The ‘rule of thirds’ trend for sales interactions continues to be the norm throughout the buying journey.
Interaction type, by stage of buying journey¹
% of respondents per sales interaction type
Digital self-service
Remote
Traditional
2019
Aug 2020
Feb 2021
Dec 2021
Apr 2024
Note: Figures may not sum to 100%, because of rounding.
1
Q: Currently, how do you split your time with sales reps from your company's suppliers during the following stages of interactions? Traditional includes in-
person meetings, direct mail, fax, etc. Remote includes phone calls, video conference calls, emails, etc. Digital includes company websites, e-commerce, chatbots, internet searches, mobile apps, etc.
Source: McKinsey & Company Global B2B Pulse Survey: April 3–24, 2024, n = 3,942, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, United States (2024 only); Dec 2022, Dec 2021, Feb 2021, Aug 2020, 2019
McKinsey & Company