MARKET VIEW 15
Jonathan Broadley
HEAD OF MARKETING
B2B Customer Acquisition: The role of human engagement in a world of digital-first enterprise marketing
For businesses, this means the onus is now on them to answer pertinent buyer questions through a range of easy-to-digest content that buyers can readily access online.
How has the decision making process in B2B purchases changed in recent years?
The way that we conduct purchases, both as personal consumers and as business buyers, has changed in recent years. We are far more comfortable conducting our own research online before making a purchase and often don’t feel the need to speak with a salesperson as part of the decision making process. For businesses, this means the onus is now on them to answer pertinent buyer questions through a range of easy-to-digest content that buyers can readily access online. If a buyer arrives on your website and can quickly establish that you have a solution, then you are off to a great start. Relevant details of the solution can then be highlighted to the customer as they progress through their buying journey.
But this does not mean a buying journey should become completely void of human interaction. More complex and bespoke solutions will naturally create questions that are unique to the individual buyers, and so businesses must ensure that an appropriate level of human interaction is available to buyers when they need it. This could be virtually or face-to-face physically, depending on customer preference. If a salesperson is consultative, friendly and delivers exceptional customer service, then they can really make a positive difference in a buyer’s decision.
An important part of this process is creating two-way communication between marketing and sales. Sales teams spend time talking to potential customers everyday and should understand their challenges better than anybody else.
What can sales and marketing teams do to better collaborate?
B2B purchasing is a journey that can require many touchpoints depending on the complexity of the purchase. Because of this, it is no longer suitable to think about sales and marketing channels as individual tactics. Instead, consider the whole customer journey and focus on making sure that every piece of content or interaction a customer experiences on that journey is connected. For example, are your sales teams giving answers that are consistent with your social media presence? Is your branding and imagery consistent? This level of consistency builds recognition and trust.
An important part of this process is creating two-way communication between marketing and sales. Sales teams spend time talking to potential customers everyday and should understand their challenges better than anybody else. By feeding this insight into marketing, they are in a powerful position to create highly relevant content with a consistent story for all stages of the buying journey. Before anything else, the content you produce should be valuable to your customer. If they find it entertaining then that’s great, but ultimately producing content just to be entertaining is a distraction.
A typical B2B buyer is likely speaking to 2 or 3 other companies before deciding who to purchase from, so it’s important to stand out by providing an exceptional experience.
JONATHAN BROADLEY
Head of Marketing ACCESSPAY
Is the ‘experience’ of buying important within B2B sales?
The first box to tick for a buyer is ensuring that they know straight away whether your product or service provides a solution to their problem. Once this is done, the buying experience becomes incredibly important. A typical B2B buyer is likely speaking to 2 or 3 other companies before deciding who to purchase from, so it’s important to stand out by providing an exceptional experience. This can be through demonstrating expertise or using a consultative sales approach that helps the buyer feel like they are entering a partnership rather than being sold to. It could also be through softer, more personal tactics like sending something meaningful through the post that isn’t related to the sale at all, but instead adds warmth and depth to the personal connection. Whilst it’s true that face-to-face meetings and networking typically develops stronger relationships, this isn’t an excuse for not trying to build relationships remotely during a sales process.
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