Top B2B Sales Trends for the APAC region in 2023

The B2B sales landscape is constantly changing, and it can be hard to keep up with the latest trends. That’s why Datasearch has put together a list of the top B2B sales trends you need to be aware of in 2023 along with our recommendation of tools to consider. From the rise of AI to the increasing importance of sales training, these trends will significantly impact how sales teams operate. 

1. The Rise of Automation:

With the continued advancement of artificial automation technologies, more and more businesses are looking to implement these solutions to help improve their sales processes. The rise of automation in sales will help your organisation improve its efficiency and effectiveness while reducing costs – 61% of businesses that have used automation claim they earned higher revenues than expected. Sales automation minimises the dependence on manual efforts, thus increasing revenues while lowering overall expenditure. In fact, in a recent survey, 79% of B2B marketers said LinkedIn is an “effective source for generating leads.” Additionally, a HubSpot study found LinkedIn to be 277% more effective for lead generation than Facebook and Twitter.

Tools to consider:

LinkedIn Automation: Dripify, Dux-Soup

Email Automation: Apollo, Salesloft, Outreach

2. Video Prospecting:

It’s estimated that soon 82% of all internet traffic will be video content. And, this year, it’s predicted to be around 75%. With online video content growing in popularity, video prospecting is also a growing trend. Top salespeople have started to realise how well it performs and are using it for cold outreach, follow-ups, demo examples, and referrals. For example, prospects are 13% more likely to remember details from video than a standard text email. (B2B DecisionLabs, 2021). Sales professionals report buyers are 50% more responsive to messages when at least one video is included as part of the sales cadence. (Vidyard, 2023). Globally, 61% of buyers say they can get as much value from meeting suppliers over video conference as they can from in-person visits (McKinsey, 2022) and sales leaders agree, with over 50% of them in HubSpots sales enablement survey ranking video software as the most important tools to their team’s success.

Tools to consider:

Video Prospecting: Vidyard, SendPotion, Reachout.ai

3. Sales Training Software:

As AI continues to evolve, it’s only natural that sales teams would start to use AI sales training software. After all, it can provide personalised sales training that can help an individual close more deal. A 2022 study by Forrester predicts that by the end of 2023, AI transformation will become a revolution and will only continue to grow as AI sales training software becomes more widespread and effective.  

Tools to consider:

AI Sales Training Software: Gong, Mindtickle, Seismic

4. Outsourcing Sales:

In 2023 and more so in this current market to succeed, businesses must be adaptable and motivated. Hiring an outsourced sales team to book meetings for your Account Executives is the quickest approach to using specialised talents and cutting-edge technology to grow revenue and scale your organisation. Outsourcing helps you gain access to tools, analytics and market insight as well as a team of knowledgeable individuals. Additionally, it allows you the flexibility to expand and contract the business sectors you wish to concentrate on as rapidly as necessary. Flexible businesses can gain a competitive edge by swiftly adapting to shifting market conditions. Plus, it is economical and more productive! 

Vendor to consider:

Datasearch Consulting

Staying up to date with current sales stats is important for salespeople if they want to prospect effectively and remain productive. According to Regalix’s 2023 sales statistics, here is a list that sales hunters should be aware of:

• 33% of people open emails based on the subject line alone.
• 8 out of 10 prospects want to speak with sales reps via email rather than phone.
• 48% of salespeople never follow up with a prospect. 
• 35-50% of sales will go to the vendor that responds first. 
• 57% of people say they would be encouraged to purchase from a salesperson who doesn’t try to apply pressure or hassle them when following up.
• Just 13% of prospects believe a sales rep understands their needs. 
• 9 in 10 companies use 2 or more lead enrichment tools to learn more about their prospects.