The B2B purchase process has become too complicated
B2b buyers want simple information, not sales reps
Today's customers spend around two-thirds of any B2B buying journey gathering, processing and de-conflicting information, according to new research from Gartner. However, much of this learning happens without direct sales rep involvement.
In today's increasingly complex B2B sales environment, what customers truly value are suppliers that provide them with the right information, through the right channels, to make the purchase process easier.
Supplying customers with the right kind of information - specifically designed to enable the easy completion of buying jobs - gives customers a playbook to anticipate and overcome buying obstacles they might otherwise fail to address. This specific kind of support, in turn, significantly decreases the kind of purchase regret known to reduce customer loyalty and advocacy. At the same time, it dramatically increases a supplier's likelihood of winning a larger deal at a better price.
In short, to get started and better position sales teams for success, sales leaders must:
- Identify Customer Pain Points - Uncover the hurdles/challenges customers must overcome along the purchase process.
- Create "Buyer Enablement" Tools - Develop specific information and resources to help customers anticipate and overcome challenges throughout the buying journey.
- Be Consistent Across Channels - Ensure buyer enablement is available to all customers consistently across both digital and seller channels.
"Today's buying journey isn't just hard - it has reached a tipping point where it's become nearly unnavigable without a significant amount of help," said Brent Adamson, principal executive advisor at Gartner. "However, customers today don't really care where that help comes from. A conversation with a sales rep isn't an end in itself, it's simply a means to gathering the information necessary to complete specific buying 'jobs.' But, what matters isn't the conversation, it's the information provided."
Sources: Gartner / The Marketing Factbook.
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