INTERVIEW WITH
Wayne Gratton
VICE PRESIDENT DIGITAL, MARKETING AND BD
B2B Customer Acquisition: The role of human engagement in a world of digital-first enterprise marketing
Modern buyers can sift through vast amounts of information quickly and will only deep-dive into a content source if they are confident that it will help them solve a problem or add value to their work.
How have customer expectations changed in recent years and what can businesses do to meet them?
Customer expectations have evolved into wanting control and access to powerful information on terms that suit them. This expectation is so inherent that it also continues even when confidence in the product or service is high and a trusting relationship has been established between the customer and the vendor. This makes the day-to-day relationship between the customer and company far more transactional, with the customer choosing what information they want access to and when. Modern buyers can sift through vast amounts of information quickly and will only deep-dive into a content source if they are confident that it will help them solve a problem or add value to their work. They often know that there is a human they can speak to for more complex questions, but ultimately the customer is now in control of the relationship and selling companies must ensure that they supply the right information in places that the customer can easily find it.
Buyers simply will not tolerate being sold to in a traditional way anymore and doing so wastes both the sellers’ and the buyers’ time.
In a hybrid working world, has the role of a salesperson changed?
Whether digital or face-to-face, adding value to your customers is now the most important thing a salesperson can do. Buyers simply will not tolerate being sold to in a traditional way anymore and doing so wastes both the sellers’ and the buyers’ time. This can be a tricky adjustment for some sales teams and account managers as the focus is no longer on the end transaction, but rather the transfer of knowledge. The fine balance that businesses should strive to achieve is for their customers to know that there is an account manager with real expertise available to them when needed who genuinely cares about their success and that they have a relationship with, but without the customer feeling like the account manager is an obtrusive occupier of their time. This last part is particularly important as we are bombarded with sales pitches every day, so you don’t want to become just another contributor to the distracting white noise.
The role of marketing is changing from a traditional selling and promotional function to that of mass educator
WAYNE GRATTON
Vice President Digital, Marketing and BD
NUVIAS
What role does marketing play in modern sales experiences?
The role of marketing is changing from a traditional promotional function to that of an engager and educator, putting information in front of people at the right time and place for them to consume. But this is not to say that marketing does not influence sales, in fact quite the opposite. Within any great sales team there is a large amount of valuable knowledge on the industry, common customer problems and different ways that these problems can be solved. A great marketing team can take this information and transfer it successfully to their target audience. In doing so, they actually elevate the position of their sales teams and help them to build authenticity and credibility. Case studies are a great way of doing this because they not only give you the chance to showcase why your solution is innovative and valuable, but you can also include real life return on investment figures that are invaluable in converting a prospect into a customer. Sales teams spend time talking to customers everyday and will know exactly which customer experiences make for the best case studies.
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