You produce a quality product, offer adequate prices, but deals fall through. Potential clients come to the site, leave applications — and disappear. Familiar situation? In the B2B segment, this happens constantly. Moreover, the problem rarely lies in the product itself.
The sales funnel in B2B is more complex than in retail. Between the first click and signing the contract, weeks and sometimes months pass. At each stage of the funnel, the client can «drop off» — and most often this happens not because your product didn’t suit them. Conversion falls because of processes: long approvals, lack of information, unclear terms of cooperation.
In this article, we will analyze three key barriers that prevent turning a lead into a buyer. And most importantly — we will show how to eliminate them without radical changes in the business.
Why Conversion in B2B Falls Not Because of the Product, but Because of the Process
When revenue is not growing, the first thought is — something is wrong with the product. Maybe the price is high? Or the quality doesn’t match the competitors? However, in the B2B segment, the situation is usually different. Your product may be the best on the market, but if the purchasing process causes difficulties — the client will go to someone who is easier to work with.
Conversion in B2B is not just the ratio of website visitors to applications left. It is a chain of transitions: from the first contact to signing the contract, from the contract to payment, from a one-time deal to repeat orders. At each stage of the sales funnel, you lose part of potential buyers. The question is where exactly the main loss occurs.
A typical sales funnel in B2B looks like this: traffic to the site → application or call → lead qualification → negotiations → commercial offer → approval → deal. If the visitor does not turn into a lead — the problem is at the top level of the funnel. If there are leads, but deals don’t close — look for bottlenecks in the middle or bottom.
The conversion rate at different stages of the funnel varies greatly. Out of a hundred website visitors, five to ten will leave an application. Out of ten applications, three to four will reach negotiations. To a deal — one to two. These are normal numbers for the B2B market. But if your metrics are significantly worse — it’s time to figure out what’s going wrong.
The main feature of B2B is a long decision-making cycle. The buyer cannot simply put the product in the cart and pay by card. They need to approve the budget, check the supplier, make sure of reliability, resolve issues with logistics and documents. Each of these stages is a potential point of refusal.
Barrier 1. Low Visibility at the Moment of Decision Making
Imagine: a buyer of a large enterprise received the task to find a supplier of components. What does he do? Opens a search engine and enters a query. Perhaps goes to specialized B2B marketplaces. Browses supplier catalogs. If you are not in any of these places — you do not exist for him.
Searching for suppliers on the internet has long become a standard. Even if a company has proven partners, when making new purchases, they often look for alternatives. And here the first barrier arises: low visibility at the moment when the potential client is ready for contact.
Your own website is good, but not enough. Indexing of the company card in search engines takes time, and competition for search traffic in commercial niches is huge. Contextual advertising helps, but a click in B2B is expensive, and the ROI of advertising campaigns does not always justify the investment.
A B2B marketplace for manufacturers solves this problem differently. The platform already has high positions in search results, attracts the target audience, and gives your card a chance to get into the buyer’s field of vision. This does not cancel work on your own website, but complements it.
Optimization of online presence includes several directions: SEO for your own website, placement on industry platforms, work with catalogs and directories. The more contact points — the higher the probability that you will be found exactly when it is needed. Attracting potential clients in B2B requires a systematic approach to visibility.
The lead attraction channel also affects their quality. A visitor who came from a specialized marketplace is already looking for a supplier. They don’t need to be convinced of the need for a purchase — they are deciding who to buy from. This is a completely different stage of the funnel and a different level of readiness for a deal.
Barrier 2. Long Verification of Supplier Reliability
Let’s say the buyer found your company. The product is suitable, the price is acceptable. It would seem, it’s just a matter of placing an order. But in B2B, it doesn’t work that way. Before signing a contract, the client must make sure that you are reliable. And here the second barrier begins.
Evidence of supplier reliability is a critically important element in B2B sales. The buyer is not risking their own money, but the company’s budget. A mistake in choosing a supplier can cost them their position. Therefore, verification takes time: studying details, searching for reviews, requesting documents.
Reviews from B2B clients work differently than in retail. Here, not so much emotions are important, but facts: compliance with deadlines, product quality, adequacy in problem solving. Cases of successful deliveries are a powerful tool for increasing conversion at the decision-making stage.
Product certificates online should be available without additional requests. If the client has to write a letter and wait for a response — this is an extra barrier. Every additional step reduces conversion. Post documents on the website, add them to the card on the marketplace, mention them in the commercial offer.
