Traditional channel strategy has been upended. B2B Leading B2B sales organizations react to changing customers now often use more than nine channels buyer behavior in three specific ways. First, they on their buying journeys—from older channels adopt hybrid as the default approach. Second, like email and phone calls to mobile apps and web to make hybrid work for customers, companies chats.4 optimize the channel experience for each step They have become so comfortable with this mode that many are happy to close deals in excess of the customer-buying process. Finally, leaders of $500,000 without ever meeting the seller in find creative ways to complement traditional sales person. Customers no longer think of channels; channels, thereby unearthing new sources of they want intuitive, seamless, and personalized revenue. experiences that satisfy their buying needs (Exhibit 5). Adopt hybrid as the default approach The idea of allocating reps to accounts once a year It’s a reality: more than 65 percent of companies and then reevaluating for the next planning cycle now prefer remote and digital interactions, a is no longer effective. Companies that addressed trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. this change and sold through more channels grew Increasingly, they are investing more in hybrid market share at a faster rate in 2021.5 roles—reps are no longer seen as “field” or “inside” Exhibit 5 B2B buyers have settled into using an evenly divided mix of sales channels. Current way of interacting with suppliers’ sales reps, by stage of process • of respondents per sales-channel type¹ Traditional interactions² emote human interactions² igital self-serice² …ug 2† ‹e 21 ec 21 …ug 2† ‹e 21 ec 21 …ug 2† ‹e 21 ec 21 …ug 2† ‹e 21 ec 21 29 32 33 22 32 33 20 32 32 19 30 30 35 48 35 44 34 46 34 33 49 33 34 33 22 34 34 30 33 33 36 34 35 35 36 36 ’dentifying and Considering and ˜rdering eordering researching new suppliers ealuating new suppliers 2 out of 3 buyers in 2021 opted for remote human interactions or digital selfservice 1Q: Currently, how do you split your time with sales reps from your company's suppliers during the following stages of interactions? 2Traditional includes in-person meetings, direct mail, fax, etc emote includes phone calls, ideo conference calls, emails etc igital includes company we- sites, e-commerce, chatots, internet searches, moile apps, etc ource: c­insey € Company ‚loal ƒ2ƒ „ulse, …ug 2†2†, n ‡ ˆ,‰2‰Š ‹e 2†21, n‡ ˆ,ŒŽ‰Š ec 2†21, n ‡ ˆ,ˆ‰†, countries: ƒra‘il, Chile, China, ‹rance, ‚erma- ny, ’ndia, ’taly, “apan, outh ­orea, pain, ”­, ” McKinsey & Company 4 Arun Arora, Liz Harrison, Candace Lun Plotkin, Max Magni, and Jennifer Stanley, “Rebalancing works: Omnichannel is more effective than traditional sales models alone,” McKinsey, February 23. 2022. 5 Ibid. Future of B2B sales: The big reframe 15