Time to Focus on the Buyer
Think back to the last time you made a sizeable purchase – did you have a sales person push you through the sales process to close the deal, or were you able to make the decision on your terms with access to relevant materials while you were deciding?
For most B2B companies when they try to engage customers to buy their products or services, they guide prospects through the sales process which begins with investigating needs, moves to demonstrating the product and proposing purchase, to finally closing the deal. The problem with this process is that it doesn’t focus on customer needs, and the organizations ends up pushing their agenda onto prospects. Customers feel like they are being sold to instead of coming a decision themselves.
How does a company fix that? Simple – focus on the buyer’s journey not the seller’s. The buyer’s journey has 6 stages which are:
- Awareness of a Need: Buyers recognize that they have problem that needs to be solved
- Committing to Change: After recognizing that there is a need, the buyer commits to finding a solution
- Exploring Possible Solutions: The buyer will research available options, most often by looking online
- Committing to a Solution: A few solutions have been chosen as finalists, and buyer is looking for final pricing before going forward
- Justifying the Decision: Buyer gets senior ratification and starts to implement the solution
- Selection of a Team for Implementation: Team is created to implement the solution and project plan is created
The key is to look at things through the eyes of the buyer. What content can I produce that will help the buyer move along this journey is the question that should be at the back of your mind during this process. It’s crucial that the content you do produce focuses on the customer’s pain points – not your product or company.
You also need to ensure that your content is accessible. Great content is of no use to anyone if it is buried in your website on a page that no one sees. So promote your content on social media, set up a dedicated blog, createnurturing campaigns – anything to get your content noticed.
Remember…
The way we do business is changing and even more power has been given to the buyer than ever before. The more you connect with your buyers and their pain points, the more successful you will be.