1、Lessons from industrial leaders to spark digital sales transformation nowIndustrial customers expect an Amazon-like digital purchasing experience,but companies have been slow to deliver.Digital commerce has accelerated since the pandemic,and customer demands are only expected to grow.Online sales cu

2、rrently make up 21%of total business-to-business(B2B)sales,growing faster than previously estimated.We anticipate they will continue to race ahead,representing 29%by 2025.Our research highlights how leading companies are setting the pace and can serve as role models in achieving tangible customer be

3、nefits.These companies focus on five key capabilities to develop digital sales at speed.The need for action is clear.Our study shares pragmatic insights and concrete action points on how you can complete your digital sales transformation journey.Digitize your sales before you have toHigh-Voltage Dig

4、ital Sales2B2B customers have placed their orders High-Voltage Digital Sales3Many industrial companies know what customers want but struggle to deliver a highly digital sales experience.To better understand the barriers companies face and how the most successful surmount them,Accenture surveyed 500

5、industrial sales and marketing executives globally.Results show respondents are aware of the potential margin benefits and efficiencies from digital(or online)engagement and automation.Yet few have pursued them.Why have so many been slow to build effective digital channels and transform sales at spe

6、ed?More than 96%of respondents want to transform their sales department,but only 7%have plans to act in the next 12 years and 31%in the next 35 years.The rest are waiting too long.(See Figure 1.)We know disruption happens fast.Amazon already sells spare parts in several industries,and procrastinator

7、s could lose market share to faster-moving competitors.Time is of the essence to catch up to customers desire for predictability,reliability and seamless service.Nearly 90%of respondents customers see clear benefits in digitizing B2B sales processes and are willing to use the new tools.How can indus

8、trial companies jump-start the sales transformation process?Our research highlights how the most successful companies are transforming.Figure 1.Too many companies are delaying sales transformation 90%of respondents customers see clear benefits in digitizing B2B sales processes and are willing to use

9、 the new tools.High-Voltage Digital Sales4B2B customers have placed their ordersSales transformation maturity levelsWe assessed survey respondents against these cutting-edge sales capabilities to understand their maturity in providing a seamless digital sales experience.What do the most mature compa

10、nies have in common?Able to interact digitally with customers to a high degree Fully apply recommendation engines and customer-tailored web shops Use tools that generate true customer insights and plan additional,robust investments in data-driven insights Have the most standardized and automated sal

11、es processes and plan to invest strongly in this area Already have closely cooperating front-office entitiesAnalog,sequential customer touchpointsDigital end-to-end customer engagementDescriptive,customer-specific sales historyPredictive,data-driven customer insightsSiloed sales,marketing and afters

12、ales departmentsCollaborative front-office operationsReactive,general salesProactive,customized recommendationsManually operated,incoherent sales processesAutomated,standardized sales processesOur survey examined five capabilities that drive sales transformation.(See Figure 2.)Figure 2.Key capabilit

13、ies to create seamless digital salesFROMTOB2B customers have placed their ordersHigh-Voltage Digital Sales5Leaders:Are the farthest in their sales transformation journey and have progressed most in developing the five digital capabilities.Their transformation efforts have significantly improved EBIT

14、 margins,lifting profitability by 3.4 percentage points.Leaders are the most profitable group now,and their activities could unlock further gains.Strivers:Seek to follow the same path as the Leaders,but they struggle to transform the sales department boldly and quickly.Additional speed bumps:Striver

15、s dont nurture collaboration among sales,marketing,and aftersales and fail to prioritize the right key performance indicators(KPIs)to steer their sales departments.Laggards:Are stuck in a rut.Given that 42%of all Laggards experience employee resistance to digitizing sales,mindset is a challenge.Lagg

16、ards risk entering a vicious cyclebeing undercut by distributors and third-party online B2B sales platformsdecreasing profitability and leaving little money for technology investments.41%11%48%Based on our findings,we divided the companies into three clusters according to digital sales maturity.Sale

17、s transformation maturity levelsHigh-Voltage Digital Sales6B2B customers have placed their ordersMake sales truly digitalHigh-Voltage Digital Sales7Figure 3:Future sales maturity levelFrom 1=rudimentary capability to 5=fully developed capabilityDigital E2E Customer EngagementAutomated Sales Processe

