| | |  | How2 Bring the B2B Buyer’s Journey In Line with Sales
B2B buyers take certain steps as they pass through the sales funnel – “the buyer’s journey”. Unfortunately, the selling process does not follow this same path. Find out how to bring the buyer’s journey in line with sales.
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| | | | | | The buyer’s journey is one of recognition by the buyer of problems, needs and solutions. The buyer moves from complacency to being troubled, then recognising needs and possible solutions, and finally choosing a supplier and negotiating terms for the eventual order.
There are certain steps that are important for the selling company alone - they are not in any way part of the buyer’s journey.
The two journeys must follow parallel paths – you need to take the buyer through the buyer’s journey one step at a time and consider the sales issues at the same time. Examine the buyer’s journey and analyse each step in the process, asking yourself: “how do we help buyers take the next step?”
It’s important to realise that your organisation, the seller, must carry out certain things before the buyer’s journey even starts, and also after it has ended. This parallel journey is typically something like the following: |  | | | Buyer’s purchase journey | Seller’s marketing journey | | | | Unaware of and untroubled by problem | Find new prospect | | | Position your organisation as a “Thought leader” | | | Help Buyer identify his/her problem | | | | Recognise problem | | Qualify and prioritise prospect | | | | Define needs | Establish your organisation’s credentials | | | Define needs | | | | Request solutions/proposals | Provide proposal | | | | Shortlist suppliers | Prove the solution; solve the problem | | | | Choose one supplier | Beat the competition | | | Get prospect’s approval | | | | Engage with new supplier | Get purchase order | | | Implement solution | | | More future business | | |
You need to focus on the different stages of the seller’s journey - choose marketing tactics that move the buyer through each stage of the buyer’s journey.
I suggest implementing the following approach: | | | 1. | Uncover new prospect names from proven B2B business lists and segment them to match your company’s chosen “best” customer profile | | 2. | Establish your organisation as a “Thought Leader” in your chosen markets; sending out eNewsletters; setting up seminars, etc. | | 3. | Use independent speakers to make buyers aware of potential problems by discussing real-life case studies of organisations that are failing to address the problems that your business can solve. | | 4. | Find out whether they are sufficiently concerned by setting up and analysing the responses to a post-seminar survey | | 5. | Qualify and prioritise those prospects with the highest scores on your lead qualification matrix and pass the prospects to your sales people if their score is above your pre-defined level | | 6. | Establish your organisation’s credentials through face-to-face meetings, clearly explaining the ROI that existing customers have achieved | | 7. | Assist the prospect in defining their needs by conducting a ‘marketing health check’. Review the results of the health check and discuss contract T&Cs on a hypothetical “if you selected us” basis | | 8. | Provide a proposal that offers a solution to their problems and needs | | 9. | Fill the prospect with confidence in your company’s ability to solve the problems by “proving” the solution with customer references, etc | | 10. | “Beat” the competition by conducting a direct competitor comparison using third-party data to support your claims | | 11. | Assist the prospect by ensuring that the contract is simple and affordable | | 12. | Encourage future business by setting up user-groups etc which highlight new applications and developments. | | | | | | The objective is to help buyers along the buying path and not to try to force them through your organisation’s sales process. This helps remove any friction and makes for an easier journey for the prospect and, in my experience, an easier sale! | | | | "There are certain steps that are important for the selling company alone - they are not in any way part of the buyer’s journey" |  | | | | | | "The objective is to help prospects along the buying path and not to try to force them through your organisation’s sales process." | | | | |  | | | 
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