Supplier reputation is made up of many elements: company history, media publications, participation in exhibitions, membership in industry associations. All this is evidence of your reliability. The problem is that this information is often scattered and difficult for a potential client to access.
Counterparty verification takes time also because information has to be collected from different sources. If you collect it in one place — you will shorten the deal cycle. Transparency accelerates sales. These are not just beautiful words, but a working mechanism for increasing conversion in the B2B segment.
Barrier 3. Complex Logistics and Payment for New Clients
The client is ready to buy. Checked your company, verified the quality of the product, approved the budget. It remains to complete the deal. And here it turns out: delivery to their region is not organized, payment for legal entities requires complex approvals, and documents for accounting will have to be collected independently.
The third barrier — complexity of deal processing — is especially relevant when working with new clients. Regular partners already know your processes, they have document flow set up, logistics is established. And a new client faces all this for the first time.
Working with CIS and export from Russia add an additional level of complexity. Currency settlements, customs clearance, certification for different countries — all this requires expertise. If you don’t have it, the potential buyer will go to a competitor who will offer a comprehensive solution.
International logistics scares many manufacturers. It’s unclear how to organize delivery, what documents are needed, how to avoid problems at the border. But for the client, these are not your problems — these are their problems if they decide to work with you. And often they decide not to risk it.
Tender support is a separate topic. Participation in procurement requires preparation of documentation, bank guarantees, knowledge of procedures. If you are not ready to accompany the client at this stage — part of potential deals simply will not happen.
Documentary support of the deal affects conversion more than it seems. The client’s accounting department must receive correctly executed documents on time. Delay with closing documents means delay in payment for the next order. And sometimes a reason to look for another supplier.
How to Eliminate Barriers: Solutions for Manufacturers and Suppliers
Each of the three barriers has a specific solution. Not abstract recommendations, but practical steps that can be implemented in a reasonable time frame.
To increase visibility, use several sales channels simultaneously. Your own website with good SEO optimization is the basic level. Presence on B2B marketplaces for manufacturers is an expansion of reach. Advertising traffic through Yandex.Direct is an additional channel for attracting leads. Set up end-to-end analytics from day one to track which channel brings not just applications, but real deals.
To speed up reliability verification, collect all evidence in one place:
Certificates and licenses in open access
Cases with specific numbers and results
Client reviews with company names indicated
Company history and key achievements
This shortens the deal cycle and increases conversion from lead to client. The potential client receives all information without unnecessary requests.
To simplify deal processing, there are two ways. The first is to build your own infrastructure: logistics, document flow, work with currency. This requires time and resources. The second is to use intermediaries who take these functions upon themselves. B2B marketplaces with comprehensive deal support belong to the second option.
Sales automation through a CRM system helps track every lead at all stages of the funnel. You see where client loss occurs, which stages take more time, which managers close more deals. Sales funnel analytics is the basis for informed decisions on process optimization.
Test hypotheses sequentially. Changed the headline on the landing page — measure conversion. Added a form with consent to personal data processing in a different place — look at the metrics. Connected a new channel — evaluate lead quality in a month. Revenue growth comes not from one big change, but from many small improvements.
The value proposition should be clear from the first seconds. A website visitor will not figure out complex formulations. Write simply: what you produce, for whom, why you should be chosen. This is basic optimization that affects the supplier’s website conversion.
Checklist: Where to Start Increasing Conversion Today
Global changes take time. But there are steps that can be taken right now — and see results in the coming weeks.
Check the company card on all platforms where you are present. Are the contacts up to date? Are product photos uploaded? Is there a description that is understandable to your target audience? Changes to the website itself or the card take an hour or two, but affect conversion constantly.
Collect three to five cases of successful deliveries. You don’t have to write long stories — a brief description is enough: client, task, result. Post them on the website and mention them in negotiations.
Post certificates and permits in open access. If they are not on the website — add them. If they are outdated — update them. This removes the barrier of distrust for potential buyers.
Set up CRM to track the funnel if you haven’t done so yet. Record every application, every stage of negotiations. Without analytics, you won’t understand where you are losing clients and how to increase conversion.
Evaluate how difficult it is for a new client to make their first purchase from you. Go through this path yourself: from the first contact to receiving the invoice. Every extra step is a potential loss of a lead.
Increasing conversion in B2B is a systematic task. But it starts with simple actions: be visible, be transparent, be convenient. Three barriers — three directions of work. Choose the optimal one for your situation and start with it.