18、sFront-officeCollaborationCustomized RecommendationsCustomerInsights12345LeadersStriversLaggardsPerformance of the clusters in each digital sales capabilityAlthough Leaders still havent reached peak digital sales performance,they can serve as role models in achieving tangible customer benefits on th

19、e digital sales journey.Heres how the clusters are performing in each digital sales capability.How does your company measure up?Answer a few simple questions in our benchmarking tool to find out where you are on your sales transformation journey and how far you have to go.High-Voltage Digital Sales8

20、Make sales truly digital1.Digital end-to-end customer engagementCustomer-centric toolsHigh-Voltage Digital Sales9Make sales truly digitalTrue digital end-to-end customer engagement involves developing a holistic,interconnected set of digital tools and complementary channels for each stage of the sal

21、es process,from customer profiles to online shops.While respondents across clusters are aware of digital tools importance,not all clusters use them with the same degree of success.Leaders rely heavily on powerful customer-related tools like customer satisfaction tracking,EDI interfaces,and personali

22、zed customer content after login.Leaders see such digital tools as market differentiators and means for greater personalization,but other clusters neglect the technologys promise.(See Figure 4.)Figure 4.Most-used digital tools todayLaggardsCustomer satisfaction trackingCustomer-specific marketing ca

23、mpaignsComprehensive online shopsOnline product and service configuratorsEDI interfacesStriversCustomer satisfaction trackingCustomer-specific marketing campaignsOnline product and service configuratorsChatbotsEDI interfacesLeadersCustomer satisfaction trackingCustomer-specific marketing campaignsCu

24、stomer-specific content after loginOnline product and service configuratorsEDI interfaces234594%2.Proactive,customized recommendationsLaggards4%1%Strivers42%33%91%Figure 5.Leaders highly leverage proactive and customized solutionsUse recommendation enginesOffer branded,customer-tailored w

25、eb shopsLeadersHigh-Voltage Digital Sales10Make sales truly digitalTo increase cross-and upselling,industrial equipment companies are beginning to use recommendation engines.About 94%of Leaders employ them,compared to 42%of Strivers and 4%of Laggards.(See Figure 5.)Some companies are successfully ad

26、ding personalization to customer online experiences.About 91%of Leaders use branded,customer-tailored web shops integrated with customer procurement portals to sell their products and services.This compares to 33%of Strivers and only 1%of Laggards.By making the online experience personalized and rel

27、evant,Leaders are doing far more to bring an Amazon-like experience into the B2B world.If companies integrate recommendations in their customer-tailored web shops,they can even multiply the benefits.Figure 6.Annual investment in customer analytics tools in the next 35 years(in USD million)Getting a

28、360-degree view of the customer is critical to building mature sales capabilities.Electrolux Professional transformed sales processes to yield rich customer insights.Sales employees can track the customer experience from prospect to sale with a clear view of the pipeline.Management can control and m

29、onitor the business with common metrics and take fast actions to grow.Data quality and segmenting are also improving customer profiling.The streamlined processes and tools are shortening the time to reach new customers and improving customer focus.1Electrolux Professionals recipe for customer insigh

30、tsLeadersStriversLaggards18.014.814.3-17.8%-20.6%High-Voltage Digital Sales11IntroductionMake sales truly digital3.Predictive,data-driven customer insightsCustomer data systems and analytics enable companies to get a 360-degree customer view,understand customer needs,and create tailored offerings.Le

31、aders have realized this and are already using big data analytics on customer feedback combined with transactional data for targeted offerings;they are also cross-and upselling more frequently than other clusters.Of the tools,70%of Leaders rank big data analytics for customer feedback their most-use

32、d tool.For Laggards,it comes third after online configurators and product information management systems.Leaders analytics investments(with$18 million annually earmarked over the next 35 years)will only widen the gap.(See Figure 6.)To catch up,Strivers and Laggards would have to invest even more tha

33、n Leaders.1 “Cooking up superior customer experiences,“Accenture,accessed February 25,2021,https:/ planned to be invested annually by Leaders in automation tools over the next 35 years.An average of4.Automated,standardized sales processesDigitizing manual processes can create a virtuous circle,using

