This article comes from Matt Flug’s insightful talk, ‘A new era of B2B sales forces sellers & sales leaders to adapt’, at our 2023 Chief Revenue Officer Summit.

Matt is currently the Research Manager at IDC

Are you feeling the pressure of longer sales cycles, more complex buying processes, and economic uncertainty? If so, you're not alone. 

The B2B sales landscape is shifting and staying ahead of the curve has never been more difficult, so today I want to share some insights about how we can all adapt to the economic headwinds we're facing.

But before we jump in, let me give you a quick rundown of what I do. As an evangelist at Outreach, I design and conduct research on B2B buyers, sellers, and leaders. We're constantly identifying trends and figuring out how companies can adapt to them. 

It's fascinating work, especially given my background at Forrester Research, where I spent four years covering B2B sales tech and the future of buying and selling.

Now, let's get into what I want to share with you today. In this article, we'll explore how B2B sales has evolved to where we are now, the challenges we're facing in today's market, and most importantly, how we can navigate these choppy waters.

So, whether you're grappling with the shift to virtual selling, trying to streamline your tech stack, or looking for ways to drive efficiency in uncertain times, you're in the right place. 

Let's dive in and explore how we can not just survive, but thrive in this new era.


The evolution of B2B sales

To understand where we are, we need to know where we've been. Back in 2015, we saw a significant shift. 

While marketing was already deep into its digital transformation, new sales technologies focusing on scalable, one-to-one interactions began to emerge. 

Companies like Yesware, Seismic, and Highspot were raising eyebrows (and capital) in the industry.

At that time, it made sense for companies to experiment with various point solutions, piecing together a puzzle to meet seller needs. But as we moved into 2021, the landscape started to shift and I predicted a rapid acceleration in sales tech consolidation. 

Why? Because global sales tech buyers were pushing for more value from end-to-end solutions, and providers were evolving from single-product offerings to multi-product solutions.

Fast forward to today, and we're entering what Gartner calls the era of "Alpha platforms." These are hyper-aggressive vendors broadening their capabilities at breakneck speed. 

The prediction is that when the dust settles, only a few of these Alpha platforms will be left standing.