Digitizing the B2B Payments Landscape Starts With … Sales?

The digitization of the B2B landscape is looking like an increasingly inevitable one. But in the near-term, the success of operational modernizations, including key B2B payment processes, could hinge on more than just technology — it may require a cultural change across all levels of the organization.

Sales teams, by virtue of their direct engagement with customers, are playing an outsized role in driving this change. They are not just the face of the company; they are the link between customers’ needs and the digital innovations that can meet them.

In a testament to the importance and strategic role of the sales function, news broke last week that Michael Grimes, the head of global technology investment banking at Morgan Stanley, is raising tens of millions of dollars to fund a new academic center at U.C. Berkeley. The center will be dedicated to teaching sales to undergraduates in order to fill the next-generation needs of technology firms, according to a report from The Information.

In many organizations, salespeople have historically been seen as the drivers of revenue. But today, they have taken on the additional role of digital change agents. Their ability to understand both the business side and the technology landscape helps enable them to serve as key players in the adoption of digital solutions.

Against that backdrop, sales professionals are becoming essential to overcoming the adoption barriers that often accompany new technology. It’s one thing to offer a software solution to a customer; it’s another to show them how that solution solves a specific pain point. In this way, sales teams can act as trusted consultants, helping their customers integrate new tools into their business operations.

Read more: ERP Innovations Are Rebooting the Back Office as Organizations Modernize

Breaking Down the Barriers to Digital Adoption

One significant barrier to digital transformation in B2B is the entrenched reliance on legacy systems. Many organizations have been using traditional sales processes, paper-based workflows and offline payment methods for decades. The transition to digital systems can be overwhelming, especially when those systems require significant changes to existing practices and workflows.

“A lot of clients are challenged by integration with legacy systems, and digital adoption isn’t always [consistent] across various geographies where companies operate,” Chris Jameson, head of product management for Global Payments Solutions (GPS) EMEA at Bank of America, told PYMNTS.

In many ways, sales teams can act as a secret weapon in the B2B sector’s push for digitalization.

They can demystify the process for customers, addressing concerns about the upfront investment or the potential disruption to business operations. By clearly articulating the long-term benefits of digital tools — whether it’s faster payments, improved efficiency or greater customer satisfaction — salespeople can make the case for change in ways that resonate with clients.

“The middle to back office, they’re no longer just a cost center,” Meghan Oakes, vice president of customer success at FIS, told PYMNTS this week. “They’re a value-added partner for everybody within the business. There are many different aspects of that middle to back office that are now at the forefront of how companies operate.”

As the calendar years’ worth of 2024 PYMNTS Intelligence studies have shown, accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR) automation are becoming key areas of focus for businesses looking to eliminate manual B2B processes and corral their disorganized tech stacks.

Read more: Into the Nitty-Gritty: How, Why, and Where Automation Optimizes B2B Payments

Driving Seamless Integration

Sales teams don’t operate in a silo when it comes to digital transformation. To ensure the seamless integration of new technologies, sales professionals work closely with IT, finance and operations teams. These collaborations enable salespeople to understand the technical aspects of the products they are selling, ensuring they can confidently present digital solutions to their clients.

“The payments modernization winners will be the ones that can rapidly adjust and evolve to meet the needs of their customers,” Boost Payment Solutions Chief Operating Officer Illya Shell told PYMNTS.  “The inflexibility of traditional systems and platforms have prevented lots of companies from moving forward and keeping up with the changing dynamics of the large B2B buyer-supplier relationships. We’ve spent the past 15 years focused on converting manual tasks into automated ones to help our customers understand the value of payments modernization.”

By leveraging their deep understanding of customer pain points, advocating for digital solutions and ensuring seamless integration, sales teams help ensure that digital products and services are designed with the customer in mind.

“Automate, automate, automate,” Lorenzo Soriano de Teresa, senior vice president, merchant services at American Express, told PYMNTS in an interview posted Aug. 27. “The right automation solution, or the right partner, can help businesses move past their current payments concerns to see tangible benefits.”

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