34、 data and analytics to identify patterns,inform customer interactions and enable automation tools.Leaders use automation tools more than other clusters to deliver cost savings and improve the customer experience.Robotic process automation(RPA),for activities like approval workflows,and chatbots rank

35、 among Leaders top four most-used tools.Strivers and Laggards make little use of automation tools.Leaders also plan to invest an average of$13.4 million annually in automation tools over the next 35 years.While Strivers and Laggards recognize the need to act,their investments arent big enough to cat

36、ch up.High-Voltage Digital Sales12IntroductionMake sales truly digital54%of Leaders engage in advanced marketing practices like competitive intelligence and pricing optimization,serving as a strategic advisor for sales and aftersales.Figure 7.Leaders strongly foster collaborationStrong collaboration

37、 between sales and marketingStrong collaboration between sales and aftersales25%20%59%51%87%87%LaggardsStriversLeadersHigh-Voltage Digital Sales13Make sales truly digital5.Collaborative front-office operationsWithout a collaborative front office,companies wont be able to excel at lead generation and

38、 management.Leaders recognize the advantages of close cooperation among the marketing,sales and aftersales departments.(See Figure 7.)In addition to prizing strong collaboration,54%of Leaders engage in advanced marketing practices like competitive intelligence and pricing optimization,serving as a s

39、trategic advisor for sales and aftersales.When it comes to core marketing practices,Leaders primarily focus on digital rather than offline marketing.Flip the switch to speed transformationHigh-Voltage Digital Sales14Leaders may have taken the first steps,but even they are challenged to reach mature

40、digital commerce capabilities.Strivers and Laggards need to make up for lost time.What pragmatic actions can they take to transform sales at speed?Figure 8 shows areas where respondents registered the greatest need for help.It is not meant to illustrate a step-by-step approach,rather capabilities co

41、mpanies can develop to accelerate sales.Figure 8.Top three challenges to creating digital salesInsufficient budgetLack of internal and/or external implementation capabilities78.2%51.0%Lack of sales/marketing collaboration50.6%1.Partner with proficient implementation resources,internally and external

42、lyGiven day-to-day demands,not to mention the pandemics impact,its no wonder the majority of respondents need implementation help to speed transformation.They know,for instance,the importance of being customer-centric and solving for customer pain points.Digital customer lifecycle management solutio

43、ns could give them an end-to-end view of the customer,but 78%of all respondents said they dont have the right resources to implement the transformation.Digitizing processes isnt enough.Companies will need to make changes to the organization,too.Even with reskilling or upskilling the workforce,few co

44、mpanies have capable resources or the right mix of resources to make sweeping changes on their own.Successful companies have been able to create an internal center of excellence or leverage an ecosystem of partners to help achieve their goals.78%of all respondents said finding the right internal and

45、 external capabilities presents the biggest challenge to achieving their transformation goals.High-Voltage Digital Sales15Flip the switch to speed transformation8.5%LeadersLaggards0.2%Strivers3.1%Figure 9.Sales attributed to recommendation engine usageHigh-Voltage Digital Sales162.Develop a compelli

46、ng business case and identify the best KPIs3.Double down on cross-and upsellingTo get started on their digital sales transformation program,sales departments need to develop the business case and strategy,with the right KPIs to measure success.Without a solid business case,top management may not und

47、erstand the value digital sales transformation programs could bring.This seems to be an issue for 51%of respondents who failed to secure sufficient budget.In addition,choosing the right KPIs is key.Leaders focus on easy-to-capture KPIs that measure profitable growth and traffic volume(e.g.,online co

48、nfigurator visits or online sales margins).Strivers and Laggards concentrate on hard-to-measure KPIs or follow too many of them at the same time and dont have a clear focus.Recommendation engines can play a crucial role for automated cross-and upselling,especially when it comes to less complex produ

49、cts.However,our research shows only 6.6%of all respondents use analytics for automated cross-and upselling.Leaders take the lead in this area with 8.5%of sales attributed to recommendation engines.(See Figure 9.)In addition,respondents indicated recommendation engines were low priority investments o

50、ver the next 35 years,with only$3.4 million earmarked annually.In comparison,the overall annual investment in other digital tools(like 3D configurators or chatbots)is$5.5 million on average.Analytics on customer feedback is$6.9 million,the highest area of investment.Flip the switch to speed transfor

