Why B2B Sales Teams Are Using 3D Configuration and Augmented Reality

Selling physical products and solutions to businesses has always been a challenge. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a whole new set of obstacles that B2B sales teams have to overcome to meet with potential customers.

However, not all marketers are facing the same challenges. The smartest B2B sales teams are using a combination of 3D configuration and augmented reality technologies to conduct virtual sales calls.

B2B sales using 3D configuration and AR

 

While other companies nervously wait for the economy to open back up, the best B2B sales teams are closing sales over Zoom.

However, even when in-person sales calls come back, sales teams that have access to 3D configuration and augmented reality will still have a massive advantage over everyone else.

 

Let Customers See the Results Before Closing the Deal

Every B2B sales rep knows three things:

  1. A picture is worth a thousand words
  2. Buyers are afraid of making a mistake
  3. Prospects have to trust you before they buy

3D configuration and augmented reality are shortcuts to developing the trust needed to close a sale. Buyers have the chance to see for themselves how your product will work. It’s like being able to take a test drive.

No PowerPoint or PDF can ever be half as persuasive as seeing the results that you are promising.

While your prospects may forget the details of your proposal, they will always remember the images they saw with a simple smartphone app or tablet. It gives prospects a customized set of “before and after” images.

Instead of dropping of catalogs, you can deliver 3D renderings over their existing space to showcase the full range of your offerings.

With the help of these technologies, you can tell every customer that they don’t have to take your word for it, they can see the results for themselves, without having to leave their desk.

 

Turn Exhibit Halls into Private Sales Calls

Having a captive audience during a private sales call is one thing, but trying to get a prospect’s attention in a loud and crowded exhibit hall is something else.

This isn’t news, but right now, trade shows aren’t happening.  However, they are part of the B2B sales eco-system and when they do return, there will even more scrutiny about their ROI. Handing out keychains and pens doesn’t help you stand out from the competition. Even elaborate video presentations are unlikely to hold anyone’s undivided attention.

AR QR code-1

However, when sales teams have access to 3D configuration and augmented reality technologies, they can instantly create the atmosphere of a personal sales call in the middle of the crowded exhibit hall.

Prospects can see your products come to life right before their eyes.

In the mind of your prospect, your sales presentation shifts from being about your product to being about their needs.

Once your prospect knows you see them as an individual and that you are confident you have the right solution for their specific problems, your product sells itself.

This technology is even more powerful when the products you are selling are bulky. If you sell landscaping solutions, flooring, or commercial office furniture, you can only bring so many samples to a trade show.

You also can’t whisk prospects off to your factory or showroom, which may be in a different state or even country. But, with augmented reality, you can bring your full catalog of products to life right in front of them.

Your augmented reality presentation is guaranteed to make more of an impact than a flyer or paper catalog.

 

All Sales Decisions Are Emotional Decisions—Even B2B Sales

We all believe we are rational decision makers. However, every purchasing decision is an emotional decision—even business purchasing decisions. It’s not that facts don’t matter. It’s that the customers have to feel good about the decision.

No matter how compelling the objective facts are, no business is going to buy from a sales rep they think is dishonest.

Most of the B2B sales cycle is really about building trust.

People tend to believe the images they over the words they read. 3D configuration and augmented reality allow B2B buyers to form an emotional attachment to your product much faster than through traditional sales methods.

Technology turns your product from an abstraction into a reality. It’s easier to trust the sales team because the prospect can see with their own eyes what the team is talking about.

 

Removing the Physical Proximity Barrier

Humans are social creatures. Even rookie sales reps know that it’s usually easier to close a deal in person than it is over the phone. However, in-person visits are not always practical, especially now.

With the help of 3D configuration and augmented reality, it’s now easier than ever to “be in the room” with a prospect, even if you are thousands of miles apart.

This powerful visualization technology allows B2B companies to tap into new markets because they remove the physical proximity barrier.

Every B2B buyer wants to know that something will work before they invest in it. B2B buyers are inherently risk-averse. Before, physically visiting prospects was the best way to earn trust and to demonstrate the effectiveness of your product.

Now, you can achieve much of the same thing over a computer screen or smartphone. Technology is creating new pathways to demonstrate competency, effectiveness, and trustworthiness.

 

Allow Buyers to “Show” Your Pitch to the Executive Team

Pitch products to executives with 3D configuration

Every B2B sales rep tries to reach key decision-makers are early in the sales process as possible, and every sales rep usually has to pitch to one or more lower-level managers first.

Often in B2B sales, your success rests on the ability of lower-level managers to successfully relay your sales pitch to their superiors.

Often, the executive team doesn’t get it, and you lose the sale.cess rests on the ability of lower-level managers to successfully relay your sales pitch to their superiors.

However, 3D configuration and augmented reality changes this dynamic. Lower-level managers can now show their bosses what your finished product will look like. Like the old adage says, seeing is believing.

It’s easier to close sales when the decision-makers can see your product in their office instead of relying on the flat presentations.

The most successful B2B sales teams are already using 3D configuration and augmented reality because these technologies make it easier to close sales.

In the next year, these technologies will become the industry standard, and buyers won’t be interested in meeting with anyone who can’t show them what the end product will look like in augmented reality.

Everyday, we work with B2B customers looking to power their sales teams with3D and AR. If you're interested in discussing how you could use this technology, schedule some time with our team


Threekit is product visualization software that creates photorealistic imagesinteractive 3D and augmented reality experiences that help businesses sell more. To learn more, please schedule some time with one of our teammates.