4 sales tips to strengthen B2B customer relationships

B2B buying has gone fully hybrid. A McKinsey Pulse study shows buyers split their journey almost evenly across in-person, remote and digital self-service channels, the now-famous “rule of thirds”. Those same buyers touch about 10 channels in a typical deal. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80 % of all supplier-buyer interactions will happen online.

So winning (and keeping) customers is less about discounting and more about delivering a buying experience that is friction-free, transparent and proactive. Here are four practical moves you can make this quarter.

Table of contents

• Let customers hop between channels seamlessly
• Make self-service empowering, not isolating
• Get radical about transparency
• Anticipate the reorder (and the next problem to solve)
• The backbone: ERP-integrated commerce

1 | Let customers hop between channels seamlessly

What to do

Make your ERP-connected web store the hub of every interaction. Whether a customer starts with an inside-sales call, a mobile re-order on the shop floor, or a face-to-face visit, prices, inventory and order history should stay perfectly in sync.

Quick win

Expose negotiated pricing and real-time stock from your ERP directly on product pages. A native integration (versus nightly batch syncs) avoids “out-of-stock” surprises during checkout.

2 | Make self-service empowering, not isolating

What to do

Give buyers the tools to research, configure and place orders on their own, but leave a clear escape hatch to a human when things get complex.

Quick win

Add live chat that surfaces order history and ERP data to the agent, so questions are resolved in one touch instead of a call-back.

3 | Get radical about transparency

What to do

Show exact availability, customer-specific pricing and promised ship dates—then trigger alerts the moment anything changes.

Why it works

According to the 2025 B2B Buyer Report:

Quick win

Push carrier-tracking links from the ERP straight into the customer’s account page and send status updates automatically, no ticket required.

4 | Anticipate the reorder (and the next problem to solve)

What to do

Use order-history data to prompt replenishment at the right moment, suggest compatible products, or schedule service parts before downtime hits.

Quick win

Set up automated “Quick Order” lists that pre-fill the last purchase and let the buyer adjust quantities with one click. Tie those lists to intelligent reminders based on previous consumption rates.

The backbone: ERP-integrated commerce

All four tips rely on trustworthy, real-time data. A Forrester-backed study of ERP-integrated stores found:

• 63 % say the single-stack approach is easier to maintain,
• 60 % report greater agility, and
• 51 % highlight one central source of truth for customers and staff alike.

When your web store is fed directly by the ERP, you eliminate manual re-keying, pricing mismatches and “where’s my order?” calls—freeing sales teams to focus on consultative work instead of firefighting.

Takeaway checklist

• Aim for omnichannel consistency. Start by syncing your ERP data (stock, pricing, order history) across every sales touchpoint. You’ll know it’s working when customer service gets fewer “where’s my order?” calls.
• Empower customers with self-service. Roll out tools like configurators and live chat so buyers can research and purchase on their own. Track progress by watching digital orders rise as a share of total sales.
• Commit to radical transparency. Surface real-time inventory, custom pricing, and shipment tracking right on the portal. If cart-abandonment rates fall, you’re on the right track.
• Make reordering effortless and proactive. Use purchase history to send timely reminders or pre-filled quick-order lists. The key success metric is a higher repeat-order rate and steadier recurring revenue.

When your web store is fed directly by the ERP, you eliminate manual re-keying, pricing mismatches and “where’s my order?” calls—freeing sales teams to focus on consultative work instead of firefighting.