51、mation4.Enlist employees as advocates of the transformation journeyAlthough front-office collaboration is critical,many respondents report some level of employee resistance to needed changes.When employees hear“automation,”some fear for their jobs and create obstacles to achieving more targeted sale

52、s and marketing approaches.To help break down functional silos,companies can focus improvements on the customer journey.Putting employees in the customers shoes can demonstrate the benefits of collaboration and incentivize them to team.In addition,automating repetitive,low-level tasks,where possible

53、,will help employees concentrate on selling more complex,high-value products and services.Leaders supplement this approach by driving skill development in high-margin areas that,in parallel,deliver greater customer value.report that employees are resistant to sales transformation efforts.48%of Striv

54、ers42%of LaggardsHigh-Voltage Digital Sales17Flip the switch to speed transformationCreate a seamless digital sales experienceHigh-Voltage Digital Sales18The need to change is omnipresent.Customer expectations are shifting,accelerated by the pandemic.Like consumers,industrial customers increasingly

55、expect an Amazon-like experience with online product display and self-service digital capabilities.Industrial companies should not wait for the perfect solution.They should take a customer-centric approach to solve their biggest pain points and take action on those they can most easily monetize.Like

56、 the Leaders,focus on building these capabilities:The path to creating digital sales is individual to each company,determined by your companys strengths and weaknesses.As a first step on this journey,assess the maturity of your companys capabilities and where you need to start.Dont waitignite“high-v

57、oltage“digital sales at your company,now.Digital end-to-end customer engagementCreate a personalized online experience,such as product and service configurators,to build a robust digital commerce offering Proactive,customized recommendationsBuild recommendation engines to increase cross-and upsellin

58、g for products and services Predictive,data-driven customer insightsStitch together customer insights from marketing,sales and service transaction data.Combine with firmographic data for real predictive power Automated,standardized sales processesProvide immediate customer responses via chatbots.Lev

59、erage RPA for approval workflows to unleash back-office capacity Collaborative front-office operationsBreak down functional silos.Identify service patterns that can yield new sales opportunities.Direct cross-functional teams to improve the customer journey at moments of truth High-Voltage Digital Sa

60、les19About the researchFrom October to November 2020,Accenture conducted a comprehensive and representative online survey with 500 global industrial executives in senior sales,marketing and aftersales positions.The companies are based in 12 countries and operate in four industry segmentsindustrial a

61、nd electrical equipment,heavy equipment,automotive suppliers,and consumer durables.15%25%North AmericaEuropeAsia PacificHeavy equipmentIndustrial&electrical equipmentConsumer durablesAutomotive suppliers$2B$4.9B$500M$1.9B$5B$9.9B$10BMarketing executivesCommercial executivesCustomer executivesService

62、 executivesSales executivesC-level(S)VP-level60%21%12%40%26%23%20%34%23%24%22%11%50%50%20%23%Distribution of respondentsby region globallyDistribution of respondentsby industry categoryDistribution of respondentsby global net revenueDistribution of respondentsby departmentDistribution of respondents

63、by rankHigh-Voltage Digital Sales20About AccentureFor more information,please contactAccenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital,cloud and security.Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries,we offer Strategy and

64、Consulting,Interactive,Technology and Operations servicesall powered by the worlds largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers.Our 537,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day,serving clients in more than 120 countries.We embrace the

65、 power of change to create value and shared success for our clients,people,shareholders,partners and communities.Visit us at .Disclaimer:This content is provided for general information purposes and is not intended to be used in place of consultation with our professional advisors.This document refe

66、rs to marks owned by third parties.All such third-party marks are the property of their respective owners.No sponsorship,endorsement or approval of this content by the owners of such marks is intended,expressed or implied.Copyright 2021 Accenture.All rights reserved.Accenture and its logo are regist

67、ered trademarks of Accenture.Thomas RinnManaging DirectorGlobal Industrial LJoe McGeePrincipal DirectorCustomer Sales&Service SThomas WranaSenior ManagerIResearch teamMatthias Wahrendorff Senior Thought Leadership Principal Global Industrial Research LAndreas EgetenmeyerResearch Associate ManagerIndustrial R