Want to Build a Successful B2B Sales Process? Respect and Support Your Sales Team

In industries like CEA, traditional agriculture, and food manufacturing, technical and B2B sales roles are critical to business growth. These professionals don’t just close deals; they translate complex tech into real-world value for prospective clients. More importantly, they build lasting relationships and act as the public face of their companies.

Despite their importance, B2B sales reps are often overlooked during good times, while also being blamed when things slow down. When sales slow, the worth of a sales rep is often unfairly tied to company performance. It’s easy to point fingers at sales when numbers fall, but slumps are typically rooted in deeper organizational or market challenges.

In light of this, supporting your B2B sales team through both ups and downs becomes a key driver of employee retention and overall business success.

Sales Reps Lay the Groundwork for Growth

The foundation of your company’s success often begins with a rep’s effort in relationship-building and prospecting. In industries like CEA and agriculture, B2B sales processes can be long, which obscures the reps’ behind-the-scenes efforts. For instance, the average sales cycle in agriculture is 134 days. 

This disconnect between delayed results and short-term performance evaluations can lead to misaligned expectations. In many instances, it can cause a brand to undervalue a rep’s contributions in the field. At M&F Talent, we feel it takes a B2B rep selling technical products into markets like agriculture and CEA between 120-180 days to catch their stride. 

Common Problems With Hiring and Managing B2B Salespeople

Here are some of the biggest challenges you’ll encounter when hiring and managing B2B sales reps: 

Underappreciated in Good Times, Scapegoated in Bad

Sales reps often receive too little credit when a business is prospering. On the other hand, they shoulder the blame during downturns. This dynamic can crush morale and increase the risk of turnover. Notably, the average turnover rate for B2B sales reps is around 35%. The average for all other industries is 13%. 

The “Miracle Rep” Fallacy: Unrealistic Expectations Set Up Failure

A common mistake companies make is expecting one sales hire to turn everything around. If a rep has a long track record of exceeding sales targets, companies may skip onboarding altogether and “turn them loose” with lofty expectations. 

The problem is that even the best reps need a chance to get acclimated. They also need support and realistic goals. 

Buying into the miracle rep fallacy sets your new hire up for failure. It’s also unfair. Effective onboarding is crucial. A well-structured onboarding program accelerates a new hire’s path to productivity and directly impacts your B2B sales process and revenue performance. 

Tips for Hiring and Building Successful B2B Sales Teams

From agriculture to food production and beyond, here are some best practices to help you hire and build winning B2B sales teams: 

Stability, Support, and Communication Are Non-Negotiables

Reps thrive when you give them consistent targets and clear direction. Provide ongoing feedback to help your sales teams improve. Compensation plans tied strictly to sales can be unsustainable in certain markets. 

With that in mind, you should rethink your compensation strategy so that it challenges reps to do their best while also providing them with an incentive to stick around. 

Regularly check in with your reps and adjust goals based on market conditions. This approach builds mutual understanding and allows you to resolve small issues before they become irreconcilable. 

Good Reps Pay for Themselves if You Let Them

Investing in rep retention through training, support, and realistic compensation plans makes business sense. You must be patient and give your teams time to work. 

The average sales cycle is three to nine months, with industries like agriculture and CEA averaging just over 4.5 months. Empowering your reps to stay long-term builds trust with customers and allows the B2B sales process to play out. 

Know When to Let Go, but Don’t Generalize

Losing a sales rep can cost your business around $115,000. No organization wants to take on this kind of loss. But not every rep is a great fit. 

You should evaluate each rep fairly using B2B sales process data and patience. Don’t rush to part ways, and remember that most reps are doing their best to perform under complex circumstances. They deserve to be treated as partners, not disposable assets. 

Sales Reps Are an Extension of Your Brand — Treat Them Accordingly

Sales reps are direct ambassadors of your brand and play a key role in your success. When you find a good one, do what it takes to keep them. Recognizing the foundational role they play in the growth of your brand and avoiding common pitfalls enables you to build a resilient and effective B2B sales process. 

Bring in Top B2B Sales Talent With Mac & Fulton 

At Mac & Fulton Talent Partners, we specialize in recruiting for B2B and technical sales roles. Our team has the expertise to find and recruit accomplished sales professionals within the CEA, agriculture, and food manufacturing industries. 

Contact Mac & Fulton Talent Partners today!