By Paula Williams
In aviation, we pride ourselves on precision. Our flight plans, maintenance schedules, and compliance procedures are all held to exacting standards. But when it comes to sales systems in the aviation industry—particularly business-to-business (B2B)—many organizations are still flying without instruments.
For companies selling aircraft, MRO services, charter operations, avionics, or aviation software, a robust sales system is no longer optional. It’s essential for predictable revenue, customer retention, and long-term growth.
Yet across dozens of audits conducted by our team at ABCI, we’ve found that even the most technically competent companies lack the structure needed to generate consistent results from their sales teams. And that gap represents significant untapped revenue.
1. Most Aviation Sales Teams Don’t Follow a Documented Sales Process
According to CSO Insights, only 33% of B2B companies have a formal sales process in place. In the aviation sector, anecdotally and based on internal reviews, that number appears even lower.
Companies often rely on a few experienced salespeople to manage leads through gut instinct and personal networks. This approach, while occasionally effective, leads to unpredictable results, inconsistent handoffs, and difficulty onboarding new team members.
Example:
In 2023, Bombardier reported a 17% increase in aftermarket service revenue year-over-year, in part due to investments in digital transformation, including more structured customer relationship processes and sales technology integration (Source: Bombardier Annual Report 2023).
2. Sales and Marketing Are Often Misaligned
According to a LinkedIn B2B Sales Report, 87% of sales and marketing leaders say collaboration between teams enables critical business growth—but only 23% say the teams are tightly aligned.
In aviation, this misalignment is particularly visible in organizations where marketing generates content or lead lists, but sales teams don’t use them—or where sales teams fail to provide feedback about lead quality.
Example:
In 2022, Textron Aviation increased its share in the turboprop segment through tighter alignment between product marketing and sales enablement. The company’s customer targeting became more refined, leading to stronger follow-up and a more integrated sales cycle across global regions (Source: Textron Investor Briefing 2022).
3. CRM Systems Are Underutilized or Poorly Maintained
HubSpot’s State of Sales report found that 43% of CRM users don’t use more than half of their CRM features. In aviation, many firms purchase a CRM but fail to fully implement it, leading to fragmented data and poor sales forecasting.
Proper CRM use allows for:
- Accurate revenue projections
- Tracking of customer touchpoints
- Insight into stalled deals
- Lead segmentation
Example:
Duncan Aviation, a leading MRO provider, has implemented a customer-focused CRM system to enhance customer interactions and reduce sales cycle times. Their case study (available through Salesforce) describes how the system improved visibility into customer preferences and sales opportunities across multiple service locations.
4. Content Isn’t Supporting the Entire Sales Journey
A Demand Gen Report found that 82% of B2B buyers engaged with 5–8 pieces of content before making a purchase decision. In aviation, many companies stop at a brochure or product sheet—missing the opportunity to educate, reassure, and differentiate during the lengthy sales process.
Effective content includes:
- ROI calculators
- Regulatory checklists
- Video demonstrations
- Case studies
- Industry-specific white papers
Example:
Collins Aerospace provides interactive online tools for its avionics customers, including regulatory compliance documents and data sheets targeted to fleet managers. These tools help reduce buying friction by providing technical buyers the resources they need in the research phase.
5. Metrics Focus Too Much on Activity—Not Outcomes
Vanity metrics like website visits, number of calls, or trade show attendees can distract from the KPIs that truly matter:
- Lead-to-close conversion rate
- Sales velocity
- Average deal size
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
- Customer lifetime value (CLTV)
Without these KPIs, companies struggle to coach effectively, forecast accurately, or justify sales investments.
Example:
In 2023, GE Aerospace reported growth in aftermarket services driven by “intelligent customer engagement” backed by performance metrics across sales and operations. Their strategic focus on sales productivity metrics allowed more precise forecasting and resource planning (Source: GE Aerospace 2023 Financial Results).
6. Lack of Ongoing Sales Training and Coaching
Sales training isn’t just for onboarding. According to Salesforce, B2B teams that invest in regular coaching see 50% higher net sales per rep.
In the aviation sector, where product knowledge and regulatory understanding are critical, continuous training ensures that sales teams stay sharp—and avoid costly missteps.
Example:
Honeywell Aerospace operates a robust internal learning platform for its customer-facing teams, offering ongoing product training, scenario-based selling simulations, and tools for objection handling. This program has been cited in industry publications as a key driver of their global sales performance.
7. Follow-Up Discipline is Critically Undervalued
One of the most persistent issues we see in aviation sales audits is a lack of consistent follow-up.
InsideSales (now XANT) research shows that 50% of deals are closed after five or more follow-ups, but 44% of salespeople give up after just one.
Follow-up isn’t pestering—it’s professionalism. In aviation, decisions involve long buying cycles, multiple stakeholders, and regulatory hurdles. Staying top-of-mind with value-added touchpoints is essential.
Example:
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) regularly emphasizes in its member resources that follow-up is critical in converting charter leads, particularly when customers compare operators across safety standards and service levels. Companies with automated CRM reminders and follow-up sequences typically report better engagement and higher booking rates.
The Current Market Landscape in Business Aviation
The 2024 Honeywell Global Business Aviation Outlook projects delivery of 8,500 new business jets worth $278 billion between 2024 and 2034. The top growth segments? Light jets and ultra-long-range aircraft.
However, competition is also intensifying. Broker networks are becoming more sophisticated. Charter services face pressure from membership-based models and on-demand apps. And MROs are vying for attention amid global parts shortages and labor constraints.
In this environment, the sales teams that will win are not the ones with the loudest ads or biggest booths—but the ones with a system: consistent messaging, structured outreach, robust analytics, and customer-centric content.
What Aviation Companies Can Do Today
At ABCI, we use a proven 8-step framework to help aviation companies build a structured sales system—from targeting the right decision-makers to setting up a follow-up cadence that works. This blog touches on several of those steps, but our full process is taught in the Aviation Prospecting Course.
If you’re unsure whether your sales system is serving you well, here are a few first steps:
- Audit your sales process – Map out each stage from lead to close. Are there gaps? Redundancies?
- Evaluate your CRM – Is it current, clean, and used daily?
- Align sales and marketing goals – Shared KPIs create shared success.
- Invest in training – A smarter sales team closes more and retains better clients.
- Create content for every stage – Don’t leave your buyers to guess.
- Commit to data-driven improvement – Monitor what matters.
Let’s put your sales strategy on the same flight path as the rest of your operation: structured, reliable, and built to perform.
Conclusion
There’s no autopilot in aviation sales. What gets measured gets managed—and what gets structured gets scaled.
At ABCI, we use a proven 8-step framework to help aviation companies build strong, repeatable prospecting systems. From identifying the right decision-makers to setting up consistent follow-up cadences, this framework brings clarity to every step of your sales process.
One of the biggest advantages of a structured system? It makes onboarding new sales team members faster and more effective. Instead of relying on tribal knowledge or shadowing your top rep, new hires can hit the ground running with a clear roadmap.
If you’re ready to fix what’s missing from your sales process and start filling your pipeline with the right leads—
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