Digital product catalog and analog sales: It's all in the mix

Employees' concerns: “The portal will replace me!”

When a company introduces a digital product portal, sales staff often worry that they will be replaced by new technologies. This fear is human, but unfounded. A self-service portal is not intended to replace sales, but to provide digital sales support.

The portal takes over routine tasks: it provides up-to-date product data, prices, and availability, and enables customers to place standard orders themselves or download invoices. This reduces manual and repetitive work in sales and frees up time for what really adds value: personal advice, complex offers, relationship management, and customized solutions.

Benefits for sales and customers

A digital product catalog in B2B offers several advantages on both sides of the customer relationship.

For sales staff:

• Increased sales efficiency: Less effort for recurring inquiries and standardized orders.
• Up-to-date information: No more time-consuming searches, outdated price lists, or product data – the portal is always synchronized with ERP or PIM systems.
• Better preparation: Sales can prepare customer meetings based on data and conduct them in a more targeted manner. This allows them to see which products a customer has viewed or inquired about online in order to respond proactively.
• Focus on consulting: By reducing the burden of routine tasks, there is more time for personal conversations, strategic customer development, and sustainable customer loyalty.

For customers:

• Quick access: All relevant information – from specifications to availability – is available digitally at any time.
• Transparency: Current prices, delivery times, and variants can be viewed anytime, anywhere.
• Self-determination: Customers can place simple orders independently or download information without waiting for callbacks or emails.
• Better support: Personal contact is maintained, while the quality of advice improves because the sales team has more time for individual concerns.

The result: A synergy in which digital processes take over routine tasks and the human sales team can fully leverage its strengths.

Change and communication management as a success factor

The introduction of a digital product catalog is not just an IT project, but above all a change process. For the change to be successful, sales and management must actively support the introduction.

Important success factors:

• Clear communication: Management must clearly communicate that the portal is a tool to support sales, not replace it. However, this must not be mere lip service. The following factors must be implemented.
• Early involvement of sales: Employees should be involved in the planning and design of the portal from the outset. This creates acceptance and leverages the experience of those who talk to customers on a daily basis. In this way, the necessary trust can be built.
• Training and support: Training helps employees to use the new tools confidently and experience their benefits in everyday life. Continuous support for this process is essential, if necessary in neutral environments with external moderation. This helps employees to get used to the new process.
• Feedback culture: Feedback from sales and customer service must be taken seriously. Structured recording, categorization, and consolidation of reports helps to prioritize issues. These can then be implemented accordingly. This enables continuous improvement of the portal.

Conclusion

When companies approach digitalization as a collaborative process, the result is not an “either/or” situation, but rather a powerful “both/and” scenario: Digital product catalogs create efficiency, while personal sales strengthen relationships and build trust. The result is a modern B2B sales strategy that optimally combines technology and people.

Lots of positive feedback from participants in such change projects shows us that taking the points described into account creates real added value for everyone involved.