What B2B Buyers Really Want: 7 Stats to Inform Your 2024 Sales Strategy

Editor’s note: This post was written by Paul Petrone, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Sales Solutions, LinkedIn, and was originally published on the LinkedIn Sales Solutions Blog.

What is a salesperson’s job, ultimately?

To connect with buyers on a deeper level and build support for their offering. A task that would be exponentially easier if sellers knew exactly what buyers were thinking at all times.

Well unfortunately, mind-reading devices aren’t a thing yet. In lieu of that, we did some hard work for you, and – alongside Ipsos – surveyed 508 B2B buyers to understand what they want.

We asked them everything from their budget outlook to what they want in a seller to how they like to be contacted. Their responses can inform your sales strategy in 2024 and beyond.

Let’s dive in:

1. Nearly two-thirds of B2B buyers are expecting their budgets to increase in 2024.

We’ll start with the good news – 64% of B2B buyers expect their budget to increase in 2024! Conversely, just 8% expect their budgets to decrease in 2024.

Obviously, this is great news. The past year was a difficult one for sellers, with many facing larger, more cautious buying committees. 

While that scrutiny might not go away, the resistance to investment might, which means more opportunities for salespeople everywhere.

2. B2B buyers have a high opinion of B2B salespeople.

We asked B2B buyers to pick which adjectives best describe B2B salespeople off a list that included positive qualities (high integrity) and negative qualities (untrustworthy).

Overwhelmingly, B2B buyers picked the positive adjectives to describe B2B sellers over the negative ones.

We’ve all heard the stereotype that salespeople are sleazy and try to push products that buyers don’t need. Well, B2B buyers don’t hold that stereotype, thanks to the hard work you all have been doing.

3. B2B buyers want to meet in-person.

The pandemic killed the in-person sales meeting, right?

Wrong. Two-thirds – 67% – of buyers said that it’s important to meet in-person with a salesperson before closing a deal. And 87% of B2B sellers said the same.

So, yes, especially in the early stages, most B2B selling these days is virtual. But the tried-and-true sales trip still has its place.

4. Buyers will buy from the same seller over and over again – even if the seller switches companies.

This just reinforces the importance of relationships. 

Less surprisingly, 54% of B2B buyers said they bought from the same salesperson again after they switched companies. This makes sense, as if they have the same need in that new role, they’d likely need the same solution again.

More surprisingly, 50% of B2B buyers said they’ve bought from a salesperson even after the seller switched companies. Think about that – when a seller switches companies, they are now offering an entirely new solution at a different price point.

And still, the buyer was interested. It suggests that a relationship can trump even the attractiveness of the solution itself.

5. B2B buyers want sellers who deeply understand their business.

We asked B2B buyers what a salesperson can do to most increase their chances of purchasing from them. Here’s what buyers said:

Ultimately, all three boil down to gaining a deep understanding of the buyer's business and the buyer themselves. The first two – demonstrating a clear understanding of business needs and the industry – come down to account and industry research.

The third, knowing when to reach out, is difficult for a seller to do on their own, but easier with the right sales intelligence tool that can precisely provide sellers with that information.

Bottom line, reaching out to sellers when they’re ready to buy, and being ready to discuss their business and their industry, increases your chances of closing a deal.

6. They also want trustworthy, transparent sellers who stay connected after the sale.

When asked what quality B2B buyers most want in a B2B salesperson, unsurprisingly, it was trust. So how can salespeople build trust?

We asked buyers that as well. Here’s what they said:

The easiest way to build trust is by being transparent with pricing. Beyond that it’s staying connected with a buyer after the sale is closed, by first aligning on success metrics and then ensuring those metrics are hit after delivery.

7. B2B buyers want personalized, relevant outreach.

Who loves spam?

Not B2B buyers, as 78% of them strongly agree that outreach to them should be personalized.

This confirms what our own InMail data shows and further reinforces a deep sales approach, where quality trumps quantity. The more personalized and relevant your message is, the more likely a B2B buyer will respond to it.

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