News
 BtoB
Marketers Must Adapt
In a world where prospects know more about what
they're buying than most sellers do, B-to-B
marketers need to rethink their role and their value
add. Sherri Leopoard, CEO of Leopard, says forget
about moving prospects through the sales cycle, and
focus on assisting them through their buying
process.
Selling cycle, buying process — are we splitting
hairs? Hardly. Sales cycles are built around a
methodology for driving leads from awareness through
preference to purchase and loyalty. The flaw in that
logic is that we can't drive prospects to do
anything. They drive the process. Our job is to get
them to include us in their process.
First, map the buying process for each customer
segment, and take the time to micro-segment your
audiences. Understand the problem each segment is
trying to solve, as well as the process they go
through to research a solution and make a decision.
Know where they go to get educated and be there.
Second, create relevant content for each stage and
player in the process. Consider the multiple
decision-makers and influencers involved in the
B-to-B buying process. Use personalized techniques,
such as customized URLs, to make the experience
unique and targeted to each person. Speak their
language. Talk business, not features and
functionality. And, don't be afraid to address your
audience in non-business channels — they are people,
not a nebulous buyer segment.
Finally, match the effort expended by prospects to
the value of the information you're giving them.
Prospects don't want to be sold to, especially early
in the buying process. They may abandon your offer
if they think they're going to get hassled by sales
just for doing their homework and checking out your
content. Make sure your campaigns have a good mix of
low, medium, and high commitment assets, such as
whitepapers, webinars and assessments, that cover
the spectrum of buying process activities and enable
you to collect information over time.
It's not about what you sell, it's about whether
customers believe that you can solve their problem
better than someone else can.
---Source:
Reprinted from DM News December 3, 2007 issue (www.dmnews.com).
Reach Sherri at www.leopard-inc.com.
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Melissa Data
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