Every B2B buyer takes a different path on the way to a final sale. By understanding the marketing triggers that can move the B2B buyer along this journey, you can improve the likelihood that each journey will end in a final sale. Here are four ways to improve the B2B buyer journey.
#1: Do a better job of recognizing the problems your customers face
One of the biggest differences between B2B sales and B2C sales is that you don’t have to “create a problem” for the B2B buyer – he or she is already plenty motivated to find a solution. Most likely, this problem has been keeping him or her up all night. So you need to make sure that your company’s solution is a perfect match for this problem. This may take some iterative steps and fine-tuning, but the closer the match between the problem and the solution, the easier will be the job of finally closing the sale.
#2: Make it easier for buyers to find the information they need
As soon as the B2B buyer recognizes the problem, the next step is to start to assemble all the information needed to make the final purchase decision. The temptation here is simply to provide a “specs sheet” and hope to compete on performance only. But the B2B buyer is looking for more than “speeds and feeds” – he or she is also looking for a trusted solution. That’s why you need to play up your industry expertise, domain knowledge, and market-leading position.
#3: Show how your solution is superior to the alternatives
Sooner or later, the B2B buyer is going to want to see how all the alternatives stack up against one another. This is a major difference with B2C sales, where sometimes it seems like the goal is to prevent the customer from knowing about all the other alternatives out there. The goal here is to keep the customer on your website, so one tactic many companies use is to provide charts and grids, showing exactly how the competitors stack up. This is also a great way to steer the conversation away from price, towards a certain feature that your company is particularly well suited to offer.
#4: Understand why customers may have reservations about buying
The B2B buyer has finally narrowed down the choice to 2-3 alternatives. Now comes the “moment of truth” – the moment when the B2B buyer comes back to you for a final validation of their purchase decision. The organization may be ready to make the purchase – but only if you can answer 1-2 brief questions that may have arisen in Step #3. This is why you absolutely have to prepare for this “moment of truth” and understand the strengths and weaknesses of your product.
In the best-case scenario, the process of getting information, evaluating alternatives and making the purchase decision will be as easy as possible. The easier and less complex you can make the customer journey, the more likely you can make a final sale.
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Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.