The B2B buyer journey

The real difference between B2C and B2B buyers is not so much about your products or services, but the context in which those products or services are bought or sold. 

In a nutshell: B2B customers usually purchase products and services that meet specific business needs. 

What’s the difference? The decision-making process—or in this case the buyer journey—is normally longer for B2B purchases. 

This is because organizations often have formalized, lengthy policies and processes. And, unfortunately, due to various people with varying roles and responsibilities, you can also run into decision-making that becomes a consensus by committee. 

The same thing applies though: behind every business is a human. 

They just happen to be at work. 

Here are fool-proof tips for a simple and intuitive roadmap for developing a better B2B buyer journey.

Talk to your clients

Outside of geographic and demographic factors to consider for your B2B buyers, there are other areas that you need to keep in mind. 

The best way to get a deeper understanding of your B2B buyers is to interview them face–to–face or screen–to–screen. Prepare a list of seven–to–10 questions that explore the most impact on your clients and your business.

Here are some sample questions:

➡ What’s the size of your organization, such as revenue or number of employees?

➡ How long have you been in business? 

➡ What are some of the top challenges your brand is facing?

➡ Do you have the resources and time to handle implementation and training? 

➡ How much have you spent on similar solutions in the past? 

➡ What is your budget now?

➡ Do you have a contract with another company?  

➡ If so: why are you thinking about switching?

Don’t have any access to clients?

Another way to get VoC without direct interviews is to use your recent Google reviews to your advantage and maximize existing VoC.

Gather online data

Not currently armed with strong VoC data?

Here is a non-exhaustive list of tips for collecting B2B buyer data:

➡ Review your Google Analytics to measure how buyers interact with your site 

➡ Mine your lead generation forms for any information they leave in your exit thank you surveys, and

➡ Check out your site heatmaps to see where your buyers dropped-off in their buyer journeys 

While just the tip of the iceberg, all of these factors and more impact the decision-making criteria your buyers undertake when considering your products or services. 

Understand your B2B buyer

When it comes to understanding the buying behaviours or factors that influence your B2B buyer journey, look into the five stages of the decision-making process, or what is called AIDAN:

• Awareness

• Interest

• Desire

• Action, and

• Nurturing

For B2C or B2B buyers alike, AIDAN is a helpful approach for speaking to the unresolved problems of your buyers. It positions you with a better way to overcome buyer objections with irresistible offers.

Why does AIDAN matter?

It might shock you, but according to LeadG2, your buyer normally completes more than 70% of their buying journey before they even reach out to you—or click your contact us now button. 

Why should this statistic alarm you? 

It means your buyer is doing a lot of self-service searching, and evaluating your brand and its products or services based on their own resources. 

Your B2B buyer lives in the same world you do, and as an ICP, they are just as savvy as well.

Their buying journey is most likely the same as well.

Cater to the modern B2B buyer

The average buyer journey takes a minimum of seven–or–more touch-points before they start paying attention to your products or services. 

It usually starts with a few clicks here–or–there, some quick questions to industry experts in their field, sometimes a short dive or scan into thought leadership articles, and a few more minutes on some videos.

And, if you are lucky enough to have a referral, rest assured that you will not be the only choice of your B2B buyer. You can pretty much guarantee that they have selected a set of options from similar products or services based on other referrals. 

And, most of the time, you can almost pretty much guarantee that they are mostly problem aware where they have a need, but not quite a desire to solve that same problem keeping them up late at night.

Or, even if you reach their coveted short-list, is your B2B buyer already saturated with the same pitch, and quite skeptical and jaded with marketing and sales?

There is no way around it: you will either be their first, the same or suitable brand, or you will be their last choice.

Get ahead of the game

How are you getting ahead of your competitors when it comes to your B2B buyer journey? Is your website lightning fast? Are you taking advantage of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? 

And, are you taking a Mobile First Approach (MFA) with conversion copywriting principles that focus on one rule of thought per sentence?

Getting a step ahead of your competition requires more than having a competitive product or service. 

It requires embracing the fact that your B2B buyer is using intentful search, or reading social media posts, and buying into brands that resonate with their own personal values. 

You can define your B2B buyers by better understanding where they are spending their time, identifying any neglected channels and developing conversation frameworks.

By utilizing your VoC, and developing and prioritizing key features for your products or services, you are one step closer to creating value for your B2B buyer journey.

Want to learn more about how Clickex is the next best click for powering your growth? Chat with our team today and let us show you how to build a legacy brand through the power of the internet.