Latest insights

A new appetite is prevalent among food and beverage consumers, and it’s likely here to stay well beyond 2022. Two years since the pandemic started, changes to consumer preferences regarding B2B commerce appear irreversible. Now more than ever, food and beverage companies need to stay on top of rising trends and challenges while continuing to acquire and retain customers, growing loyalty, sales, and a solid consumer fan base. The desire for better efficiency Consumers are looking for

The food and beverage industry is known for tight margins and stiff competition. To compete, succeed, and then maintain that success in this $6,383.49 billion industry, all business components need to work together seamlessly. From skilled labor, specialized equipment, quality control, and compliance to branding and effective management practices, there are countless challenges in operating a food

Sales can be volatile, particularly in today’s economy. The cost of stock and its availability can change swiftly, which makes it difficult for sales teams in the trenches to close deals or deliver the promised goods. If your B2B field sales reps don’t have access to the latest pricing data or inventory lists, they risk misquoting customers with far-reaching results. Aside from the inconvenience felt in your sales team, it could actually result in cancelled orders, a decline in

The pandemic forced many businesses out of their comfort zones, sales teams especially. Instead of meeting with prospects, sales teams had to make do via online platforms such as videoconferencing, for example. Despite initial skepticism, many adopters warmed up to the new system of remote interaction. This allowed personal interactions to continue, but from a safer distance. Even

Experts identify skills shortages as the eighth-largest risk facing South African businesses and the seventh-greatest risk worldwide. South African businesses are competing with each other and many international businesses to hire and retain skilled workers. A number of employers look at the 35 percent and more unemployment rate and assume that staff don’t have any employment choices and that the competition isn’t fierce. For skilled workers, this is, however, not true. It has been reported that 60 percent of employees who left their jobs between April and October

Building your inside sales team is a challenging undertaking, but an important one. If you want to grow your business and your revenue, you need to build a winning inside sales team. Internal sales teams are the bedrock of the ever-increasingly important customer experience phenomenon and in the absence of a dynamic inside sales team, your customer relationships will quickly break down. Building your inside sales team will yield numerous benefits. It is less expensive, because there are no travel and other expenses to worry about. It’s measurable, because inside sales teams

A good salesperson sells products, but a great one offers solutions. In essence, this is what consultative selling is all about. In this era of instant communication, buyers already have a leg up on salespeople. The wide availability of internet resources means that a simple Google search may be enough for a buyer to learn about the product they’re interested in. With basic information already on hand, B2B buyers or procurement professionals will usually engage with sales reps further into the sales process. At this point, they’ll want to learn more about how a product

As a result of Covid-19, employers need to re-look office culture, teamwork, and talent strategies to acknowledge both a shifting business landscape and changing employee expectations. According to new research, physical well-being ranks third among employees’ top priorities after financial and mental well-being. With this in mind, Sarah Rice, chief people officer at Skynamo outlines how employers can build this into their employee retention strategies. Rice says that the pandemic has shone a spotlight on the importance of health and

Data-driven insights help companies make more informed decisions. B2B guided selling gives businesses the ability to synthesize, connect and enrich disparate data sources and helps to build a more complete picture of how buyers behave. This allows sellers to identify needs, predict behaviors, and close more sales. Business-to-business (B2B) companies often have vast data about their products, customers, and sales, but they don’t always know how to make sense of that data and draw actionable insights from it. This can be a daunting task in terms of tools and knowledge required.

2022 was set to be a year of growth and recovery for small businesses. However, the war in Ukraine is beginning to thwart this projection. The World Trade Organisation has recently slashed its global growth forecast to 2,8% from 4,1% before the war. This, coupled with supply chain disruptions and rising fuel and food prices, will create a further negative impact. Businesses need to start