4 device that needs a couple cartridges per month.”
For those dealers/owners still dragging their feet on e-commerce, McConkey strongly urges them to consider a more IT-centric business model. “There is no future in a print-only business,” he said, especially when today’s print portion “is so insignificant, representing only approximately 5% of a customer’s total spend. The product mix needs to change.” He knows this can be a tough pill for dealers to swallow. Fifteen years ago, McConkey was selling the PrintFleet remote-monitoring systems that he developed. But times have changed, and there no longer are “magic problems” for sales reps to solve. Plus, the days of over-prescribing hardware are over, he added.
Sci knows that many dealers/owners object to listing prices online. “Start small with commodity supplies for ‘Segment 1’ A3 and A4 products,” he encouraged, adding that pricing can be changed at any time.
Who’s Doing the Selling?
Upsetting their sales professionals is another hurdle that dealers need to clear. If you have people making $150,000 or $200,000 a year, keep the ones earning good money and make them richer,” stressed McConkey. However, most dealerships have a difficult time retaining sales reps. “If they’re not making $100,000, they’re [probably] leaving,” he noted. So, what’s a dealer to do? Hire younger reps who are comfortable selling technology in an e-commerce workflow, recommended McConkey.
Let’s face it, Keypoint Intelligence’s Sci added, “most reps are not making money selling Segment 1 and A4 products anyway.” They should use e-commerce as a lead-generating tool that can guide them to managed IT or other solutions-based services that customers and prospects also need. “The B2B website can be a place where sales reps come together with customers to collaborate,” added McConkey. “Think of reps as the concierge. If a customer is not sure what he or she needs, they can email the rep for a link.” If your reps are not involved, if they’re not offering product knowledge and adding value, then you’re no better than Amazon or CDW, warned McConkey.
Are there best practices when you’re ready to select an e-commerce vendor? According to both McConkey and Sci It comes down to strategy and dealership culture. “What do you want out of e-commerce?” Sci asks, adding that it should be more than merely a tool. “The marketing approach should draw people to your website,” he noted. “No one knows your customers better than you do, so customize your e-commerce solution to meet their needs. It all starts with the customer,” he concluded.
McConkey likes to inquire about an ownership’s vision for the future of its business and advises clients to be cautious about partnering with “yes men.” “Remain open-minded and don’t fall in love with someone who tells you what you want to hear,” he said.
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