Tag: B2B Marketing Leaders

Putting the B2B Buyer First and Understanding Their Purchase Journey, Part 1

Posted on by admin

A customer’s purchase journey is never an easy process to document and collect data on. Thankfully, Brent Adamson is interviewed on this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite. As Principal Executive Advisor at Gartner (formerly CEB), Brent works to help B2B companies explain to customers why their solution is the best available.

Throughout part 1 of this conversation, Brent and Drew discuss why putting the customer first should be at the heart of any B2B organization. They also explain the 6 non-linear steps in any purchase journey, and Brent shares his #1 tip for any B2B supplier.

Click here to learn what you need to know about B2B marketing.

What You’ll Learn

Putting the buyer first is the #1 step to create a better purchase journey

B2B companies should be focusing on understanding how buying happens. Learning how your ideal customer views the buying process will give you direction when bridging the gap between marketing and sales departments. Brent explains that unfortunately, few brands in the B2B space are doing this well. To learn how to put the buyer first and reorganize your brand’s purchase journey model, be sure to listen.

The 6 main steps in any B2B purchase journey – they’re not linear!

Contrary to what many professionals believe, a purchase journey within B2B industries isn’t linear. And closing a deal isn’t about progression, it’s about completion. Brent outlines the 6 main steps that must be completed before any buying decision is made.

  1. Problem identification
  2. Solution exploration
  3. Requirements building
  4. Supplier selection
  5. Consensus creation (always happening)
  6. Validation of information (always happening)

These steps are far from being linear, especially when multiple decision-makers are involved. Of all the B2B buyers surveyed by Brent and his team at Gartner, 90% reported having to revisit one of the top 4 steps multiple times throughout their purchase journey.

Marketers should be doing THIS, before anything else, to help buyers choose their solution

Given these 6 steps, what is the ideal job of a B2B marketer? Brent believes it’s simple: marketers need to make buying easier. The first step in doing so is ensuring that problem-solving information is available through multiple channels. The answers given to a buyer over the phone from a sales rep should be consistent with information available online and via social media.

Actively solving a customer’s problems, before they even recognize a problem, is the key to making B2B buying easier. By understanding a buyer’s problems, offering them the best solution, and supporting them through their purchase journey, you’re well on your way to closing more deals in your industry.

Timeline

  • [0:30] Brent’s Renegade Rapid Fire segment, and his unique definition of marketing
  • [7:30] The importance of putting the customer first
  • [12:11] Brent explains the traditional customer purchase journey model
  • [17:42] The 6 main steps to a buying process – they’re NOT linear
  • [25:40] B2B buying is incredibly complex, and it’s through a multi-channel approach
  • [33:27] Here are your need-to-know takeaways from part 1 of this conversation with Brent

Connect With Brent:

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Drew

Marketing to Audiences 50+ and Future Marketing Trends, Live from PSFK Part 2

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On part 2 of this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite recorded live from the PSFK conference, Drew speaks with two guests about how marketers can relate to audiences over 50 and the importance of that audience in today’s society. They also discuss the value of looking ahead in marketing and the future marketing trends to keep in mind.

David Stewart, CEO/founder of Ageist, explains the disconnect between 50+ audiences and younger marketing teams. He shares insights that will change the way you approach marketing to older generations.

Dr. Devon Powers shares her knowledge on future marketing trends and how brands need to be thinking about their future interactions with customers.

Learn important B2B marketing trends and click here to listen.

What You’ll Learn

Marketers are missing the mark for audiences 50+ — here’s the solution

“Too many marketers are obsessed with the millennial generation,” explains David on this episode. Few brands understand what older consumers are looking for and they’re missing out on capturing their brand loyalty. He wants listeners to understand that people over 50 often feel invisible in the market, and if your company recognizes the value they add to society, you’ll be well on your way to capturing their dollars.

Focusing on values and aspirations is key for marketing to all ages

Campaigns focused on values and aspirations are two marketing trends that are always successful. No matter the age of your audience, these types of campaigns speak to every consumer. If you appreciate a consumer’s accomplishments and explain how your company can help them succeed even more, you’ll earn customers for life.

Here’s how you can identify future marketing trends

Devon explains that always evaluating your physical and online environments is key to understanding future marketing trends in your industry. Marketers need to be thinking about how their consumers identify themselves and interact with others. Those patterns and trends will dictate how they interact with your brand. If you’re always challenging your assumptions, you’ll be on your way to understanding where marketing trends are headed in the future.

Timeline

  • [1:18] Part 2 of the podcast recorded live at the PSFK conference
  • [1:55] Most marketers are missing the mark for consumers over 50
  • [8:10] How can you communicate effectively with the 50+ demographic?
  • [16:26] Dr. Devon Powers, researcher and professor, on future marketing trends
  • [23:57] Devon explains why challenging your marketing assumptions is key
  • [28:19] Here are your main takeaways from this episode of Renegade Thinkers Unite

Connect With David Stewart:

Connect With Devon Powers:

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Drew

5 Smart Ideas from 5 Smart B2B Marketers

Posted on by Drew Neisser

Practically every marketer faced the challenge of making more out of less in 2009. A few applied the principles of Marketing as Service and in the process were recognized as best of class by B2B Magazine. Here is a veritable cornucopia of insights gleaned from five of these top marketers.

Really helping your customers pays off
Marcy Shinder, VP-brand management at American Express OPEN describes their Marketing as Service activities as “earned media,” noting that “we put something out there that is so valuable, people share it on their own.” Establishing a revamped OpenForum.com as a resource to help small businesses, AmEx added Connectodex, an online tool that 1,000 small businesses have already used to connect with customers and partners. Shinder also makes sure that “anything that you see from AmEx is news that you can use.” Now that’s a commitment worth getting charged up about!

Do well by doing good
David Bills, CMO of DuPont, spread the word about the brand’s sustainability products like Tyvek by helping to rebuild the town of Greensburg, Kansas. Devastated by a tornado in 2007, Greensburg became “an environmental showcase” with DuPont pouring in $750,000 worth of construction materials and countless employee hours working through Habitat for Humanity. The reward for DuPont came via a Discovery Channel documentary on the rebuilding of Greensburg and a 6-minute feature on ESPN that ensured their good deeds were well known.

Get out and touch your target
Judith Sim, CMO of Oracle Corp., rose above the down economy by staying “very focused on the high-touch.” Executing 7,000 events around the globe, Oracle hosted lunches, road shows, and roundtable discussions that enabled “conversation with customers face to face and at many different levels.” Featuring “high-level content” delivered by top tier Oracle execs (including the CEO), attendance at the 2009 events increased 22% versus 2008 and customer deals that could be linked to these marketing activities hit an all-time high of 72%.

Think global, act social
Paul Dunay, Global Managing Director at Avaya, directed marketing away from interruptive messaging and into “packaging great, innovative ideas.” To do this, Avaya created “social content and social objects that can be shared,” including high-level events and premium research papers that customers and prospects found useful. A major proponent of social media, Paul noted that just by monitoring the buzz about Avaya on Twitter they were able to engage a hot prospect and “closed that deal within 13 days.”

When all else fails, save the planet
John Kennedy, VP-Corporate Marketing at IBM, served up a “hopeful message for the world” with Big Blue’s “Smarter Planet” global initiative. More than mere messaging, this campaign set an agenda for governments and businesses to seek more efficient systems and followed it up with SmarterCities summits around the world. IBM also matched its “Big Green” POV with a new division, Business Analytics and Optimization, that helps businesses deal with all their data. Enlisting the support of the blogging community, IBM found actively engaged accomplices to spread the word.