B2B climate tech startups are building their sales teams first and then adding on a marketer or two as an afterthought.
But this is a recipe for failure. 👎👎
A whopping 75% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free sales experience.
You heard that right: three out of four B2B buyers DON’T want to jump on call after call after call with climate tech sales reps before signing on the dotted line.
On the other hand, fully self-service digital purchases typically end in higher levels of purchase regret.
So what’s the answer? 🤔
🤝 Sales and marketing can work together to build out a customer journey (i.e. the step-by-step path from first interaction with the brand to a long-term relationship) that leverages the best of digital AND human interactions.
Because the truth is, prospects are engaging with climate tech companies’ sales teams, yes.
But the sales team is only a small fraction of the larger conversation prospects are having with any brand. They’re also likely engaging with the company digitally before making a purchase decision.
Here are the top digital touchpoints B2B prospects engage with during the purchase process:
🌐 Company website
📱 Social media channels
🔎 Online search
🛠 Interactive tools
🖥 Customer portal
📆 Virtual products and events
✍ Blog
Since more and more B2B buyers prefer scoping out these resources to help them make their purchase decision, it makes more sense for climate tech companies to build up their sales and marketing programs side by side.
Together, sales and marketing can walk prospects through a smoother customer journey — leveraging both human and online interactions — to meet their needs and drive profitable purchase decisions.
Dive into Gartner’s “B2B Buying: How Top CSOs and CMOs Optimize the Journey” report for more insights.