INTERVIEW WITH
Jeff Platon
Chief Marketing Officer
B2B Customer Acquisition: The role of human engagement in a world of digital-first enterprise marketing
the very best enterprise B2B salespeople are those who undertake a more consultative approach with their prospects and take on the role of an information guide
What does a great modern marketer look like?
A deep understanding of a buyer’s journey across awareness, consideration and decision is the key for modern marketers to build the right content for the right moments. The content that resonates best is educational, not promotional. Anything that helps a prospect to solve problems and be better at their job is a surefire way to build trust. Marketing can be the data collector and synthesis of what topics are really relevant to a company’s target audience. In enterprise B2B sales there is rarely a single decision maker, so marketing needs to understand each of the different viewpoints within buying groups and create content that supports each of their personal objectives.
This content and insight can then be used to help sales teams work smarter, providing them with key talking points to use during presentations. Sales people have the tendency to focus on products, promotions and pricing, failing to take into account the prospect’s point of view. But in reality, the very best enterprise B2B salespeople are those who undertake a more consultative approach with their prospects and take on the role of an information guide, rather than a promoter. When marketing teams provide the content that helps their sales colleagues to ask better questions, everybody wins.
Instead of starting with a daunting, large-scale change for a prospect, vendors should identify what is the largest problem they can help solve that requires the minimum amount of signoff within the customer.
Why do most sales collapse and what can sales teams do to reduce the number of lost deals?
Most sales are lost due to indecisiveness and fear. Prospects fear the risk of putting the wrong solution in place and upsetting the status quo so much that they continually delay making a decision. When it gets to this stage, then in reality the deal is lost. Sales people who are able to understand these fears and address the fear openly, will find that they become a trusted advisor in the eyes of the prospect. Trust is crucial in any B2B deal, but particularly so where there is hesitancy in the buyer and the salesperson has to earn a commitment from them.
This is where the ‘land and expand’ strategy makes sense. Instead of starting with a daunting, large-scale change for a prospect, vendors should identify what is the largest problem they can help solve that requires the minimum amount of signoff within the customer. Once they’ve solved that problem, it becomes considerably easier to obtain buy-in from the wider business thanks to the combination of an internal champion and proven success.
Buyers are increasingly confident in their own research and investigation skills when making a purchase, only seeking validation or clarification towards the end of their journeys.
JEFF PLATON
Chief Marketing Officer HOXHUNT
How has the buying journey changed in recent years?
The rise of mobile technology and easy access to information at scale & depth has changed the buying journey considerably. Within the last ten years alone, the percentage of a typical buying journey that is self-directed has increased from 50% to 75%. Buyers are increasingly confident in their own research and investigation skills when making a purchase, only seeking validation or clarification towards the end of their journeys. Many have attributed this change to the rise of millennial professionals in decision making positions, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Buyers of every generation have changed the way they make purchasing decisions forever. This is across both B2C and B2B. Because of the increase in self-direction when buying, it’s more important than ever for selling businesses to know exactly who their customers are and where in the market landscape their product fits. This insight will help to ensure that when a prospect finds your solution or content as part of their research, the value and proposition are delivered in a way that is meaningful to them.
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