b2b messaging

Creating dissonance in the B2B buyer’s mind – Part 2

B2B, Business, Marketing, Marketing Stamina, persistence

In my post of 12th April I had written about how B2B sales are not impulsive in nature. If you’re selling something which is a hot new technology and the buyer is a technology fan then you might be able to sell based on just the technology being new.

On the other hand , most B2B businesses have different levels in a buying process for any kind of product or service, especially if you are looking at a mid to large to extremely large companies. In these kind of companies the inertia itself is very large and the processes complex, so getting a process initiated itself is a task.

So until and unless there is a real challenge with a vendor no one wants to change, even if you have done the perfect segmentation and identified them as your ideal customer.

In the post on 12th April I wrote about how your messaging should keep targeting some areas of dissonance. However you cannot create dissonance with one piece of messaging, it will never stick. The longer a vendor has been providing the services to an organisation the bigger is the chance that the vendor’s issues will be ignored. Also not all issues – using an example from calculus – tend to cross the limit/threshold – where the customer snaps.

So when entering with a regular product or service you need to look at a long term time frame of say 2 years – it could be longer depending on the product or service – airplanes as an example – people may take 5-10 years before deciding on moving from say Boeing to Airbus .

Then you need to keep at sending out a weekly mail/postcard or whatever to be in-front of the buyers so that when the limit / threshold is reached they call you out by default. This persistence in marketing or as Dean Graziosi calls it – Marketing Stamina helps you pick up business in the long term.

Till next time then.

Carpe Diem!!!

“Where” to meet your B2B buyer -2

B2B, Marketing, persistence, Positioning, Sales, segmentation, single target market

In my last post I wrote about how “intent” data could help you find the buyer or you could set up Marketing Joint Ventures with people who either sell before or after your product or service is needed.

Inspite of this however you need to figure out “when” they will buy, what will be the trigger to buy so that you can meet the buyer at that moment in case you have not been able to identify them in advance.

One of the key triggers in a B2B buying process is when there’s a change at the Executive level. Depending on what you’re selling, the Executive level could vary, sometimes a V.P level, sometimes a CXO level.

Whenever someone new comes in they always have an agenda to achieve in the next 1 year. If what you have to offer is part of the 1 year priorities then you can essentially get a reason to be in touch.

Keeping a track of new joiners at the executive level can help you identify the “where” to meet your targets.

Till next time then.

Carpe Diem!!!

Finding out “where” to meet your B2B buyer

B2B, ideal customer, Marketing, Marketing Ecosystem, messaging, single target market

In the consumer space its generally possible to identify which places your audience visits physically and on the web. It is possible if they visit discount stores or if they visit the high end malls.

With B2B buyers the biggest challenge is in identifying the role different people play during different phases of evaluation of a solution.

Since most people do the evaluation using the web even before connecting to a sales person from one of the companies on their shortlist, its a major challenge if you don’t make it to the shortlist.

One way to handle this is with companies who give you “intent” data. I have used some of these companies for their services. What is challenging is we don’t know the method of how these companies run their algorithm and with what data points. So I have personally not had too much success though a lot of people do think this kind of service helps.

Since B2B buying is not impulsive, its easier to identify the things a customer will do before they use your technology and after they use your technology.

If you can have some kind of a marketing partnership with the companies on both the before and after, you can automatically identify the set of people you need to reach much earlier in the buying cycle and be in front of them consistently and build your BRAND in their minds .

I would love to hear your comments if you have successfully used “intent ” data or if you have tried another successful method.

Till next time then.

Carpe Diem!!!

Who’s not your customer – how it helps in messaging

B2B, Business, differentiation, ideal customer, Marketing, messaging, Positioning, segmentation, single target market

Last 2 posts I have been talking about the benefits of identifying who’s not your customer to ensure a better focus.

Once you know whom you don’t want to target consciously, you can actually build your messaging to ensure you make it clear for whom its not applicable and therefore your Ideal Customer recognises that the message is Only for her.

Whether its in the advertisements or in the email messaging that you build you can consciously list out all the people you don’t want to target. A positive way of doing this from the real estate market could be – “where millionaires reside” – which clearly tells people that if you are not a millionaire you can’t afford the homes.

There are clubs which mention the minimum criteria for joining the club. This way they ensure that they don’t waste time with wannabe’s.

In case of technology and B2B companies – you can decide to target companies who don’t use cloud and eliminate all companies who use cloud by doing messaging – “offer for first time cloud users only”.

By identifying “whos not your customer”, you don’t need to have negative connotations to it. Its just a method to ensure you can get your messaging for your specific niche very strongly aligned to the niche.

Try using this for building your messaging and let me know your results in the comments section below.

Till next time then.

Carpe Diem!!!