What Are B2B Sales? Definition, Types, Examples & Process (2026 Guide)
In a nutshell: B2B (business-to-business) sales is the process of one company selling products or services to another company, rather than to an individual consumer. Compared to B2C, B2B sales involve higher order values, longer sales cycles, more stakeholders, and payment terms (like net 30/60/90) instead of upfront payment.
What is B2B sales?
B2B sales is a transaction between two businesses: one company selling a product or service to another, rather than to an individual consumer. Instead of a retailer selling directly to a shopper, B2B sales happen when, say, a software vendor sells a platform to a mid-market company, or a distributor supplies raw materials to a manufacturer.
The B2B market dwarfs consumer sales. The global B2B ecommerce market is projected to reach $36 trillion in 2026, and the average B2B buying committee for deals over $50,000 now includes 11.2 stakeholders, up from 9.7 in 2024. That scale is exactly why B2B sales works so differently from B2C.
B2B sales vs B2C sales: what's the difference?
B2B and B2C sales share the same end goal - a completed sale - but the path there looks nothing alike.
Higher average order value. B2B buyers purchase in bulk and less frequently, and many B2B products or services carry a higher price point than consumer goods.
Longer sales cycle. Because the transaction value and risk are higher, B2B buyers research more, compare more vendors, and need to justify the spend internally before committing.
More stakeholders. A B2C sale usually involves one decision-maker. A B2B sale can pull in procurement, finance, operations, IT, and the end users, each with different priorities.
Technical expertise. B2B products and services are rarely one-size-fits-all. Sellers often need to customize a solution and demonstrate deep product knowledge to close the deal.
Highly educated buyers. B2B buyers are typically evaluating a purchase on behalf of their company, so they tend to be more informed and more risk-averse than the average consumer.
The line between the two is blurring, though. Buyers increasingly expect B2B purchasing to feel as frictionless as B2C - self-serve checkout, instant credit decisions, and digital-first research (94% of B2B buyers now use LLMs during their buying process). Understanding both models - and where they're converging - is critical to a modern B2B sales strategy.
Types of B2B sales
Not all B2B sales happen the same way. Most companies use one or a mix of the following models:
Direct sales. Your own sales team owns the full customer relationship, from prospecting to close. This model costs more to run but gives you full control over pricing, messaging, and the customer experience.
Indirect / channel sales. You sell through third parties - distributors, resellers, or value-added resellers (VARs) - who represent your product to their own customer base. This extends your reach without scaling headcount.
Enterprise sales. A specialized form of B2B sales for high-value, complex deals with large organizations. Expect longer cycles, custom contracts, and a bigger buying committee than standard B2B deals.
Hybrid sales. A blend of direct and channel selling. Most B2B organizations now run hybrid models, using direct reps for strategic accounts and channel partners to cover the long tail.
B2B sales examples
A B2B sale can look like a packaging specialist supplying restaurants, takeaway shops, and cafes - Purple Planet Packaging is a good example. It can also look like a tool manufacturer supplying the construction trade, such as RiktigHandel.
Other common B2B sales examples include:
- A SaaS company selling subscription software to another business
- A wholesaler supplying inventory to a retailer
- A manufacturer selling components to another manufacturer
- A marketing agency selling services to a mid-market brand
Any transaction where a business is the buyer - not an individual consumer - counts as a B2B sale.
How the B2B sales process works
Because B2B deals are bigger, slower, and more complex than B2C, the sales process has more steps. Here's a typical B2B sales process from start to finish:
- Prospecting. Identify businesses that are likely to need your product or service and gather information about them.
- Qualifying. Assess whether the prospect has the budget, authority, and need to buy - and whether your offering is genuinely a fit.
- Needs assessment. Dig into the prospect's specific pain points and how your product or service addresses them.
- Solution development. Build a proposal or configuration tailored to the prospect's requirements.
- Pitching. Present your solution to the relevant stakeholders, often across multiple meetings.
- Handling objections. Address concerns from any of the stakeholders involved - pricing, implementation, risk - with evidence and reassurance.
- Closing. Finalize contract terms and get formal sign-off from the buying committee.
- After-sales support. Stay available post-sale. Strong support drives renewals, upsells, and referrals - which matter more in B2B, where customer lifetime value is high.
B2B sales challenges in 2026
A few shifts are reshaping how B2B sales teams operate this year:
- Longer buying committees, shorter cycles. Buying committees have grown to an average of 11.2 stakeholders for deals over $50K, even as the overall buying cycle has compressed slightly to 10.1 months.
- AI is now standard. 89% of revenue organizations have adopted AI in some part of the sales process, up from 34% in 2023, and teams using AI are reportedly far more likely to hit lead and revenue goals.
- Buyers move first. Buyers now initiate outreach to their preferred vendor close to 80% of the time, which means sales teams need to be visible and credible before a rep ever makes contact.
- Cash flow and risk exposure. Long sales cycles and buyer demand for extended payment terms put pressure on a seller's own cash flow - one reason more B2B sellers are adopting Buy Now, Pay Later and net-terms financing to keep deals moving without carrying the credit risk themselves.
FAQ
What are the 4 main types of B2B sales?
Direct sales, indirect (channel) sales, enterprise sales, and hybrid sales, which combines the first two.
What's the difference between B2B and B2C sales?
B2B sales involve business buyers, higher order values, longer cycles, and multiple decision-makers. B2C sales involve individual consumers, lower order values, and a single decision-maker who typically buys faster.
Is B2B sales hard?
B2B sales tends to be more complex than B2C because of longer cycles, more stakeholders, and higher stakes per deal - but it also tends to yield larger, more stable revenue per customer.
What is an example of a B2B sale?
A software company selling a subscription to another business, or a distributor supplying materials to a manufacturer, are both classic B2B sales examples.
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