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Let’s face facts, the landscape of B2B sales has drastically changed.
Buyers are digitally more tech-savvy than ever, and the market is becoming increasingly competitive. As buyers have increased expectations, businesses are adapting their strategies to meet them. This has led to a sea change.
Companies that are not prepared or focused on digital engagement will be left behind.
Now the question is: What can they do to reclaim buyers’ attention?
Three things are crucial for sellers:
- Buyers sit in the driver’s seat. Although they have access to tons of information, they don’t always know how to interpret it. They need to be helped by sellers.
- Customer journeys are not linear. They have changed dramatically over the past few years. This means that buyers may not engage with brands at the end of their buying journey. This is something sellers need to consider.
- Sellers must have a better understanding about the buyer’s journey and what they are trying to achieve at each stage. This will allow sellers to determine their location, when they should go, what message they should send, and how they can tailor it for different stakeholders.
Brands that empower buyers, increase their confidence and simplify purchasing are winners.
Learn who the stakeholders and map the buyer journey
Many companies think they know the buyer’s journey inside and out. But are they really?
Some people find the journey easy, while others find it difficult. This is why there is no universal approach. The B2B buyer journey has been rewritten in some ways. This makes it a crucial time to refresh companies’ knowledge of the details, opportunities, and pain points.
When it comes to understanding customer journeys, there are two major obstacles that sellers must overcome:
- Buyers often complete a lot of their journey before becoming interested in working with brands. Sellers may be out of consideration and may lose the chance to win the business.
- At any given moment, there are 5-10 stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. Each stakeholder has different needs and definitions.
Sellers must get in front buyers before it is too late
Identifying the jobs buyers want to do is one of the best ways to understand buyer’s journey.
Gartner uses this thinking in his “Jobs to-Be-Done” framework. It identifies six tasks that can be applied to many scenarios: problem identification, solution exploration and requirements building.
Gartner’s framework focuses on the fact that almost every B2B sale succeeds in completing the first four tasks. B2B buyers must also address tasks five through six during the buying process.
The buyer journey can be connected to the sales process
In a short time, the B2B sales process was subject to massive disruption. Companies are trying to find ways to manage these changes without compromising their business. Companies must anticipate the challenges that buyers will face.
Companies that are successful embrace challenges by learning about customers and their expectations, piloting new concepts and methods, and pivoting continuously to increase brand engagement and maximize brand selection.
Buyers travel on a non-linear path. Steps often repeat. Sellers need to think backwards to avoid any bumps along the way that buyers may encounter. Sellers need to first understand the buyer’s goals and then determine what tasks they need to accomplish them. This allows sellers to meet buyers earlier in the buying process, which allows them to be more involved and add their voice to the consideration group.
Buyers’ behavior changes as they navigate the changing world. Understanding the needs, expectations, and purchasing journey of buyers is key to a company’s marketing and sales efforts. To assess the ability of sellers to engage and move buyers through their buying journey, they should adjust their deal metrics.
Maximize digital tools for brand engagement and win rates
Many feel it’s high time that B2B selling and buying took a page from B2C. It’s an omnichannel World, and sellers who are able to combine real-world and digital experiences with a focus upon social connection will be able to win over buyers.
With the rise in individualism and the emphasis on “me” over “we”, consumers continue to want personalization. Personalization has been made possible by data, and this is true even in the B2B sector.
Sellers can gain valuable insight into customer preferences, behaviors, and interests by collecting data through customer interactions using IoT devices. This data can be used to segment and target customers. personas To maximize targeting which in turn creates hyperpersonalized experiences.
Technology is also changing the way people shop, research, and buy. These technologies are critical to B2B selling. Virtual try-ons and 3D assets bring products to life. Crypto wallets allow for faster checkouts and greater security. Conversational commerce allows shoppers to get in touch with service representatives, while headless technology makes it easy for everyone to shop online.
These technologies share one thing in common: they are easy to use and convenient for customers. Customers expect a simple and accurate shopping experience. Sellers who can leverage this new technology to draw buyers are likely to be the ones to succeed.
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B2B marketing and sales are at an important turning point. As the world changes dramatically, what was once a steady march towards digital engagement has now been reversed.
Sellers must be able to understand the customer journey in order to keep pace with changing buyers. To create seamless customer experiences, sellers must meet customers right where they are by using hyperpersonalized messaging to address their end goals.
More resources on the B2B Buyers Journey
How B2B marketers can align with the self-directed buyer journey
How to align content with the buyer’s journey for increased conversions