The first decision
Checkout, or enquiry.
Everything else follows from this one. Most of the money wasted on B2B projects is spent building the half that turned out not to be needed.
Route A
Shop with checkout
Dealers log in, see their own prices, and order without talking to anyone. Your sales team stops taking down order numbers and starts doing the part only they can do.
Right when
- Your prices follow a rule you could write down
- Dealers reorder the same things regularly
- Your range is settled enough to stay online
- The bottleneck is capacity, not the relationship
Route B
Catalogue with enquiry
Prospects browse the full portfolio, assemble a selection and send one enquiry. Your sales team keeps the conversation and quotes the price — but starts it several steps further in.
Right when
- Every price is negotiated in the end anyway
- Minimum quantities and lead times vary per customer
- You are winning new dealers, not only serving existing ones
- The first conversation is where you add value
Not sure which one you are? That is normal, and it is the first thing we work out on the call — usually in about ten minutes, and usually the answer surprises nobody once it is said out loud. Some companies end up with both: a catalogue for prospects and a shop for the dealers they already have.